2. Other cards that come from the same set that are also worth a mention include Mark Whiten and Don Mattingly. The 1991 MLB season will probably be best remembered for the epic Minnesota Twins-Atlanta Braves World Series, but the release of this Topps baseball set likely ranks pretty high on collectors list. 1991 Topps Baseball saw the company celebrate its 40th anniversary. How many exist today, really, is anybodys guess. To honor our troops and maybe give them a tiny taste of home, Topps produced a parallel of their base set, designated as Topps Desert Shield. Read our methodology . Although the conventional look of 1991 Topps Baseball may have conveyed a feeling of self-satisfaction from the company, evidence that the competitive wheels were still turning could be found on every red wax pack issued. Im looking for the way to the honest price for a van load of NFL hockey baseball basketball collection. I think its a great promotion, Richard O. Rieger, an analyst for a financial services company, told the Los Angeles Times in 1991. With that sweet swing of his, he seemed to effortlessly crush home runs left and right. And in this guide, we'll take a look at the 15 most valuable. The story of Jackson's professional sports career finally came to a close after the strike during the 1994 season cut his time with the California Angels short and caused him to retire for good. In terms of singles, the Chipper Jones #1 Draft Pick rookie card (#333) leads the way, with the PSA Sports Market Report (SMR) citing prices of $10, $25, and $90 in PSA 8-10, respectively. It requires a lot of work, especially if you want to collect the more nuanced and questionable varieties.. As you read through this list, please keep in mind that most cards in this set have little to no value these days. 1991 Donruss Jose Uribe Brand New Card 4. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. The biggest reason for that was the lack of a widespread internet. I was so pumped up and dreamed of pulling a vintage Mickey Mantle or any vintage star for that matter. Love that Benny Santiago card you guys posted in the checklist page. The record book says yes, seeing as how Emmitt owns most of the career rushing marks that mean anything, and he's second to only Rice in total yards from scrimmage. 1993 SP Derek Jeter Rookie Card #279 #2. Not only the 3 main sports but there are WWII cards, celebrity cards (Yvonne DeCarlo), Hopalong Cassidy, etc. Check out that one here. The rise of the Bowman brand dates back to 1927 when Jacob Bowman founded Gum Inc. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Contact him at [emailprotected]. 2021 Sports Card Investor, LLC. We don't know how big a role nostalgia plays with this one, but it still regularly sells north of $40. 1952 to 1990. Sources vary on the exact distribution but that is the figure most commonly cited. Apparently, at least, as we were unwilling or simply unable to absorb the oceans of product on the market even as we continued to slobber over the gorgeous UD offerings in their second year. If you do not receive the verification code within 60 Seconds, we will send you the activation link again. Of those submitted, eleven graded gem mint 10, 797 mint 9, and 1,460 near-mint to mint 8. 9 Roger Clemens #530 One of the most memorable cards in the '91 Topps set, this horizontal stunner shows Clemens posing in front of Fenway Park's famed scoreboard. Copies of the Whiten variation are currently going for $50-$80 ungraded. Check Desert Shield prices on eBay (affiliate link), Check Desert Shield prices on Amazon (affiliate link), The relative scarcity of pristine Desert Shield cards has led to some big prices on the secondary market, including . The card of Jones, an eight-time All-Sar and former Most Valuable Player, has become of one of the more sought after cards in the junk wax era particularly in high-grade condition. The fact that this gem from Gwynns 10th season has a $60 sticker today isnt quite as amazing as some of the Padres legends hitting stats, but its still impressive enough. By navigating the site, you agree to the use of cookies to collect information. 