1991 Topps is probably the most difficult Topps master set to build. Part of the reason for that is due to the vast amount of supplemental items that could be included in one and the incredible difficulty in obtaining some of them. This page will not only serve as an ongoing checklist (since new discoveries are semi frequent) but also an information source for several elements of what could be considered a master set. Let’s take a look:
Base Set:
All cards in the base set can be found in two distinct varieties:
Glow/UV Reactive Ink On Back & Non-Glow/Non-reactive Ink On Back
Variations:
2a George Brett RB incomplete circle around registration symbol on back
2b George Brett RB complete circle around registration symbol on back, touching text area
2c George Brett RB complete circle around registration symbol on back, away from text area
3a Carlton Fisk RB incomplete circle around registration symbol on back
3b Carlton Fisk RB complete circle around registration symbol on back
4a Kevin Maas RB incomplete circle around registration symbol on back
4b Kevin Maas RB complete circle around registration symbol on back
5a Cal Ripken Jr. RB E*F* print code
5b Cal Ripken Jr. RB F* print code
6a Nolan Ryan RB incomplete circle around registration symbol on back
6b Nolan Ryan RB complete circle around registration symbol on back
9a Darrin Fletcher missing print code on back
9b Darrin Fletcher F* print code on back
21a Joe Morgan MGR with 87 hits for Wade Boggs on back
21b Joe Morgan MGR with 187 hits on back, 1 printed higher than 87
21c Joe Morgan MGR with 187 hits on back, 1 printed lower than 87
21d Joe Morgan MGR with 187 hits on back, 187 aligned
22a Storm Davis with registration symbol above Topps logo on front
22b Storm Davis with partial registration symbol above Topps logo on front
22c Storm Davis with registration symbol removed from front
26a Luis Sojo large gap between BLUE JAYS and registration symbol in team banner
26b Luis Sojo small gap between BLUE JAYS and registration symbol in team banner
36a Donnie Hill incomplete/obscured “COMPANY” in copyright line
36b Donnie Hill correctly printed copyright line
42a Chris Hoiles white inner photo frame
42b Chris Hoiles black inner photo frame
42c Chris Hoiles black inner photo frame, small white notch at top left of frame
48a Oil Can Boyd with hand over 40th anniversary flag
48b Oil Can Boyd with hand airbrushed pink to match 40th anniversary flag
48c Oil Can Boyd with hand airbrushed pink to match 40th anniversary flag, black border around flag tip
49a Pat Borders 86 Kingston SB totals: 40
49b Pat Borders 86 Kingston SB totals: 0
80a Fernando Valenzuela missing diamond after 104 runs in 1990*
80b Fernando Valenzuela diamond after 104 runs in 1990
*Sometimes found with a blue border – (recurring printing flaw)
83a Daryl Boston A*B* print code
83b Daryl Boston A* print code
97a Brady Anderson 3 hits, 2 RBI in scoreboard
97b Brady Anderson 14 hits, 3 RBI in scoreboard
100a Don Mattingly 10 hits in 1990
100b Don Mattingly 101 hits in 1990
101a Rob Ducey registration symbol printed close to BLUE JAYS in team banner
101b Rob Ducey registration symbol printed away from BLUE JAYS in team banner
119a Carl Nichols copyright printed high
119b Carl Nichols copyright printed low
124a Randy Bush no sheet code in copyright
124b Randy Bush D* in copyright
131a Checklist Phil Bradley #727
131b Checklist Phil Bradley #717
155a Dwight Evans 162 games has diamond, A* print code on back
155b Dwight Evans 162 games missing diamond, A* print code on back
155c Dwight Evans 162 games missing diamond, A*B* print code on back
167a Randy Tomlin “Harriburg” in stats
167b Randy Tomlin “Harrisburg” in stats
228a Rex Hudler black line in lower right of photo
228b Rex Hudler black line partially airbrushed away
228c Rex Hudler black line airbrushed entirely
236a Frank Tanana missing diamond after 269 SO in 1975
236b Frank Tanana with diamond after 269 SO in 1975, small space between MAJ. LEA and bottom border
236c Frank Tanana with diamond after 269 SO in 1975, large space between MAJ. LEA and bottom border
249a Bob Melvin incomplete/obscured “COMPANY” in copyright line
249b Bob Melvin correctly printed copyright line
270a Mark McGwire SLG 618, A* print code
270b Mark McGwire SLG .618, A* print code
270c Mark McGwire SLG .618, A*B* print code
277a Scott Coolbaugh “feather” in cap
277b Scott Coolbaugh “feather” mostly airbrushed out
277c Scott Coolbaugh “feather” removed entirely
278a Alex Fernandez FDP No 40th logo on back RPD
