25 Most Valuable 1991 Topps Baseball Cards

1991 Mark Whiten #588 Hand Over Boarder Error

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $250

This set was notorious for its numerous variations.

And the rarest of them all is the Mark Whiten card where his hand extends over the border of the card.

Other cards in the set also show hats, bats or body parts extended over the border as well but for some reason Topps decided to correct this on Whiten's card.

And because they corrected it, the limited number of Whiten cards where his hand is over the border instantly became a rarity and have shot up in value as a result.

Whiten played 11 years in the Big Leagues but was never a star.

This is just another case of where the value of a card can be boosted by a simple variation.

1991 Topps #790 Ken Griffey Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $100

One year after securing his first All-Star nod and a smattering of down-ballot MVP votes, the Ken Griffey Jr. emerged as the game's most tantalizing and popular talent.

A unique blend of charisma, speed, defense, power, and patience, Griffey went from a prized prospect to a full-blown superstar in 1991.

The surge in popularity didn't come without its caveats.

After periodically firing back at his critics throughout the year, Junior leaned on veteran teammate Harold Reynolds for some life/career advice.

"We were in Toronto right before the break and Harold sat me down," Junior said. "He told me I wasn't having any fun. He was right."

The top vote-getter in the American League, Griffey loosened up among his peers and inspirations in Toronto.

The weight of his personal and professional struggles appeared to slip off his shoulders, and Griffey entered the latter half of the schedule in a freer, clearer head space.

Griffey torched the Junior Circuit in the second half, hitting a blistering .373 with 13 homers and 64 RBIs.

The Mariners bounced back from a 40-42 first half, finishing with 83 wins and the first winning record in franchise history.

Junior was the catalyst for the team's sudden fortunes.

The 21-year-old slashed .327/.399/.527 on the season with 22 home runs, 42 doubles, 18 stolen bases, 76 runs scored, and 100 RBIs in 154 games.

1991 Topps #333 Chipper Jones Rookie Card

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $85

It may not be quite as valuable as the Mark Whiten variation or Griffey's base card but the Chipper Jones rookie card is easily the face of the entire set.

One of the most important rookie cards of the 1990s, this card is routinely in high demand.

And can you believe that the Desert Shield version of this card can sell for thousands of dollars?

It may be shocking, but it's true.

As of this writing, only 32 examples of this card have been graded in PSA 10 condition, so collectors are willing to pay a premium to own one.

Jones spent the 1991 season with the Single-A Macon Braves, posting a beefy .326/.407/.518 slash line in with 15 homers, 24 doubles, 11 triples, 40 stolen bases, 104 runs scored, and 98 RBIs.

That was the good news.

The bad news was that Jones didn't have it in the field.

He committed a double-take-inducing 71 errors at shortstop and booted balls all over the place.

Eventually, he'd move over to third base, a position that suited him much better as his Hall-of-Fame career progressed.

1991 Topps #1 Nolan Ryan

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $75

In a way, Nolan Ryan was the blueprint for the late-career renaissances of megastars such as Tom Brady and LeBron James.

Remember, he was pitching in his fourth decade in 1991, which speaks to his longevity on the mound.

Somewhat surprisingly, the 1991 season was one of the best of his 27-year career and his finest in a Ranger uniform.

Gritting his teeth through an endless list of injuries, aches, and pains, the 44-year-old righty was utterly brilliant across 27 starts.

He went 12-6 with a 2.91 ERA, punching out over 200 batters for the fifth straight year (203) and topping all of baseball with a 1.006 WHIP.

He also did the impossible on May 1st, upstaging the ultimate showman, Rickey Henderson.

On the day that Rickey passed Lou Brock for the all-time stolen base record, Ryan threw his seventh no-hitter in unparalleled form, fanning sixteen while dealing with a bloody middle finger on his pitching hand.

At 44 years old, Ryan remained the ultimate baseball unicorn, never to be replaced or matched.

I always loved how Topps displayed Ryan on this card.