1991 Topps Micro card list & price guide. The cards were originally intended for soldiers in Operation Desert Shield, a mission to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia. Its a different kind of chase that extends to present-day collecting as a seemingly endless number of errors and variations have captured the fascination of collectors across collecting blogs and chat rooms for decades. READ OUR DISCLAIMER. As the fortieth anniversary of their first sets 1951 Topps Red Backs and Blue Backs dawned, Topps unveiled a classy, understated base set in the spring of 1991. Given the amount of excitement Bonds was clearly bringing to the game, why did Topps choose to showcase such an explosive player in this manner? Ungraded & graded values for all '92 Leaf Baseball Cards. PSA Price Guide for 1991 Topps Baseball Card Values - Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) & PSA/DNA Authentication Services Services I have hundreds of cards from this 91 set in plastic holders in my basement. The card of Jones, an eight-time All-Sar and former Most Valuable Player, has become of one of the more sought after cards in the junk wax era particularly in . Fred McGriffs extended bat stays within the frame while Evans bat breaks all the way through. Ultimately, Topps slotted Dave Stewart in as card #1 in the set, but I have to believe there is a story behind why they were the only two players who posed in tuxedos. Cheapest, 25) 1990 Topps Sammy Sosa Rookie Card (#692) Sammy Sosa entered 1990 with designs on a starting job for the first time in his big league career, thanks to a midseason trade in 1989 from the Rangers to the White Sox. Nothing against the Boston Red Sox, but despite being one of baseball's most storied franchises, they're also known for a couple of bonehead deals. 1 Nolan Ryan - Texas Rangers 2 George Brett - Kansas City Royals RB 3 Carlton Fisk - Chicago White Sox RB 4 Kevin Maas - New York Yankees RB 5 Cal Ripken Jr. - Baltimore Orioles RB 6 Nolan Ryan - Texas Rangers RB Card backs are red with complete career stats and player vitals. There is plenty of room for all the game's top stars. By entering your email address you agree to receive email versions of the Baseball Card Market Report. A completely unopened wax box of 36 packs was sold in December 2020 by Heritage for $30,000. And since complete sets of the Desert Shield cards were never issued, finding those today is very difficult because they were required to be hand-collated. That slugging percentage is what actually gives this card much of its value. #18. 1991 Topps, still, is the last flagship set from the company to use gray, cardboard stock, a look and feel that has gone the way of paper rituals like penning thank you notes. And in this guide, we take a look at the 10 most valuable 1991 Topps cards. By 1991, Mattingly boosted his slugging percentage to .394 and in the following seasons above .400, although barely. A card from 1991 looks and, more importantly, feels like a card from 1961. While PSA has graded close to 60,000 Desert Shield cards, just about 12,000 check in at PSA 10. Baseball; Sets; 1991; Overview; 1991 Topps. We use cookies to improve your experience. The power with the bat was gone but he still had his glove, though, and in 1991 he would earn his sixth of nine career Gold Gloves. The card featured above is a 1987 Topps Future Stars baseball card featuring Bo Jackson. . Rating: 7.1 (153 votes) . The title is a reference to the irreverent nickname given the famous (infamous?) The problem, in terms of value for the 1991 Topps set is that the cards were everywhere, and they still are. Well past his prime but still pitching at a high level in 1991, it was anyone's guess at how long his career would eventually last. PSA graded 3,178 of the '86 Topps Nolan Ryan cards. Originally, Topps listed his slugging percentage for the 1987 as618(missing the decimal point) on the back of the card. Back then, we were always clamoring for limited print runs, premium (white) card stock, and clear photography. A pair of thin frames are also around the photo. Charles, the West Coast collector, created the blog Junk Wax Gems in 2009. 2022 Bowmans Best Baseball Checklist, Team Set Lists and Details, One-Sheet Collections: Best Active NBA Stars Who Have Never Been All-Stars, 2022 Bowman Inception Baseball Checklist, Team Set Lists, Odds and Details, 2022-23 Leaf Exotic Basketball Checklist and Details, 2021-22 SP Game Used CHL Hockey Checklist and Details, 2023 GAS Arnold Schwarzenegger: Built to Perfection Trading Cards Carry Some Heavy Weight, 2022 Panini Flawless Collegiate Basketball Checklist and Details, 2022 Topps Allen & Ginter Chrome Baseball Checklist, Team Set Lists and Details. And as the article points out, even the ones that did legitimately enjoy the cards may have found it challenging to bring them home or even keep them in decent condition. It probably does if you have ever seen an Upper Deck card they sort of changed how we saw desirable cards at the time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Stay in the know about the latest sports card, hobby