Topps spent a couple of years trying hone in on how they wanted to position their “new” brand before nailing it with 1991 Bowman baseball cards …
Bowman was going to be the place to come for rookie cards.
That’s pretty much an accepted part of hobby life these days, but Topps took slack in some corners for pushing the boundaries of “rookie” by including draft picks and other guys who had never seen the inside of a Major League roster — and some who never would.
And, like everything else in the era, the set was and is way too abundant on the market.
Doesn’t necessarily mean they’re worthless, though, as you’ll see in this list of the most valuable 1991 Bowman baseball cards (based on recent eBay sales for PSA 10 copies).
Batter up!
1991 Bowman Mike Mussina Rookie Card (#97)
Mussina spent just over a year in the Orioles’ farm system before making his MLB debut in August of 1991.
He went 4-5 that late summer, but with a 2.87 ERA that portended good things to come. And soon.
In 1992, Moose went 18-5 with a 2.54 ERA to finish second in American League Cy Young voting.
It was a pattern that would continue for years — great won-loss records, but a paucity of awards.
And, somehow, Mussina didn’t win 20 in a season until his final season, in 2008. By then, he been a cog in the Yankees rotation for eight seasons and had managed to raise his national profile a *smidge* through a slew of postseason appearances.
His 270-153 record made him one of the winningest hurlers of his generation and eventually landed him in the Hall of Fame.
Today, Mussina’s Bowman rookie card sells for around $70 in perfect graded condition.
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1991 Bowman Jeff Bagwell Rookie Card (#183)
The Red Sox famously traded Bagwell to the Astros late in the 1990 season in exchange for Larry Andersen.
Hard to say the trade didn’t work, because Andersen was lights-out from the Boston bullpen down the stretch, and the BoSox won the American League East crown.
But Bagwell took over the starting first base job in Houston the next spring and didn’t let go until 2005.
In between, he became one of the most feared sluggers of his generation and an Astros legend.
Bagwell also secured his place in Cooperstown, setting up today’s $50 price tag for his 1991 Bowman RC (PSA 10).
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1991 Bowman Jim Thome Rookie Card (#68)
In the midst of the steroid era, Thome was one of the few sluggers who just kept plugging along without huge peaks and valleys … and without the heavy stench of PED suspicions.
We’ll never know for sure who all used and who all didn’t but Thome’s rep seems unassailable at this point, and most see his 600+ home runs as legit.
That’s a big number, and Thome’s Bowman rookie follows suit at $40 in PSA 10.
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1991 Bowman Chipper Jones Rookie Card (#569)
When this card was issued, Jones was still two years from his Major League debut and four years from his official rookie season.
So, yeah, Bowman was ahead of the curve, but it’s all good now since Larry developed into one of the best third basemen of all time and a cornerstone of the great Braves teams of the 1990s.
Today, this Hall of Fame RC is a $40 card in PSA 10 condition.
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1991 Bowman Ivan Rodriguez Rookie Card (#272)
Once upon a time, Rodriguez was a phenom who was the Rangers starting backstop as a teenager.
That was 1991, when this $25 Bowman rookie card was issued.
At the end of his career, in 2011, Pudge was the grizzled veteran brought in to provide leadership for the Washington Nationals.
In between, I-Rod built one of the most impressive catching careers ever and reserved his Cooperstown plaque early on.
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