The horizontal layout perfectly framed Ryan in the final moments of delivering one of his signature heaters.

1991 Topps #392 Ken Griffey Jr. All-Star

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $75

Topps did a great job with its All-Star card design for its 1991 set.

The "All Star" callout at the top with the starry sky in the background adds a very nice design touch to this card.

And the fact that Griffey Jr. appears on this list twice goes back to what I was saying earlier: he was one of the most popular athletes in the world at the time and collectors wanted any card on which he appeared.

I'd like to imagine him having just blasted one of his towering home runs by the looks of him in this image...

1991 Topps #42 Chris Hoiles (White Inner Frame)

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $65

1991 Topps #100 Don Mattingly

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $60

Don Mattingly seemed to pack several different seasons into one year in 1991.

Battling a chronic back issue that cost him sixty games the year before, the 30-year-old first baseman was both determined and incensed.

Named the 14th captain in New York Yankees history, Mattingly took the role seriously.

He spent hours trying to tweak his swing to find his former power, pushing his teammates to be better and think smarter.

It wasn’t to be.

The team crashed to 71 wins and a third consecutive losing season.

As you might expect, Mattingly got more angry as the campaign dragged along.

He called out the entire front office, questioning the franchise’s direction and will to win.

He publicly sought a trade in the summer, but the Yankees quickly denied the request.

What followed was a tabloid mess that peaked when Mattingly refused to adhere to the team’s personal grooming policy and was suspended for a game.

Nothing went right, not for Mattingly or the Yanks as a whole.

Distracted and unable to get his swing where he wanted it, Mattingly slashed .288/.339/.394 with nine homers, 35 doubles, 64 runs scored, and 68 RBIs.

He took home his sixth Gold Glove, but that was little consolation for yet another season from hell.

1991 Topps #79 Frank Thomas

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $60

Is it any coincidence that the Chicago White Sox rose from the ashes while "The Big Hurt" rose to prominence?

After a head-turning debut in 1990, Frank Thomas joined the conversation with the league's elite hitters in '91.

The 23-year-old DH/first baseman was already a complete player in his first full year.

Thomas boasted extraordinary power and an innate knack for coming up big in clutch situations.

He also had a painter's eye in the batter's box, unwilling to chase much of anything out of the zone.

He led all of baseball with 138 walks, forcing pitchers to come into the zone so he could bludgeon them accordingly.

And bludgeon them he did.

Thomas topped the game in on-base percentage (.453), OPS (1.006), and OPS+ (180).

He finished the season with a .318 average, 32 home runs, 31 doubles, 104 runs scored, and 109 RBIs in 158 games.

With the former first-round pick driving the lineup to new heights, the second-place White Sox kept within shouting distance of the division-champion Minnesota Twins for most of the year.

They'd fall eight games short, but they'd have been nothing more than an afterthought without Thomas in uniform.

1991 Topps #6 Nolan Ryan Record Breaker

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50

Nolan Ryan's "1990 Record Breaker" card is also high up on the list of cards from this set.

So what was the record he broke?

On the back of the card, Topps paid tribute to Nolan Ryan becoming the oldest pitcher to throw a no-hitter, a feat previously held by none other than the legendary Cy Young.

Ryan was 43 years, 4 months and 11 days old when he threw that record-breaking no-hitter (his sixth) against Oakland on June 11, 1990.

The funny thing was, he would waste almost no time breaking his own record when he threw his seventh and final no-hitter against Toronto on May 1, 1991.

1991 Topps #670 Rickey Henderson

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50

The 1972-74 Oakland Athletics were a dynasty.

Three years, three World Series championships.

The 1988-1990 Oakland A's also had dynastic qualities.

However, their 1989 World Series title was bookended by brutal losses to the underdog Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds.

1991 was supposed to be a revenge tour.

Instead, Oakland's pitching staff flamed out, dragging the A's to a just-above-mediocre 84-78 finish.

It wasn't just Dave Stewart, 1990 Cy Young winner Bob Welch, and the league's second-worst pitching staff that sunk Oakland in '91.

