It’s been said that if you gathered all the ink used to print 1991 Donruss baseball cards in one place, we would have to change all our mythology to reference the Eight Seas.

But are all those many millions of blue and green and striped and speckled and Donruss-y cards completely worthless?

For the most part, yeah, but not technically all of them.

The cards below, for instance, can bring more than puzzle-piece dust on eBay when you find them in graded PSA 10 condition … they are the most valuable base cards in a largely forgettable set.

(Check out our full series of posts on the history of Donruss baseball cards.)

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. (#77)

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr.

Is it any surprise that the first three cards on this list belong to one man?

In 1991, Ken Griffey, Jr., was just really starting to make his mark on the game, but pretty much everyone thought he was going to be something special. The card companies were no exception.

So they loaded up on The Kid, and we’re all the better for it nearly 30 years later.

This third-year Griffey base card is pretty standard fare, showing the young man at bat in the sunshine in some foreign land (not the Kingdome, in other words).

It’ll never challenge the Mickey Mantle rookie or even Griffey’s own 1989 Donruss rookie card, but this one can fetch around $20 in perfect PSA 10 condition

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. All-Star (#49)

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr all-star

This card isn’t much different from Griffey’s base issue, though the shot is a good deal gloomier. Still a road uniform, though, and the All-Star eagle and banners do add a bit of pizzazz.

In PSA 10, this is a $15-20 item.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. MVP (#392)

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr mvp

No, Griffey wasn’t the League MVP or anything in 1991, or in 1990.

Instead, this card is part of a 26-card subset that picked out the MVP for each franchise. In the case of the M’s, you could pretty much just stamp an “ALL-TIME” qualifier on this baby and call it soup.

Unlike the other two Griffey’s here, this card gives us lots of green and lots of Donruss Flair to go with a posed closeup of the phenom.

Another $15-20 card when perfect.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Rickey Henderson All-Star (#53)

1991 Donruss Rickey Henderson All-Star

If there was a veteran equivalent to Griffey in 1991, it was probably Rickey Henderson (or Nolan Ryan, or Cal Ripken).

Rickey was coming off his only MVP award after turning in a monster season in 1990, and he followed that up by breaking Lou Brock‘s all-time stolen base record early in 1991.

Collectors couldn’t get enough of Henderson, and his 1980 Topps rookie card rocketed into triple digits. His other cards tagged along for the ride, and there is still plenty of cardboard glow even today.

PSA hasn’t graded many copies of this card as 10s, and they can fetch $15 or so when they become available.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Juan Gonzalez (#371)

1991 Donruss Juan Gonzalez

Juan Gone has fallen from grace, same as so many sluggers from his era, but he was once among the most feared mashers in the game. Who didn’t think he would wind up in Cooperstown?

Now, of course, a Hall of Fame bust seems all but impossible, and this is not even his rookie card.

Still, though, it’s an early-career issue of a dude who helped shaped the game and hobby in the 1990s.

For that, expect to pay $5-15 in PSA 10.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Rickey Henderson (#648)

1991 Donruss Rickey Henderson

See the discussion about the Henderson All-Star above and then add in green borders and the patented Rickey crouch …

That’s what this card brings you, if you’re willing to part with your $10 or so.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Cal Ripken (#223)

1991 Donruss Cal Ripken

After a few years of taking heat for never taking a day off, Cal had apparently had all he could, ahem, take.

But rather than lashing out or sitting out, Rip turned in the best season of his career, riding a stupid 11.5 WAR to the American League MVP award.

As was the case with Henderson, this surge further distanced Cal’s cards from the pack and put them forever in rarefied air.

This card features a solid at-bat shot in a blue border, and generally sells for $5-10 or so in PSA 10.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Nolan Ryan (#89)

1991 Donruss Nolan Ryan

You’ve heard it before … every time Ryan appears in a set, that card will be one of the most valuable cards in the set.

These cards were about the only thing that outnumbered Ryan’s strikeouts, but PSA 10 copies can still bring in $5 or so.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Cal Ripken All-Star (#52)

1991 Donruss Cal Ripken all-star

Another Cal, another batting shot, this one of the follow-through variety.

