The Fleer Ultra brand was introduced in 1991 as Fleer’s new premium baseball card offering aimed at the growing collector market. With sharper photography, more robust stats and bios on the back of the cards, and higher production quality overall, Fleer Ultra gave collectors an alternative to Topps’ flagship set as the pinnacle baseball card product of the time period.
The 1991 Fleer Ultra set contained 330 cards and had a distinctive design compared to the typical Fleer / Topps templates of the late 80s and early 90s. Gone were the standard vertical card layouts – instead Fleer Ultra cards used a wider horizontal format with bold colors and font styles. Player names were printed large across the top of the card front in stylized capital letters. Photos took up more real estate compared to other brands as well.
For rookie card hunters and investors, the 1991 Fleer Ultra set boasted some true jewels. Pitchers Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz all had their rookie cards in the set. Given what those three accomplished both individually and as part of the dominant Atlanta Braves rotations of the 1990s, their Ultra rookies carry a high premium to this day. positional players like Jeff Bagwell also debuted in the 1991 Fleer Ultra set and his card remains one of the most sought after from the brand.
Other notables in the 1991 Ultra checklist included superstars like Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken Jr., Barry Bonds, Kirby Puckett, and Ryne Sandberg. Fleer captured these players in their absolute primes with lively action shots. Stats on the back provided complete data to that point in their careers. The production values and photography truly made the cards “pop” more so than competitors.
While the primary checklist contained mostly current MLB players as was customary, Fleer also included some fun oddball parallel subsets like “Record Breakers”, “Silver Sluggers”, and “Gold Glove Greats”. These insert-style cards within the base set highlighted individual accomplishments and served as a precursor to modern parallel and hit card models. Additionally, Fleer Ultra included traded players in their new uniforms for the first time.
As the premier high-end offering on the market in 1991, boxes of Fleer Ultra carried a suggested retail price of about $75. For perspective, a box of Topps or Donruss ran about half that. The increased production costs from premium card stock, enlarged photos, foil stamping, and added statistical information was passed onto collectors. Still, demand was high for the opportunity to obtain the best rookie cards and biggest star cards in a premium presentation.
In terms of chase cards within the 1991 Fleer Ultra base set, the following carry the highest values today:
Tom Glavine RC #1 – Glavine would go on to capture 305 career wins and 2 Cy Young Awards for the Atlanta Braves. High grade examples can fetch thousands.
Greg Maddux RC #210 – Like Glavine, Maddux became a Hall of Fame starting pitcher and won 4 Cy Youngs of his own. Another hugely valuable and desirable rookie card.
John Smoltz RC #290 – The third member of the Braves trio, Smoltz won both games as a starter and closer while achieving 200 wins and 150 saves.
Jeff Bagwell RC #331 – Bagwell brought power and consistency to Houston, earning an MVP and many All-Star nods. One of the most iconic early ’90s rookie cards.
Nolan Ryan #45 – Perhaps the most feared flamethrower of all time, portrayed in his prime with the Angels.
Ken Griffey Jr. #294 – Though not his true rookie season, this marked one of Griffey’s earliest star cards.
Cal Ripken Jr. #10 – The Iron Man collected awards and broke records throughout the ’90s for Baltimore.
In addition to the coveted rookie cards and star players featured, the 1991 Fleer Ultra set also contained several exciting chase parallel subsets:
Silver Sluggers (cards #151-165) – Highlighted AL and NL batting champions and home run leaders on silver foil embossed cards.
Gold Glove Greats (cards #201-215) – Gold foil highlighted the premier defensive players at each position per league.
Record Breakers (#216-230) – Color photo variation cards commemorated individual single-season and career milestones.
These innovative parallel subsets within the base checklist kept pack-breaking exciting at the premium price-point. The scarcer parallels attain high values today for completed Fleer Ultra sets.
In the end, 1991 Fleer Ultra succeeded as intended by taking the hobby by storm with its refined high-fashion take on the standard baseball card formula of the time. Though it would face challenges over the coming years from increased competition and industry downturns, the brand maintained its place amid the top sports card offerings for most of the 1990s decade. For collectors, assembling complete rookie and star sets from the 1991 Fleer Ultra landmark release remains a highly coveted and rewarding challenge today.