There was also the curious case of reigning AL MVP Rickey Henderson.

The stars aligned for Rickey in 1990.

He posted career bests in most major statistical categories and wrested the MVP award from Cecil Fielder in a photo finish.

In 1991, Henderson was a different player.

His batting average dropped from .325 to .268, and his OPS plummeted nearly 20% from a career-high 1.016 to .823.

Yes, the most enduring moment from '91 was Henderson holding second base over his head, celebrating his new MLB-record 938th stolen base.

Passing Lou Brock was the cover story heading into the year, and Rickey was always one to make a headline count.

However, even Henderson's AL-best 58 stolen bases and 105 runs scored seemed to fall flat in 1991.

1991 Topps #130 Ozzie Smith

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40

The best defensive shortstop of the 1980s and 1990s was more sure-handed in 1991 than any of his 11 consecutive Gold Glove campaigns prior.

St. Louis Cardinals superstar Ozzie Smith committed double-digit errors in each of his first 13 big-league seasons.

His lowest total over that span was ten, which came in '87 when he finished second in the league's MVP voting for St. Louis' NL-pennant winning squad.

Double-digit errors are to be expected at shortstop.

Out of the four infield positions from first to third, shortstops receive the most defensive chances on average.

So, looking back at what Smith accomplished in an otherwise nondescript 1991 campaign is absolutely bonkers.

Smith committed just eight errors all year long and tied his career-best fielding percentage from '87 with a .987 mark.

He was a human vacuum cleaner and the highlight of every night for an 84-win Cards team that left something to be desired.

The 36-year-old also had a fine year at the plate by his standards, hitting .285 for the second-place Cards with three homers, 30 doubles, 96 runs scored, and 35 stolen bases.

Smith had incredible range and could get rid of the ball with lightning speed.

He also did backflips and other acrobatics on the field which always amazed me as a young kid.

1991 Topps #150 Cal Ripken Jr.

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40

In 1983, Cal Ripken Jr. won his first AL MVP award as the lynchpin of a World Series champion.

In 1991, he won his second MVP, a testament to his unwavering spirit and talent, even as the Orioles finished as the second-worst team in the American League.

It takes a monster season for a player to overcome the rest of his team’s failings.

Ripken’s 1991 campaign was just that.

Ripken tore a hole in the Junior Circuit’s pitching ranks from Opening Day on, scorching the ball to all fields.

Not only that, he also compiled a .986 fielding percentage and staked his claim as the AL’s best defensive shortstop.

The 30-year-old slashed .323/.374/.566 in ‘91 with 34 home runs, 46 doubles, five triples, 99 runs scored, and 114 RBIs.

Ripken topped 200 hits for the first time since his ‘83 MVP year (210) and led the Majors with 368 total bases.

He also made the All-Star Game his personal playground.

Reluctant to join the Home Run Derby field at first, Ripken blasted 12 bombs to become the first shortstop to win the event.

He followed that up with the deciding three-run blast in the Midsummer Classic, starting a new club as the only player to win the Derby and the All-Star Game MVP in the same season.

1991 Topps #180 Tony Gwynn

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40

The steadiest hitter of the 80s and 90s kept on keeping on in 1991.

Two years removed from his third consecutive NL batting title, San Diego Padres right fielder Tony Gwynn continued to dink, dunk, slap, and sting balls to every blade of grass in the outfield.

By early September, he was cruising at a .317 clip and looked poised to bring home his fourth batting crown in five years.

And then, his troublesome left knee finally proved too much.

Regular cortisone shots kept him in the lineup for the season's first five months.

Come mid-September, he finally had to shut it down and undergo arthroscopic surgery.

Gwynn still had a chance to win the batting title, but Atlanta's Terry Pendleton (.319) and Cincy's Hal Morris (.318) eked past him by season's end.

Instead of regaining his mount as the NL's top hitter, Gwynn faced the surgeon's knife and renewed criticisms about his weight.

