The 1991 Fleer baseball card release is considered one of the more valuable modern issues for collectors due to several highly sought after rookie cards and short printed veterans. While the Barry Bonds and Greg Maddux rookie cards garner much of the attention, there are several other cards in the 1991 Fleer set that can hold significant monetary worth in the right grade. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the key cards collectors search for from the 1991 Fleer baseball release.
The crown jewel of the 1991 Fleer set would have to be the Barry Bonds rookie card. Coming off a season where he finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting and showed tantalizing flashes of the offensive force he would eventually become, the Bonds rookie captured the attention of collectors. The condition of a Bonds rookie card has a massive impact on its price, with low-end/damaged copies selling in the $50-$100 range but gem mint PSA 10 examples fetching over $20,000 at auction. Another highly valued rookie is the Greg Maddux issue, though not quite at the level of Bonds. Still, a PSA 10 Maddux rookie can sell for $4,000-$6,000 depending on market conditions.
Outside the big two rookies, collectors seek out short printed veteran cards that are tougher to find in high grade. One example is the Kirby Puckett card, which has an print run estimated at only 100-200 copies. As a result, even lower graded Puckett cards in the PSA 7-8 range command $200-300. The Nolan Ryan card is also quite scarce, with only around 250 believed to exist. A PSA 10 Ryan from 1991 Fleer would be worth at least $1,000. Pitchers like Roger Clemens and Tom Glavine are other short prints that have high values when graded and preserved perfectly. Clemens PSA 10s sell for $500-700 while Glavine gems are more in the $300 range.
error cards or anomalies within the set also intrigue collectors searching for unusual and rare pieces. One is the Will Clark “upside-down photo” variation, where the photo on the card is printed backwards from how it normally appears. Only a handful are known to exist and these peculiar errors have sold for over $1,000 each. The Cal Ripken Jr. card is another to watch for anomalies, as some were accidentally printed without team logos in the background. The logo-less Ripken variation is significantly scarcer and more desirable to specialized collectors of errors. Pricing on such unique variants is determined purely by whatever someone is willing to pay since comparables are rare.
Beyond the headliners already mentioned, there are several other 1991 Fleer cards that can hold value based on the player and the card’s condition. A key example is the Ryne Sandberg, who at the time was still in his prime with the Cubs. The ’91 Fleer Sandberg is tougher to find in mint condition than comparable issues from other sets in the same year. Graded examples ranging from PSA 8 to PSA 10 can sell for $100-$300 each. Juan Gonzalez was another superstar in the making, and his rookie season with the Rangers resulted in an all-star appearance. A PSA 10 Gonzalez is valued around $150.
Dolph Schayes, an NBA Hall of Famer who also played briefly in MLB in the early 1950s, has one of the scarcest cards in the set since he was already retired for decades by 1991. Few graded examples exist, making it particularly tough to find one preserved perfectly. The rarity alone could push a PSA 10 Schayes from 1991 Fleer over $500. Veterans like Ozzie Smith, Wade Boggs, and Ricky Henderson are always desired by collectors too. While not quite the caliber of modern star rookies,solid condition copies of these fan favorites from ’91 Fleer can still sell for $50-$150.
The 1991 Fleer baseball release remains an important modern issue for collectors chasing sought after rookie cards like Bonds and Maddux or elusive veteran shorts prints. But there are also several other quality players scattered throughout the set that can hold strong values when preserved top condition, from Ripken and Sandberg to Gonzalez and Puckett. For those constructing a portfolio of intact yearly baseball sets from the late 80s through 90s, 1991 Fleer is a must-have to anchor a collection from that era.