Like the other AS cards on this list, this one benefits from a shot of color and extra design elements.

Another card that should set you back around $5.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Barry Bonds (#495)

1991 Donruss Barry Bonds

Bonds was a superstar by 1991, but no one really cared, even though he had an MVP award under his belt.

Folks just didn’t seem to like him all that much.

Nearly 30 years later, Bonds stands as maybe the greatest hitter any of us have ever seen, whether we will admit it or not.

And, well, no one seems to like him all that much.

So, we’re left with this early career card that no one cares too much about — it might bring a few bucks.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Bo Jackson (#632)

1991 Donruss Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson was supposed to be everything to everyone, and he just about was at various times during his short MLB and NFL careers.

That hip injury changed everything, of course, but we still can’t shake the Bo mystique.

Even a cheapo card like this one can bring a couple of bucks.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss David Justice Rookie Card (#683)

1991 Donruss David Justice award winner

David Justice was sort of a golden boy when he came up for the Atlanta Braves — movie-star good looks, actual movie star (Halle Berry) for a wife, power hitter for a winning team.

And the 1990 National League Rookie of the Year.

Like others on this list, Justice rode his popularity to multiple cards in the 1991 Donruss set, an this one celebrated him as an “Award Winner.”

These days, this is about a one dollar card.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Sandy Alomar Jr. (#693)

1991 Donruss Sandy Alomar Jr. award winner

Same deal with Alomar as with Justice, minus the movie star stuff — ROY, star on upcomign team, “Award Winner” card.

And also worth a buck or less.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Ryne Sandberg (#504)

1991 Donruss Ryne Sandberg

Sandberg was Henderson’s NL counterpart in the resurgence/career year department in 1990. Though he didn’t win an MVP award (as he had in 1984), Ryno banged 40 homers, his most ever, and enough to lead the league.

His cards were a couple of alarms behind Rickey’s on the scorching scale in 1990-91 but still on fire nonetheless.

Another card you should have little trouble snagging for a dollar or less, though graded copies might tick that up a bit.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

Want to see a video version of this article?


It’s been said that if you gathered all the ink used to print 1991 Donruss baseball cards in one place, we would have to change all our mythology to reference the Eight Seas.

But are all those many millions of blue and green and striped and speckled and Donruss-y cards completely worthless?

For the most part, yeah, but not technically all of them.

The cards below, for instance, can bring more than puzzle-piece dust on eBay when you find them in graded PSA 10 condition … they are the most valuable base cards in a largely forgettable set.

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. (#77)

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr.

Is it any surprise that the first three cards on this list belong to one man?

In 1991, Ken Griffey, Jr., was just really starting to make his mark on the game, but pretty much everyone thought he was going to be something special. The card companies were no exception.

So they loaded up on The Kid, and we’re all the better for it nearly 30 years later.

This third-year Griffey base card is pretty standard fare, showing the young man at bat in the sunshine in some foreign land (not the Kingdome, in other words).

It’ll never challenge the Mickey Mantle rookie or even Griffey’s own 1989 Donruss rookie card, but this one can fetch around $20 in perfect PSA 10 condition

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. All-Star (#49)

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr all-star

This card isn’t much different from Griffey’s base issue, though the shot is a good deal gloomier. Still a road uniform, though, and the All-Star eagle and banners do add a bit of pizzazz.

In PSA 10, this is a $15-20 item.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. MVP (#392)

1991 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr mvp

No, Griffey wasn’t the League MVP or anything in 1991, or in 1990.

Instead, this card is part of a 26-card subset that picked out the MVP for each franchise. In the case of the M’s, you could pretty much just stamp an “ALL-TIME” qualifier on this baby and call it soup.

Unlike the other two Griffey’s here, this card gives us lots of green and lots of Donruss Flair to go with a posed closeup of the phenom.

Another $15-20 card when perfect.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Rickey Henderson All-Star (#53)

1991 Donruss Rickey Henderson All-Star

If there was a veteran equivalent to Griffey in 1991, it was probably Rickey Henderson (or Nolan Ryan, or Cal Ripken).

Rickey was coming off his only MVP award after turning in a monster season in 1990, and he followed that up by breaking Lou Brock‘s all-time stolen base record early in 1991.