Detractors pointed to his 5-foot-10, 217-pound frame as the reason for his ongoing knee problems.

"I knew that crap would come up again," a defiant Gwynn said. "They can analyze me all they want. I don't give a damn. I'm not going to worry about what other people think."

1991 Topps #600 Bo Jackson

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $40

The end of the Bo Jackson two-sport experience came brutally and swiftly.

When Jackson hit the turf in the LA Raiders' playoff win on January 13th, 1991, Jackson's two-sport showcase was over.

Down with a severe hip injury, the 28-year-old would never play another down in the NFL.

The Kansas City Royals closely monitored Jackson's progress during the offseason.

After tendering a one-year, $2.4 million deal to avoid arbitration, the Royals entered wait-and-see mode.

Jackson's hip never came around, and Kansas City placed him on waivers on March 18th.

Question marks abound, Jackson remained a lottery ticket for any team willing to take a risk.

The Chicago White Sox jumped at the chance, signing him to a three-year deal for just over $8 million.

White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf equated the deal to "buying an insurance policy," including just $700,000 in guaranteed money.

The insurance proved valuable.

Jackson didn't ditch his crutches till the middle of June and didn't suit up for the Sox until September.

He was limited to a DH role upon his return, hitting just .225 with three homers and 14 RBIs in 84 plate appearances.

1991 Topps #391 Rickey Henderson All-Star

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

1991 Topps #5 Cal Ripken Jr. Record Breaker

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

Cal Ripken Jr. also has a "Record Breaker" card in this set which acknowledges his achievement of setting the record for most consecutive games by a shortstop without an error at 95 games in a row.

Mets shortstop Kevin Elster had the previous record at 88 consecutive games.

Ripken's streak has since been broken multiple times.

Anyway, Ripken Jr. will always be known for that "other streak", the one in which he played in 2,632 consecutive games.

1991 Topps #570 Barry Bonds

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $30

If it weren't for Terry Pendleton, Barry Bonds would have won four NL MVP awards in a row twice.

To put that into dizzying perspective, no other player in MLB history has four career MVP awards in total.

Bonds did his part in '91 to capture his second consecutive MVP, leading the 98-win Pittsburgh Pirates to a second consecutive NL East crown.

He led the Senior Circuit in on-base percentage (.410), OPS (.924), and OPS+ (160) and crossed 100 walks (107) for the first of a record 14 times in his big-league career.

Add in a second straight Gold Glove, a second straight Silver Slugger, a .311 batting average, 25 homers, and 116 RBIs, and you seem to have a recipe for an MVP-winning year.

However, 1991 was a different era, and batting average often reigned supreme in voters' minds.

Pendleton's batting title proved the difference in a razor-thin vote, giving the Atlanta third baseman the nod by a scant 15 points.

It would have been his award if two voters had flipped Pendleton for Bonds.

Instead, we're left with one of the more obvious MVP snubs in modern history.

1991 Topps #200 Darryl Strawberry

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

Nine years into his big-league career, Darryl Strawberry appeared destined for a date with Cooperstown.

After winning the 1983 NL Rookie of the Year award, Strawberry rattled off eight straight All-Star appearances and four top-ten MVP finishes.

His name was synonymous with Eighties baseball.

Sadly, things ground to a halt after the 1991 season.

After Mets manager Davey Johnson was fired during the 1990 campaign, Strawberry made it clear he wouldn’t return in 1991.

He tested free agency after the season, eventually inking a five-year, $20.25 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The 29-year-old right fielder appeared to be a match made in Hollywood heaven.

And he lived up to the billing in year one, finishing ninth in the NL MVP race while notching yet another All-Star trip.

He concluded 1991 slashing .265/.361/.491 with 28 home runs, 99 RBIs, and a healthy 140 OPS +.

It seemed like Strawberry would be at the center of another Dodgers renaissance.

Instead, 1991 proved a last gasp for his Hall-of-Fame aspirations.

A bad back and a laundry list of personal demons derailed the 6-foot-6 slugger from 1992 on.

