The 1991 Fleer baseball card set featured some of the biggest young stars in the game at the time as baseball card popularity was reaching new heights in the early 1990s. One of the young superstars featured was Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners, who received card number 430 in the set. Griffey was already establishing himself as one of the most exciting players in baseball in just his third MLB season in 1991.
Griffey was drafted number one overall by the Mariners in the 1987 amateur draft and made his MLB debut in 1989 at just 19 years old. He immediately began displaying the elite talent that would make him a future Hall of Famer. In his rookie season of 1989, Griffey hit .284 with 24 home runs and 61 RBI in only 113 games, finishing third in American League Rookie of the Year voting. His sophomore season in 1990 saw further improvement as he hit .269 with 22 home runs and 82 RBI in 156 games at the young age of 20 years old.
Entering the 1991 season, Griffey was already one of the brightest young stars in the game and his 1991 Fleer card captured him at the peak of his youth and athleticism. The card features a clean photo of Griffey from the waist up in his Mariners uniform with his number 30 clearly displayed. He is staring straight ahead with an intense focus that belied his youth. At just 21 years old in 1991, Griffey’s boyish good looks and chiseled athletic frame made him one of the most marketable young stars in the game and in the growing baseball card industry.
On the 1991 Fleer card, Griffey’s stats from the previous 1990 season are listed as are some fun facts about the emerging superstar. It notes he was a three-time All-Star, won a Gold Glove Award in 1990 and was the 1987 number one overall draft pick. The back of the card provides more details on Griffey’s background and career stats to date. It highlights how he was already being compared to legends like Willie Mays for his combination of power, speed and defensive skills at such a young age.
The 1991 season would see Griffey take his game to an even higher level. He hit .308 with 22 home runs and 72 RBI in just 121 games, missing time due to injury. He finished third in AL MVP voting at the age of just 21, showing early signs he was on a Hall of Fame trajectory. His combination of five-tool talent, boyish good looks and emerging superstardom made Griffey one of the most popular players in baseball and his 1991 Fleer card one of the most desirable rookie/early career cards in the set.
While the 1991 Fleer set as a whole did not have huge initial value upon release, Griffey’s card stood out as one to watch. His card value steadily increased over the 1990s as Griffey ascended to superstardom and one of the faces of MLB. In 1992, he won the first of his 10 Gold Glove Awards and hit .307 with 40 home runs and 104 RBI to finish second in AL MVP voting at age 22. The 1993 season would see Griffey have a career year, hitting .308 with 56 home runs (leading the AL) and 121 RBI to win the AL MVP award unanimously.
Griffey was a household name by the mid-1990s and his early career cards, including the coveted 1991 Fleer rookie, were highly sought after by collectors. In PSA/DNA 10 Gem Mint condition, ungraded examples of Griffey’s 1991 Fleer card were selling for $100-200 in the mid-1990s. By the late 1990s, as Griffey neared 500 career home runs and collectors began nostalgically chasing their childhood cards, a PSA 10 example was worth $500-1000.
At the turn of the century in 2000, Griffey was still in his prime with the Mariners and Cincinnati Reds. He was closing in on historic career milestones like 500 home runs and his name recognition was at its peak. This helped propel values of his early career cards, including the 1991 Fleer, to new heights. In 2000, a PSA 10 example could be found for $2,000-3,000 while raw, ungraded examples were bringing $500-1000. Griffey’s Hall of Fame induction in 2016 cemented his legacy and created renewed nostalgia for his early career cards from the late 1980s and early 1990s with the Mariners.
In today’s market, Griffey’s 1991 Fleer rookie card remains one of the most iconic and valuable cards from the early 1990s NBA hoops boom. In PSA Gem Mint 10 condition, examples have sold at auction in 2022 for $7,000-10,000. Even well-centered, attractive PSA 9 copies can fetch $3,000-5,000. For raw, ungraded examples, $2,000-4,000 is a fair estimated value range. The card has held its value remarkably well now over 30 years after its original release, a testament to Griffey’s status as a modern era baseball icon and one of the most talented young stars ever featured on a baseball card.
For collectors and investors, Griffey’s 1991 Fleer rookie remains one of the premier vintage basketball card holdings from the junk wax era. It captured Griffey at the absolute peak of his youthful potential before he went on to have a Hall of Fame career. The card art and photo perfectly represent that era of baseball card collecting in the early 1990s. For Griffey fans and collectors alike, the 1991 Fleer will always be one of the most storied and valuable cards from that time period.