278b Alex Fernandez FDP 40th logo on back
279a Jose Gonzalez Billy Bean photo, left handed
279b Jose Gonzalez correct photo, right handed
306a Lonnie Smith 136 games in 1990
306b Lonnie Smith 135 games in 1990
324a Ron Kittle “6 Home runs…” in highlight
324b Ron Kittle “7 Home rund…” in highlight
326a Ken Patterson TM printed higher in team banner
326b Ken Patterson TM printed lower in team banner
333a Chipper Jones FDP pink blotch on cap RPD
333b Chipper Jones FDP pink blotch partially airbrushed RPD
333c Chipper Jones FDP pink blotch entirely airbrushed away
333d Chipper Jones FDP No 40th logo on back RPD
337a Keith Comstock Cubs on front
337b Keith Comstock Mariners on front
337c Keith Comstock Mariners on front, yellow line extends through bottom right border area
346a Jesse Orosco 5 in 85 in stats partially missing
346b Jesse Orosco 5 in 85 stats hand-done
346c Jesse Orosco 5 in 85 stats machine-printed
366a Checklist Carl Nichols 19
366b Checklist Carl Nichols 119
369a Steve Searcy TM close to team name in banner
369b Steve Searcy TM far from team name in banner
374a Larry Casain blemishes on face/neck
374b Larry Casain blemishes airbrushed
378a Wilson Alvarez 1989 Port Charles stats missing
378b Wilson Alvarez 1989 Port Charles stats included
445a Greg Swindell large registration symbol in banner
445b Greg Swindell small registration symbol in banner
454a Kevin Appier 1990 Omaha stats missing, A* print code
454b Kevin Appier 1990 Omaha stats missing, A*B* print code
454c Kevin Appier 1990 Omaha stats included, A* print code
459a Tom Trebelhorn MGR A* print code
459b Tom Trebelhorn MGR B* print code
461a Robin Ventura gray inner photo frame at left
461b Robin Ventura gray inner photo frame with red overprint at left
461c Robin Ventura, red inner photo frame at left
481a Ed Whitson streak through team banner on front almost diagonal
481b Ed Whitson streak through team banner on front almost horizontal
481c Ed Whitson correctly printed banner on front
513a Jerald Clark left photo frame partially dark orange
513b Jerald Clark left photo frame solid orange color
526a Moises Alou 37 runs in 1990
526b Moises Alou 0 runs in 1990
527a Checklist McReynolds 719
527b Checklist McReynolds 105
533a Oddibe McDowell period after name on front
533b Oddie McDowell period removed from front
545a Dale Murphy photo frame concave where bat touches it
545b Dale Murphy photo frame convex where bat touches it
555a Turner Ward gap in top black border
555b Turner Ward solid top black border
573a Rich Rodriguez mark on shoulder, blue glove laces
573b Rich Rodriguez mark on shoulder, natural colored glove laces
573c Rich Rodriguez mark removed, natural colored glove laces
588a Mark Whiten hand outside of left border
588b Mark Whiten hand inside border, green line over hand parallel to border (proofer’s line)
588c Mark Whiten hand inside photo/border black border line over hand
588d Mark White hand inside photo/border black border line behind hand
593a Mike Walker 1990 Canton-Akron stats missing
593b Mike Walker 1990 Canton-Akron stats included
599a Greg Myers 1990 Syracuse stats missing
599b Greg Myers 1990 Syracuse stats missing
603a Wes Chamberlain Louie Meadows photo, holding bat
603b Wes Chamberlain, correct photo, no bat
610a Andres Galarraga white space between glove and bottom left border
610b Andres Galarraga space between glove and bottom left border colored brown
614a Luis Salazar missing small amount of black ink in bottom right of photo frame
614b Luis Salazar correctly printed inner photo frame
615a Bert Blyleven MAJ. LEA in large print under stats on back
615b Bert Blyleven MAJ. LEA in small print under stats on back
656a Checklist Palacios 438
656b Checklist Palacios 433
656c Checklist Palacios 348
673a Greg Olson space between helmet and top border
673b Greg Olson helmet touches top border
676a Scott Chiamparino E*F* print code
676b Scott Chiamparino F* print code
678a Mark Davidson left side of stats clipped off on back
678b Mark Davidson stats fully printed on back
683a Derek Lilliquist large registration symbol in team banner
683b Derek Lilliquist small registration symbol in team banner
685a Doug Drabek white inner photo frame/border
685b Doug Drabek black inner photo frame/border
687a John Cerutti 4.46 1990 ERA
687b John Cerutti 4.76 1990 ERA
690a Orel Hershiser gap in left black border
690b Orel Hershiser black border fully printed
692a Efrain Valdez no text under stats on back
692b Efrain Valdez two lines of text under stats on back
