Gold Leaf Rookies

Gold Leaf Rookies: In 1991 Donruss produced an insert set, seeded about every fifth pack in their Leaf brand. This set included twenty-four young players and two double-printed commemorative cards for Nolan Ryan and Rickey Henderson. The player selection was very nice, including Jeff Bagwell, Mike Mussina, Ryan Klesko and Mo Vaughn (as well as famed loser Anthony Young). Though they are 1991 cards, they don't fit Beckett's definition of a "rookie card," so their value remains depressed.

It was reported that a Scott Leius Gold Leaf Rookie sold for $125 in Minneapolis just before the '91 World Series. A laughable sum now, but in the wacky year of 1991, these things were brand new and no one knew what to make of them. They continued in some form through Donruss' last year 1998, but by then they had become just another insert.