Five rare and affordable Nolan Ryan cards

Nolan Ryan, 'The Ryan Express,' holds the major league strikeout record with 5,714. It's nearly 900 more than second on the all-time list - Randy Johnson's 4,875 strikeouts. Considering the prevalence of elbow injuries and innings management in today's game, Ryan's record seems insurmountable.

Consider that today's best pitcher, Paul Skenes, has 373 career strikeouts in 311 innings over the course of two seasons. In 1973 alone, Ryan pitched 326 innings and had 383 strikeouts. The season before, he had 329 strikeouts, and in 1974, he had 367 strikeouts.

Ryan is the all-time leader in no-hitters with seven, three more than Sandy Koufax, who is second all-time. Ryan is tied with Bob Feller for the most one-hitters, with 12. Ryan also holds the record with 18 two-hitters.

Most discussions of Ryan's sports cards begin with his 1968 Topps rookie card, which he shares with Jerry Koosman, and his 1969 Topps second-year card. But those cards, in high grade, sell for several thousand dollars. In this article, we examine some rare playing day cards and inserts that won't leave a significant dent in your wallet.

Nolan Ryan wasnt human. pic.twitter.com/7njYviEepx
— Baseball’s Greatest Moments (@BBGreatMoments) September 11, 2025

1. 1998 Donruss Significant Signatures #R1 /2000

According to Baseballcardpedia: "1998 Donruss Signature Series is a 140-card set released under a temporary license by Playoff, Inc., in January 1999. Like in previous years, each pack contained one on-card autograph.

"Nolan Ryan and Ozzie Smith packed out as exchange cards as they were unable to return their cards to Playoff in time. Both of the exchange cards were reprints of what the autographed versions would eventually look like and were sequentially-numbered (#14 and 15) as part of the set. Cards 14 and 15 were good for cards R1 and R2."

Only 2,000 of each card were produced and sequentially numbered. Three "R-Series" exchange cards (Ryan, Smith, and Sandy Koufax) feature shiny fronts. The other autographed cards pulled from packs are printed on non-refractive, basic foilboard.

A PSA 10 recently sold for $420 on eBay, and PSA 9s ranged in price from $180 - $300. An ungraded copy sold for $112.50 in July.

2. 1991 MLB Topps Operation Desert Shield #1 /6,313

1991 topps mlb operation desert shield nolan ryan — Image Courtesy of PSA

Ryan had the honor of being featured on the first 1991 Topps card. Operation Desert Shield is a 792-card parallel of the base set intended for troops stationed in the Middle East during the Persian Gulf War.

According to PSA, "The set was a specially prepared series of baseball cards with a gold foil Desert Shield logo on the front player section of each card, and were sent free in individual wax packs to troops stationed in the Middle East. (However, many boxes are thought to have been sidetracked by military personnel in the United States and never reached their Middle East destination.) With the exception of the gold stamping, the set is identical to the 1991 Topps baseball card issue."

It's recommended that potential buyers research the market, as several cards with counterfeit gold foil stamps have flooded the market. In this case, buyers should go with a graded card.

According to Baseballcardpedia (great stuff): "Collectors should be advised that Desert Shield cards are very easy to counterfeit. Unopened Desert Shield wax packs are extremely rare and should only be purchased from a reliable source. Under close inspection, one can spot a fake by the orientation of the palm tree in the foil stamp. The bottom left tip of the tree should point between the E and R in OPERATION. If it doesn't, the stamp/card is most likely fake. In addition, the foil stamp should be crisp. The stamp is fuzzy on some fakes. According to internal Topss documents, 500 cases of Desert Shield Baseball were produced. Approximately 6313 copies of each Desert Shield card were printed."

A PSA 8 sold on eBay for $375 on Aug. 9. Another PSA 8 sold for $230 on July 13. If you're looking for a less expensive option or a comparison, a PSA 7 sold for $148 on eBay on July 1.

3. 1991 Donruss Elite The Legends Series /7,500

1991 Donruss Elite The Legends Series Nolan Ryan — Image Courtesy of PSA

The Legends Series is a special insert set from 1991 Donruss honoring Ryan. There were 7,500 cards, sequentially numbered, and distributed in Series 1 and Series 2. The picture in the card was drawn by renowned baseball artist Dick Perez.

Ungraded versions of the card in good condition sell for about $200, but high-grade cards in PSA 8 can sell for just a little more. A PSA 8 sold for $235 on July 25, and a PSA 6 sold for $155 on July 24.

4. 1988 Topps Tiffany Record Breakers #6

1988 Topps Tiffany #6 Nolan Ryan — Image Courtesy of PSA

Tiffany sets were sold as complete sets with a higher-quality, glossy finish to the cards. Topps printed Tiffany cards from 1984 to 91, appealing to collectors looking for a premium product. Unlike the mass-produced Topps sets of the era, Tiffany sets had limited print runs. The 1988 Topps Tiffany set had a print run of 25,000. Once the dust settled on the junk wax era, Tiffany cards experienced a resurgence because of their limited print run compared to their base counterparts.

The Record Breakers subset is arguably the most popular of 1988 Topps because it comprises the set’s first nine cards. The cards feature an '87 Record Breakers headline with a solid red background. Seven players are featured in nine cards (Mark McGwire and Eddie Murray have two cards in the subset) who achieved career milestones the year before.

Ungraded cards can sell for as little as $2 to $3, plus shipping, on eBay. However, copies in PSA 9 and PSA 10 command higher prices. PSA 10 sales have varied widely, ranging from $75 to $225 in recent months. Possible price discrepancies may be due to eye appeal and careful inspection of the PSA 10s. PSA 9 copies sell for $40-$50.

5. 1993 Donruss Elite Dominator /5000*

1993 Donruss Elite Dominator Nolan Ryan — Image Courtesy of COMC

*Ryan autographed the first 2500 copies of his Elite Dominator card.

According to Baseballcardpedia, "1993 Donruss Elite Dominators was a 20-card insert set that was separate from, but supplemental to, the 1993 Donruss set, offered exclusively for sale on the Shop at Home television network.

"In a series of programs broadcast during December 8th - 13th, 1993, viewers were offered the opportunity to purchase a factory-sealed box of either1993 Donruss Series One or Series Two that came with one Elite Dominator insert card placed in an envelope and shrink-wrapped directly to the box. 5000 serial-numbered sets were produced and half (2500) of the Nolan Ryan, Juan Gonzalez, Paul Molitor, and Don Mattingly cards were autographed by the player."

Ryan's card was #19 in the set. Autographed, ungraded cards sell for $125 to $200. A PSA Authentic (no grade issued) sold for $186.50 on eBay on Aug. 11.