695a Kevin Seitzer green top photo frame border
695b Kevin Seitzer blue top photo frame border
696a Steve Olin E*F* print code
696b Steve Olin F* print code
702a Tim Naehring green circle on glove
702b Tim Naehring green circle airbrushed away
720a Cecil Fielder red card number on back
720b Cecil Fielder gray card number on back
724a David Segui dark green right photo frame border
724b David Segui solid black right photo frame border
730a Barry Larkin TM printed close to REDS in team banner
730b Barry Larkin TM printed far from REDS in team banner
740a Ryne Sandberg period before name on front
740b Ryne Sandberg period removed from front
780a Randy Myers 15 career losses
780b Randy Myers 19 career losses
787a Checklist No 40th logo on back RPD
787b Checklist 40th logo on back
792a Mike Greenwell gap in left black border
792b Mike Greenwell solid left black border
Sweepstakes Inserts:
- NNO 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes Insert/Game Card (individually coded 12345-12611) *Several codes are short-printed*
- NNO 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes Insert/Game Card (Topps reprints on front) (UNVERIFIED)
- NNO 40th Anniversary Sweepstakes Insert/Game Card ( ‘X’ and mailing address on front – Instant Winner)
Bold 40th Logo Partial Parallel:
- All cards (minus MGRs) from the A* and B* sheets can be found in two varieties:
with BOLD 40th Logo On Back and Non-Bold 40th logo On Back
A*B* Sheet Code Partial Parallel:
- All cards from the A* sheet can be found in this third variety:
with A*B* code on back – note: these are always Bold 40th Logo cards
Vintage Topps Card Redemption Cards:
- Several high value and oversized vintage Topps cards had redemptions inserted into packs instead of the actual card. To date, no image exists of these redemption cards but they do exist.
Wax Box Cards:
- Wax box bottom cards can be found in two varieties:
White/vanilla bean stock and standard gray cardboard stock.
Recurring Print Defects (RPDs):
- Several regular player cards can be found with the red ink/orientation on back of MGR cards.
- Missing 40th Logo cards. Several player cards have been found without any trace of the 40th logo on back. Chipper Jones and Checklists #2 and #6 are some examples that have been reported more than a few times over the last 10 years.
- Partial Bold 40th Logo Parallel: Cards from any sheet can be found with 1/2 or 3/4 of a Bold 40th logo on back, these are considered RPDs but are found frequently enough that some collector’s have chosen to pursue them for their sets.
1991 Topps Packaging Types
- Wax Box (36 packs/box) “Bubble Gum Cards” – wax wrappers – $0.50
- Wax Box (36 packs/box) “Bubble Gum Cards” – cellophane wrappers – $0.50
- Wax Box (36 packs/box) “Bubble Gum Cards” – “michigan” wrappers (square box) – $0.50
- Cello Box (24 packs/box) “Picture Cards” – $0.99
- Jumbo Cello (24 packs/box) “Picture Cards” – $1.49
- Jumbo Hanger (?? packs/Grocery Display) “Picture Cards” – $1.99
- Rack Pack (24 packs/box) “Picture Cards” – $?.?? (TBD by Retailer)
- Vending Box (500 cards) “Picture Cards”
- Factory Set (792 cards) “Picture Cards” – White Box
- Factory Set (792 cards “Picture Cards” – Red/Yellow Box
Supplemental reading and forum discussions on 1991 Topps
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/736136/1991-topps-wax-need-some-help
https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/759883/collecting-1991-topps-errors-variations
https://www.beckett.com/forums/thread-179699.html (incredible resource for junk era variations)
Junk Wax Gems 
#744 Nelson Santovenia Border lines through his name ,lower right corner.
This can be found without the reworked lines
#211 Brian Barnes shows a similar error.
Steve,
Do you have scans? It’s been my understanding that every card in the set can be found with a misaligned black plate effect that causes this. If it’s something new, I’d love to see them.
Thanks!
You are required reading for the variation lover. You are doing us all a wonderful service by sharing your knowledge. A day will come when I will get my ducks in a row and share some of my findings. Unfortunately that day is not tonight.
Thank you very much! I’m working on it.
Hopefully by the end of the year, this will be the biggest source for 1980s and 1990s error & variation info. The ongoing checklist feature will be my major focus and with everyone’s help, will be as complete as possible.
Outside of hoiles, drabek and whiten, what are the top five or ten hardest to find?