news, and promotions from Beckett. By partnering with Kodak, Topps delivered beautiful full-color, borderless cards that featured high-quality images. Track your collection for free. The top card in the set is easily the rookie card of Hall of Famer Chipper Jones. The 1991 Topps set debuted just as America was engaging in the first Gulf War. Counting down the most valuable baseball card sets from the late 1990s using the highest recent sale in any grade 9 or below from any grading company (PSA, B. But there were still all those randomly inserted cards. But, for a guy with a .338 career batting average and eight batting titles to his name, he and the rest of baseball had been used to a much higher standard of batting wizardry. Unfortunately, like a switch zapping the lights in a room, back injuries zapped Mattingly's power in 1990 and forced him to miss a large chunk of the season. They must have found their way into the hands of collectors quickly because I remember seeing them for sale at shows at the time. The set was also special as Topps celebrated its 40th year of issuing baseball cards. If you continue to use this site, we'll assume you're OK with that. He also hit a personal best 33 doubles, tied a personal best with 28 home runs, turned in his second-highest batting average (.325), and led the American League in stolen bases (65). The funny thing was, he would waste almost no time breaking his own recordwhen he threw hisseventh and final no-hitter against Toronto on May 1, 1991. Guessing the Braves did, seeing as how they chose the Florida native with the first overall pick in the 1990 MLB Draft. I found about 100 packs of these 91 Topps 40th anniversary in my dads house after he passed. So there you have it, the ten most valuable 1991 Topps cards in both their base and Desert Shield forms. That would change in 1992 as the company would follow the trend of other modern issues and move to a light-gloss style of card. One of the most memorable cards in the 91 Topps set, this horizontal stunner shows Clemens posing in front of Fenway Parks famed scoreboard. Rating: 7.1 (153 votes) Click here to Rate. There are clearly two, distinct, packaging types for two different market destinations and with each, specific variations are found. These things were always hit-or-miss in terms of player selection, depending on who was moving around. Chipper Jones was a flat out superstar during the 1990's and fans adored him. While some collectors continued to dismiss Topps amid its latest release Leptich also accused the company of putting out inferior products in prior years others noticed what many collectors wouldnt realize until years after the fact: 1991 Topps is a classic. All rights reserved. Prices are updated daily based upon 1991 Topps Archives 1953 Reprint listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. The popularity of 1991 Topps Baseball does not come from the Rookie Cards that continue to carry so many other sets only the Chipper Jones draft pick retains significant rookie value it resides in its variety, the stunning photography and the continued collectability of the set, the ability to be all things to all collectors. Jones rookie card is one of the few notable ones. I have a brand new box still wrapped up are they wourth anything. #163 For cards worth more than that amount or issued prior to 1957, Topps inserted redemptions, according to the spokesman for Topps at the time. Charles does not believe the many variations which include several statistical errors were intentional on Topps part, which has been a common accusation regarding the litany of errors found in a number of sets during the overproduction era. So in 1991, Topps experimented with that by creating its Stadium Club brand a glossy, upscale Topps branded product. This action shot of a post-swing Griffey doesnt get the props it probably deserves in Juniors canon of cards. Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the list: 1991 Bowman #183 Jeff Bagwell Rookie Card Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $225 When the Boston Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for cash on January 5, 1920, they completed the worst trade in baseball history. collecting period of 1986-93, a time in which trading card companies oversaturated the market with cards to meet the demand of an expanding consumer base. This set is especially interesting to me because a master set contains more variations than any other Topps set, before or since (excluding intentional parallels and variations), Charles said. The variety of Topps photography in the set stands out to this day.