Ken Griffey, Bo Jackson, and the Essential Diamond Kings of 1990
Over its first seven years, the Diamond Kings franchise was in a class by itself. For whatever reason, Fleer made no attempts to copy the formula, and the only use Topps found for artists was to airbrush caps and jerseys on a handful of players that changed teams.
It was not until 1989 that the Diamond Kings met their first true competition; however it didn't come from Topps or Fleer. Though the 1989 Upper Deck set is largely remembered for two things, the Griffey rookie and high-end photography, the set also included a slick, star-studded set of hand-painted team checklist cards from an artist named Vernon Wells. (If the name sounds familiar, his son went on to be an All-Star with the Blue Jays.)
Though Wells absolutely had a style and talent all his own, it's hard not to see at least some Dick Perez influence in the pairing of portraits with action shots. (Perez himself was inspired to go this route by the Allen & Ginter cards of the 1880s!)
Upper Deck would continue to up its art game in 1990, not only continuing with the painted team cards but also employing Wells for its Reggie Jackson tribute checklist, signed versions of which became the hottest cards in the Hobby that year. While keeping pace with Upper Deck would prove an impossibility for Donruss (or anyone that year!), it became more important than ever for Donruss to push all the right buttons when it came to Diamond Kings. Fortunately, as always, Dick Perez was up to the challenge.
1990 Donruss Bo Jackson DK #1
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Bo Jackson? Yes, please! Collectors couldn't get enough of Bo in 1990, which made him an excellent choice for the top spot in the Donruss checklist. And those ketchup splatter borders? Believe it or not, they were considered a huge plus back then. Of course, Bo's most sought after card that year came from the otherwise ho-hum Score set, of all places!
1990 Donruss Ken Griffey DK #4
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If there was one superstar hotter than Bo in 1990, it was Junior, who batted "clean-up" on the Donruss checklist. As the flames in his Diamond Kings background attested, the Kid was absolutely en fuego in his second season as a Mariner. Oh, and would you believe it was this very card that inspired the Diamond King movie that just came out?
1990 Donruss Dave Stewart DK #6
Though the Oakland A's dynasty of the late 1980s and early 1990s was synonymous with the Bash Brothers, the heart and soul of the team was its homegrown ace, Dave Stewart, who in 1990 would go on to win 20 games for the fourth consecutive year. Known for his intimidating glare on the mound, Smoke couldn't have been friendlier and more easy going in real life. Perez captures that softer side of Stew here, smiling and in an all-time great A's warmup jacket.
1990 Donruss Kevin Mitchell DK #11
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Sure the A's had the Bash Brothers, but the even bigger numbers in 1989 came from the other side of the Bay, thanks to Will Clark and an MVP season from Kevin Mitchell. Between the home runs, the slugging percentage, and the intentional walks, Mitchell put up the kind of season Giants fans hadn't seen since Willie McCovey and wouldn't see again until Barry Bonds. And of course Mets die-hards know the pivotal role he played in the 1986 World Series!
1990 Donruss Tommy Herr #21
Tommy Herr, who may well be one of the least popular players in Minnesota Twins history, is at first an odd addition to this list of "essential" Diamond Kings. Still, one of the most important things baseball cards do is capture the the history of the game and tell its story. "What's he doing in the little picture," your grandkids might ask you someday, and just like that you have your opportunity to go on for hours about how much better the game was when you were a kid, when it wasn't all about swinging for the fences, but where moving the man over, "small ball," and the fundamentals made the difference between winning and losing. That, and the Scrabble board background is pretty cool too.
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.