The 1991 Donruss baseball card set is one of the most famous and frequently discussed sets when it comes to production errors. While errors of some kind occur in nearly every card set produced, the 1991 Donruss set stands out for both the number and types of errors found. Some were minor mistakes that had little impact, but several others resulted in cards being produced that incorrectly identified players or featured the wrong photograph entirely. With sales of over one billion packs that year, even small error rates led to many anomaly cards finding their way into the hands of collectors.
One of the most talked about errors from the 1991 Donruss set involves veteran outfielder Rickey Henderson’s card. On card #187, Henderson is shown wearing a New York Mets uniform despite having been traded from the Mets to the Athletics a year prior in 1990. This mistake lead to many collectors believing the card to be a rarity until it was discovered that a significant number of Rickey Henderson #187 cards had been printed with the incorrect uniform.
Another photography error involved Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Mike Harkey on card #424. While the text on the front correctly identified Harkey, the photograph featured fellow Cubs pitcher Les Lancaster instead. Considering the drastic difference in appearance between the two players, this was an obviously wrong photo that must have puzzled collectors who knew the players. It’s believed only a small number of Harkey cards with Lancaster’s photo were printed before the mistake was caught and corrected.
Perhaps the most prolific error involved infielder Bip Roberts of the Cincinnati Reds. Numerous versions of Roberts’ card #458 have been identified with different photos across various production runs. Among the known variations are images of fellow Reds player Billy Bates, former Reds player Kal Daniels, and even an unidentified player not associated with Cincinnati. While cataloguers have assigned condition census population estimates to the different photo error versions, there is no definitive count of just how many of each were produced before the problem was addressed.
Mets outfielder Bobby Bonilla holds the distinction of having two completely different yet equally incorrect cards issued under the same #607 number in 1991 Donruss. The front of one version correctly named Bonilla but featured a photo of Phillies outfielder Von Hayes. Another variant had both Hayes’ name and photo in error. Both are now regarded as extremely rare and valuable finds by error card collectors.
Perhaps the most perplexing error involved Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Alex Fernandez on card #531. Many versions of Fernandez’ card were found to have an entirely blank white space where his photograph should be. No image of any kind was present, just solid white. How exactly entire sheets of cards ended up being printed and presumably packaged without any photo is a mystery that has never been fully explained. The blank photo Fernandez cards are iconic error pieces from the 1991 Donruss set.
Minor text errors were also present throughout the set. Future Hall of Famer Jimmy Rollins had his first name misspelled as “Jimy” on card #541 despite still being in the minors at the time. Pitchers Doyle Alexander (#386) and Chris Hammond (#562) both had their teams listed incorrectly. San Francisco Giants reliever Donlin Middleton had his last name printed as “Middletown” on card #634.
While production mistakes are inevitable for such a huge release, the volume and variety of errors in the 1991 Donruss set cemented its legacy among collectors. Cards with wrong photos, missing photos, swapped name/photo combinations, and text inconsistencies have made error versions of popular players like Fernandez, Bonilla, and Rickey Henderson highly valued specialty pieces within the set today. The sloppy quality control also contributed to Donruss losing market share to competitors like Topps and Fleer in subsequent years. But for error collectors, the 1991 Donruss baseball cards remain a fascination due to the diversity and quantity of anomalies that were missed prior to distribution.