Mike,
I would say that the cards I have had the hardest time tracking down are:
1. the Comstock C version (there is just a small bit of yellow on both inner vertical blue borders)
2. the Boyd black tip
3. Checklist 656C (Palacios 358)
4. Trebelhorn A*
I have yet to find a pink Fielder or Joe Morgan 87 hits card, although I have yet to spend much time looking for either. The A*B* cards outside of the Daryl Boston card are extremely hard to find. At this point it is not even known how many of the cards in the set were affected by this variation – it is possible that each card on the A* sheet is available in the A*B* version.
This site is great but how about taking it to the next level and “rating” each variation on rarity….atleast the ones from error laden sets like this and pro set, etc.
The 1990 Pro Set checklist is already oriented this way. It’s something of a headache to keep up with as a variation can sell for $15-20 one week and $0.99 the next. I base my star ranking off of my own research in the product, which is over twenty years deep. That and a combination of info from other collectors and ebay/internet sales.
Down the line I may add this to the other ongoing checklists but as of now, I don’t have the time. Plus, I think a “showcase” blog, detailing the rarer cards in a specific set is much more helpful than noting which cards are common, semi-common, semi-tough, tough, etc…
finally sat down and sorted out my 91 topps.
Surprisingly I found, among many others, a black tip flag and “hand over” oil can boyd cards.
The black tip seems to be the rarest. The other two types are relatively common. I rank the black tip among the top five or six toughest variations in the set (excluding the A*B* sheet variations).
Outside of black tip boyd, which correct versions are harder to find than error versions?
The corrected versions of the E*F* cards that just show one letter are tougher, as is the Darrin Fletcher with F*. The Record Breakers cards with full circle around R in copyright. Jose Gonzalez with correct photo. Robin Ventura with red border, with red over gray border. These are “tougher” than the error but not necessarily rare.
Broke 4 jumbo packs (100 crds per). Thought this info might be interesting:
Comstock cubs
Boyd behind tip
Blyleven large
Morgan printed lower
Tanana diam large spce (2)
Davis cor
Chamberlain cor
Gonzalez err
(2) hudler lines
Gaarraga white
Segui black
I’ve got one of the Mark Whiten hand outside border variation cards listed on Ebay right now along with the common correct version if anyone is still looking for it. No need for me to send a link or auction number since the only one up there (for this week) is mine and I don’t expect that to change.
I just noticed this error in the latest Beckett annual. Was shocked to see I have 3 of the Whiten errors, Nd none of the non errors. Was sure there was a misprint in the Beckett. Am happy to see the versions I have are the errors. Are people actually paying over $100 for these errors?
I found a #498 Mark Salas with three of his fingers over 40th banner.
Any comments appreciated
1991 Topps Don Zimmer with thin red streaks from his hat and red spots on hat.
I don’t know if anyone checks this anymore but has anyone seen a regular player card with the managers red back? http://www.ebay.com/itm/191630042793?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649
I found a (I think) a rare Error/variation to add to the ongoing list. Its MGR Robinson card #639 Missing the Stat box highlight error/ border highlighted in pInk on non variation.No highlight on variation. Has anyone run across this card??
Just found another major variation in Scott Chiamparino #676 card.The name, P in position, Rangers, logo,and his name have Pink and Blue highlights throughout them, with F*sheet code.
Also found UV back variation card- non highlighted, with E*F* sheet code.
I have found many of these 1991 Topps errors, including the Hoiles white stripe. But I also have come across another 1991 Topps Hoiles error card, that I don’t see any info on. It is the correct Black Stripe on the front. However the back is 1990 Topps football. Have you heard of any others like this?
I have the card Joe Morgan with 187 hits foe wade boggs
21 Joe Morgan, I have one that is perfectly aligned 187. So there are four versions A-D in reality.
I am excited to report a new variation!!! 385 Mickey Tettleton. I have four of them, one is perfect all black border but the other three are yellow/green across most of the top black border. This is similar to some of the other variations reported with partial borders and the ink not laying down properly…
I have found a variation on Mike Stanley #409. There is a red splotch on his neck, making it look like a scar, much like the Ray Knight 1988 Donruss. I first thought it was just a mark from a pen, but I have a card with the exact same mark, but just much lighter.
Which variations are the rarest…. A, B, or C?
I have now found one more variation #116 Mark Davis comes in a top outer border variation…light blue or light green.,. it is distinctly different and only the top line impacted. It is almost as if the greenish color between the inner and outer blue borders is visible between the black border line where the light blue should be.
724a David Segui dark green right photo frame border
i have a 724b David Segui with dark green right photo frame border
I believe it.
Question: Did the 1991 Topps Traded have * and ** for the grayback variations? I do not think they did for the white back but curious about the gray back.
They sure did.