The 1991 Fleer baseball card set is considered one of the most iconic and sought after issues in the modern era of collecting. With several extremely rare and valuable short prints included, 1991 Fleer introduced many collectors to the hunt for elusive variations that became a staple of the hobby.
Released at the start of the 1991 season to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Fleer, the set totaled 792 cards featuring current Major Leaguers as well as top prospects. The design featured a simple team logo in the foreground with the player positioned behind. Statistics and career highlights were included on the reverse. Though not the most creative design, it proved clean and allowed the photography to take center stage.
What made the 1991 Fleer issue truly stand out were the unannounced short prints that were discovered to be significantly harder to obtain than standard cards. Fleer altered the printing process halfway through and decreased the print run on select players without informing the public. This ignited a frenzy among collectors to seek out the elusive variations, not knowing exactly which players were involved or the precise quantities that existed.
Some of the most notable and valuable 1991 Fleer short prints include:
Ken Griffey Jr. (#356) – Considered the holy grail of the set, estimates put the Griffey short print print run at around 1 per case of wax packs. Over time it has become one of the most expensive baseball cards ever sold in mint condition, regularly fetching tens of thousands of dollars and once selling for over $100k.
Alex Rodriguez (#383) – As a highly touted rookie, the scarce A-Rod short print created immense buzz. Still one of the pricier 1991 Fleer cards to acquire in high grade at $3-5k in PSA 10.
Cal Ripken Jr. (#377) – Another extremely rare pull, often attracting bids over $10,000 for a PSA 10 example of the Ripken short print.
Will Clark (#122) – One of the more obtainable short prints but still an expensive card in top condition at $1,500-$2,000 range.
Gregg Jefferies (#422) – A mid-run Mets prospect at the time, even his short print remains under $500 for a PSA 10.
Nelson Liriano (#651) – One of the true “oddball” short prints that could be found in packs long after Griffey & Rodriguez were pulled off shelves, still over $1,000 PSA 10.
It was later discovered that five base cards did not have short prints produced at all – making naturally scarce cards even harder to find. This “holy grail” group within the 1991 Fleer short prints consists of:
Danny Tartabull (#230)
Milt Thompson (#345)
Gary Redus (#521)
Steve Frey (#619)
Jerry Browne (#734)
Obtaining any of these five true “1 of 1” cards in pristine mint condition would be nearly impossible and verify their rarity status as some of the rarest and most valuable baseball cards in existence. Even well-centered, graded examples could bring six-figure sums.
The mystery and scarcity behind the 1991 Fleer short prints created a frenzy that started many young collectors down the path of card hunting. While sets produced since have emulated short prints to varying results, 1991 Fleer was truly groundbreaking in popularizing the sub-hobby of variations within a set. Even after 30 years, highly conditioned examples of the biggest names still excite collectors and command top dollar. For those who grew up with 1991 Fleer as their introduction to the cardboard collectibles, it holds a special nostalgia that keeps demand and prices elevated among vintage enthusiasts. The legend of cards like the Griffey and A-Rod short prints will ensure 1991 Fleer always has a place among the most important baseball card sets in the modern era.