Collectors couldn’t get enough of Henderson, and his 1980 Topps rookie card rocketed into triple digits. His other cards tagged along for the ride, and there is still plenty of cardboard glow even today.

PSA hasn’t graded many copies of this card as 10s, and they can fetch $15 or so when they become available.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Juan Gonzalez (#371)

1991 Donruss Juan Gonzalez

Juan Gone has fallen from grace, same as so many sluggers from his era, but he was once among the most feared mashers in the game. Who didn’t think he would wind up in Cooperstown?

Now, of course, a Hall of Fame bust seems all but impossible, and this is not even his rookie card.

Still, though, it’s an early-career issue of a dude who helped shaped the game and hobby in the 1990s.

For that, expect to pay $5-15 in PSA 10.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Rickey Henderson (#648)

1991 Donruss Rickey Henderson

See the discussion about the Henderson All-Star above and then add in green borders and the patented Rickey crouch …

That’s what this card brings you, if you’re willing to part with your $10 or so.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Cal Ripken (#223)

1991 Donruss Cal Ripken

After a few years of taking heat for never taking a day off, Cal had apparently had all he could, ahem, take.

But rather than lashing out or sitting out, Rip turned in the best season of his career, riding a stupid 11.5 WAR to the American League MVP award.

As was the case with Henderson, this surge further distanced Cal’s cards from the pack and put them forever in rarefied air.

This card features a solid at-bat shot in a blue border, and generally sells for $5-10 or so in PSA 10.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Nolan Ryan (#89)

1991 Donruss Nolan Ryan

You’ve heard it before … every time Ryan appears in a set, that card will be one of the most valuable cards in the set.

These cards were about the only thing that outnumbered Ryan’s strikeouts, but PSA 10 copies can still bring in $5 or so.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Cal Ripken All-Star (#52)

1991 Donruss Cal Ripken all-star

Another Cal, another batting shot, this one of the follow-through variety.

Like the other AS cards on this list, this one benefits from a shot of color and extra design elements.

Another card that should set you back around $5.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Barry Bonds (#495)

1991 Donruss Barry Bonds

Bonds was a superstar by 1991, but no one really cared, even though he had an MVP award under his belt.

Folks just didn’t seem to like him all that much.

Nearly 30 years later, Bonds stands as maybe the greatest hitter any of us have ever seen, whether we will admit it or not.

And, well, no one seems to like him all that much.

So, we’re left with this early career card that no one cares too much about — it might bring a few bucks.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Bo Jackson (#632)

1991 Donruss Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson was supposed to be everything to everyone, and he just about was at various times during his short MLB and NFL careers.

That hip injury changed everything, of course, but we still can’t shake the Bo mystique.

Even a cheapo card like this one can bring a couple of bucks.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss David Justice Rookie Card (#683)

1991 Donruss David Justice award winner

David Justice was sort of a golden boy when he came up for the Atlanta Braves — movie-star good looks, actual movie star (Halle Berry) for a wife, power hitter for a winning team.

And the 1990 National League Rookie of the Year.

Like others on this list, Justice rode his popularity to multiple cards in the 1991 Donruss set, an this one celebrated him as an “Award Winner.”

These days, this is about a one dollar card.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Sandy Alomar Jr. (#693)

1991 Donruss Sandy Alomar Jr. award winner

Same deal with Alomar as with Justice, minus the movie star stuff — ROY, star on upcomign team, “Award Winner” card.

And also worth a buck or less.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

1991 Donruss Ryne Sandberg (#504)

1991 Donruss Ryne Sandberg

Sandberg was Henderson’s NL counterpart in the resurgence/career year department in 1990. Though he didn’t win an MVP award (as he had in 1984), Ryno banged 40 homers, his most ever, and enough to lead the league.

His cards were a couple of alarms behind Rickey’s on the scorching scale in 1990-91 but still on fire nonetheless.

Another card you should have little trouble snagging for a dollar or less, though graded copies might tick that up a bit.

Check prices on eBay (affiliate link)

Check prices on Amazon (affiliate link)

Want to see a video version of this article?