He played just 335 games over his final eight seasons, an average of just under 42 per year.

1991 Topps #270 Mark McGwire

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

Mark McGwire was one of the game's hottest players in the early '90s because of his constant display of power and towering drives.

Consider his 1987 season, for example, when he hit 49 home runs, drove in 118 runs and boasted a slugging percentage of .618.

That slugging percentage is what actually gives this card much of its value.

Originally, Topps listed his slugging percentage for the 1987 season on the back of the card as 618 (missing the decimal point).

Eventually, Topps corrected the error, and most versions of this card have a .618 slugging percentage instead.

Those "618" error cards are much more rare and valuable.

Despite the interesting history behind his 1991 Topps baseball card, Big Mac's year wasn't all that great.

In retrospect, McGwire calls '91 "the worst year" of his life.

The A's first baseman struggled with vision issues, a failing marriage, and a lack of self-confidence throughout the campaign.

Depressed and overburdened as the year went along, the hulking slugger stopped lifting weights.

McGwire didn't hit a homer in April and bottomed out in July with a .173 month.

Overall, he slashed just .201/.330/.383 with 22 homers and 75 RBIs in 154 games.

1991 Topps #300 Kirby Puckett

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

After finishing last in the AL West in 1990, all signs pointed to another rough go in the Twin Cities.

So much for projections.

The Twins cleared the rest of the AL West by eight games for just their second division crown in 21 years.

Kirby Puckett was perhaps the more crucial contributor to the team's improbable turnaround.

The now six-time All-Star posted a .319/.352/.460 slash line with 15 homers, 29 doubles, six triples, 11 stolen bases, 92 runs scored, and 89 RBIs.

He also won his fifth Gold Glove in six seasons and finished 7th in the AL MVP race.

Puckett also saved his best for last.

After starting just 1-for-8 in Minnesota's ALCS showdown with Toronto, Puckett went 8-for-15 the rest of the way to secure a five-game series win and series MVP honors.

Atlanta took a 3-2 series lead into Minnesota, looking at a potential clincher in Game 6.

Puckett had other ideas, following up a run-saving grab now forever known as "The Catch" with a walk-off homer in the 11th.

The image of Puckett celebrating around the bases remains an enduring image of Minnesota sports lore.

It also set up a classic 1-0 pitcher's duel in Game 7, won in ten by the Twins on a Gene Larkin walk-off single.

1991 Topps #450 Wade Boggs

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

Before 1990, Wade Boggs hit no worse than .325 in a single season.

Already a living legend in Beantown, the Boston Red Sox third baseman took a step back in '90 with an uncharacteristic .302 average.

Boggs' personal life was always tabloid fodder, especially a well-publicized four-year extramarital affair that ended with a messy palimony lawsuit.

The weight of the public scrutiny finally broke his stride in '90.

However, he'd put that away in 1991 and right the course with another brilliant season-long performance.

The most dangerous hitter in the Red Sox order, Boggs led all of baseball in intentional walks for the fifth consecutive year with a career-best 25.

When teams dared to pitch to him, the 33-year-old made them pay, slashing .332/.421/.460 with eight homers and 51 RBIs in 641 plate appearances (541 at-bats).

Boston was inconsistent all year, ending the campaign with 84 wins, tied for second in the AL East, and seven games back of division-winning Toronto.

Boggs kept them within sniffing distance for most of the year, but an otherwise punchless lineup ended their undoing.

1991 Topps #530 Roger Clemens

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

As much as Roger Clemens invited controversy, he still knew how to deal.

The Boston Red Sox right-hander was a media punching bag at the turn of the 1990s.

He openly played chicken with the media and talked trash about his teammates, Boston's front office, and the Red Sox fan base.

Rather than falling in love with his legendary pitching exploits, Clemens was a magnet for self-inflicted damage at every turn.

That's what makes his 1991 Cy Young season so intriguing.

