The Five Essential Donruss Diamond Kings Cards of 1983
The first installment in this series looked at the Five Essential Diamond Kings Cards of 1982, the first year the magical Donruss subset hit the street. With the April 25 release of the Dick Perez biopic, "The Diamond King," nearly upon us, it's time to continue our walk down memory lane with the Diamond Kings cards of 1983.
1983 Donruss Diamond Kings Fernando Valenzuela #1
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Leading off the Donruss checklist in 1983 was Dodger phenom Fernando Valenzuela, just two years off his unforgettable rookie season. Today's collector might wonder why artist Dick Perez waited so long to anoint Fernando with his Diamond King due. However, it's worth remembering that the early 1980s were a very different time in the Hobby.
Yes, there was interest in young stars, but there was much more deference toward the sport's elder statesmen than we see today. In the case of Diamond Kings, that meant going with perennial all-star and sure-fire Hall of Famer Steve Garvey over Fernando in 1982. In these early days of Donruss, the Dick Perez treatment was practically a dress rehearsal for Cooperstown bronze, not something earned off a great first season alone. Of course, we all knew Fernando was well on his way to the Hall already, right?
1983 Donruss Diamond Kings Reggie Jackson #3
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As was the case with Fernando, Reggie is another player where it's almost mind-boggling he had to wait until year two. Still, the 1982 Diamond King from the Angels was no slouch either but legendary batsman Rod Carew. Just imagine! Back in the day, the Angels had two of the greatest players the game had ever seen, both first-ballot locks for Cooperstown, and yet the team never once made it to the World Series. Sound familiar? 😉
1983 Donruss Diamond Kings Willie Stargell #8
The third player on our Essentials list is Willie Stargell, who passed away 25 years ago today. In the case of "Pops," his Diamond Kings card doubled as a "career capper" since he had already retired before the 1983 sets came out.
While you might suppose Donruss intended Stargell's Diamond King as a fitting exclamation point to a legendary career, the truth is the 1983 Diamond Kings were selected well before Pops hung up his spikes. Per artist Dick Perez, selections typically took place around the middle of the previous season to ensure Perez had time to paint all 26 players.
1983 Donruss Diamond Kings Rickey Henderson #11
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When the 1982 Donruss cards hit shelves, we knew Rickey Henderson was good. But we didn't realize he was that good! Well, fast forward to 1983 and we knew. The "Man of Steal" had just pilfered a major league record 130 bases, and he didn't even make it look difficult. Fittingly, the first nine words on the back of Rickey's card read, "Rickey Henderson ran and ran and ran and ran..." Never mind that today's baseball intelligentsia like Rickey even more when he walked and walked and walked and walked!
1983 Donruss Diamond Kings Dale Murphy #12
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No disrespect at all to Bench, Yaz, Little Joe, and the other Hall of Famers who didn't make the cut, but capping off my Essentials list is Dale Murphy of the Atlanta Braves. "But he's not even in the Hall!" you might say, and I'd be silly to argue with you. Still, back in 1983 Murph was far and away the best player in baseball, at least as we understood the game to work back then. We're talking back-to-back MVP seasons in 1982 and 1983, which pretty much seals the deal right there, to go along with a pair of Gold Gloves and the first 30-30 season in a decade! Oh, and did I mention Murph was (and still is) one of the most popular and beloved figures ever to put on a baseball uniform?
In closing the 1982 article, I asked the question of whether Perez had left enough superstars on the table for 1983. As this article demonstrates, the answer was a resounding yes. But what happens when he head to 1984 and he's already used 52 of the league's very best players? Check back in a couple days and see for yourself!
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.