The 1991 Donruss baseball card set marked the 25th anniversary of the brand and featured some of the biggest names in the sport on the verge of superstardom. While not the flashiest or most creative design compared to competitors like Fleer and Upper Deck who were really pushing the limits of card aesthetics in the early 90s, many consider the 1991 Donruss set to be one of the most important of the junk wax era due to the huge stars it featured as young up and comers. Several of the cards from this 700+ card checklist have transformed into truly valuable collectors items decades later. Here’s a breakdown of the 5 most expensive 1991 Donruss Baseball cards on the secondary market today based on historical sales data from platforms like eBay:
Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card (#1) – Often cited as the greatest baseball card of all time, the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie from 1991 Donruss is arguably the most coveted modern card in existence. Even in pristine gem mint condition, examples rarely trade hands for under $10,000 today. The record sale price belongs to a PSA 10 quality card that fetched $86,100 back in 2016. What makes Jr.’s Donruss rookie so special is that it captures him at age 21, on the cusp of superstardom with the Seattle Mariners. In the photo, his smooth left-handed swing and youthful exuberance just pops off the card in a way that is both aesthetically pleasing and reminiscent of the raw promise he brought to the game. For many collectors and fans, this single card represents the golden age of baseball cards in the late 80s/early 90s before the onset of the junk wax era devalued everything. Condition is critical to the value of this legendary rookie.
Jeff Bagwell Rookie Card (#76) – Bagwell’s assault on the Astros’ record books and underrated Hall of Fame career has elevated his 1991 Donruss rookie into six figure territory for high-grade copies. While raw ungraded examples still trade in the $3,000-5,000 range, Bags’ sterling PSA 10 rookie has sold for as much as $105,000 at auction. He may not have been a true “rookie” in 1991 since he got 163 at-bats the prior year, but this is considered his true first card appearance. Like Griffey’s, it depicts him with the sweet left-handed swing that would terrorize NL pitchers for over a decade. The card’s iconic design and Bagwell’s legendary stat line make it an important part of the hobby’s history.
Chipper Jones Rookie Card (#709) – The face of the Atlanta Braves franchise for well over a decade, Chipper Jones put together a Hall of Fame caliber career and his 1991 Donruss RC has aged extremely well as a result. High grade PSA 10 versions now sell in the $8,000-10,000 range with some exceptional condition copies exceeding $15,000. Even raw near mint to mint examples still pull in the $1,500-3,000 range showing strong residual interest. What makes Chipper’s rookie particularly rare is that it comes from the very end of the hefty 700+ card checklist and was ultra-tough to pull back in the early 90s. Combined with his legendary switch-hitting performances for Atlanta, the card has simply never lost its luster over the long haul.
Derek Jeter Rookie Card (#349) – As one of the true icons of the 1990s Yankee dynasty teams, it’s no surprise that Derek Jeter’s rookies from his debut season of 1991 have retained serious collector interest and value decades later. While not quite as iconic or valuable as his more celebrated 1992 Topps rookie card, high grade versions of Jeter’s Donruss RC still pull in strong 5-figure prices. A recent sale saw a PSA 10 example reach $25,005, though $15,000-$20,000 is a more realistic range for pristine copies today. Even well-centered raw nearmint/mint cards can sell for $3,000-$5,000 showing it has staying power. It’s a fairly basic snapshot of a young Jeter, but it was one of the earliest widely available cards depicting his legendary career.
Tom Glavine Rookie Card (#623) – As one of two 300-game winners (Greg Maddux being the other) to emerge from the bountiful 1991 rookie class, Tom Glavine’s Donruss issue has gained tremendous appreciation over time. While never truly a “rare” card, pristine PSA 10 examples are still a tough graded assignment and now sell in the $7,000-10,000 range with some exceptional copies exceeding $15,000. Even raw near mint cards will still fetch $2,000-3,000 today from avid Braves collectors and Glavine fans. He may not have been the biggest name rookie in ’91, but his Hall of Fame caliber career and five-time 20-game winner status have made this one of the key cards for team set builders and Atlanta collectors to possess in top condition.
While cards from stars who never fully panned out like Bobby Witt and Erik Hanson don’t hold the same collectible value today, looking back the 1991 Donruss set managed to feature a truly incredible collection of future Hall of Famers, MVPs, Cy Young winners and franchise players. Even in a down market, examples of the top rookies from the likes of Griffey, Bagwell, Jones, Jeter and Glavine continue to reach new record prices every few years as nostalgia increases and higher grades become scarcer. For fans and collectors who lived through the early 90s baseball card boom, 1991 Donruss will always hold a special nostalgic place in their collections and memories due to the unprecedented star power it managed to showcase all in one single release.