The year started off on the wrong foot when Clemens was arrested for obstructing an off-duty police officer in the officer's attempt to arrest his brother.

He was later acquitted of charges, but his critics sure didn't forget.

The 28-year-old remained as defiant as ever as the '91 season got rolling and backed up his bluster with his arm.

Clemens led the Majors in strikeouts (241), innings pitched (271.1), and ERA+ (165).

He won his third AL ERA title (2.62) and paced the league in starts (35), shutouts (4), and FIP (2.57).

Clemens ran away with his third Cy Young award, capturing 21 of a possible 28 first-place votes.

It should have made him a hero.

It didn't.

Regardless, his card is one of the most memorable and creative in the set.

1991 Topps #540 George Brett

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

George Brett's third batting title was his swan song as one of the game's elite hitters.

The Kansas City Royals third baseman went full throwback in the final months of the 1990 campaign, putting a mediocre first half behind him en route to the AL crown.

The hope was that Brett could parlay that momentum into a big 1991.

However, the 38-year-old's body just wasn't up to the task.

Brett played through dozens of injuries throughout his career, and they finally called in their debts in '91.

The future Hall-of-Famer missed just over 30 games with a variety of ailments.

When he played, Brett didn't have the pop to live up to his former exploits.

In 131 games, Brett hit a career-worst .255 with 10 homers and 61 RBIs.

His 40 doubles placed him near the top of the AL leaderboard yet again, but his .327 OPS told the story of a legend past his prime.

1991 Topps #700 Jose Canseco

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

As the rest of the A's flailed around him, Jose Canseco's star shined brighter than ever in 1991, for better and worse.

The "Bash Brother" bashed accordingly in the middle of the Athletics lineup, hitting an MLB-best 44 home runs.

He slashed .266/.359/.556 on the year with 32 doubles, 115 runs scored, 26 stolen bases, and 122 RBIs in 154 games.

In a vacuum, Canseco's 1991 season was a beacon of light on an otherwise drab season in Oakland.

With Canseco, though, nothing was ever as it seemed.

With his celebrity at its peak, the 26-year-old right fielder leaned in hard.

Married at the time, Canseco made international headlines by engaging in an alleged affair with Madonna.

Both parties denied the tryst, yet it only fueled the tabloid flames.

Canseco was taunted with "Ma-donn-a" chants all year and made off-handed comments that only made things worse.

It was the story of his career.

As naturally talented a slugger as you'll ever see, Canseco often knowingly (and unknowingly) played the fool, disregarding his legacy and career

1991 Topps #740 Ryne Sandberg

Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25

A year after leading all NL players with 2.26 million All-Star votes, Ryne Sandberg continued to earn his keep as the best second baseman in the game.

The beloved Chicago Cubs infielder was always a next-level defensive marvel.

In 1991, he did himself one better by committing just four errors over the course of 157 games.

It was by far his best full-season total, and it was more than enough to earn him a ninth straight Gold Glove.

Sandberg was just as reliable at the dish as he was in the field.

The 31-year-old hit to a .291/.379/.485 slash line in '91 with 26 homers, 22 stolen bases, 32 doubles, 104 runs scored, and 100 RBIs.

The 77-win Cubs were the epitome of mediocre, yet Sandberg was anything but.

The Cubs star's good looks and pleasant personality made him a national favorite.

His Hall-of-Fame credentials were all but nailed down, and his steady hand kept the Cubs from devolving into laughing-stock territory.

1991 Topps Baseball Cards In Review

So there you have it, the ten most valuable 1991 Topps cards in both their base and Desert Shield forms.

Keep in mind, most cards from this set have no value--there were millions of each card printed.

This set was a monster and contained a 792 card checklist in total and that is not counting the enormous amount of errors and variations, some of which are still being discovered today.

Sadly, this was the last set in which Topps inserted gum into wax packs.

Within the set were also several different subsets, including:

• All-Stars
• Record Breakers
• Checklists
• Draft Picks
• Managers

They may not have much value today but this was easily one of my favorite sets growing up during that time period.