The Five Essential Baseball Cards of 1993 Upper Deck

While some would say Upper Deck set the bar impossibly high with its debut release in 1989, there is no doubt that the 1993 set surpassed it. The photography is phenomenal, the card design is at once simple and slick, and the handful of Easter eggs in the set add a tremendous fun factor. In truth, there may not be a single bad card in the set, making it difficult to identify only five essential cards. Still, following several rounds of impossible choices, here they are: The Five Essential Baseball Cards of 1993 Upper Deck!

1993 Upper Deck Ryne Sandberg

First off, Rest in Peace, Ryno, one of the greatest ever to play the game and gone way too soon. Second, this card is pretty much Exhibit A for the greatness of the 1993 Upper Deck set. It's pretty much the perfect card.

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1993 Upper Deck Derek Jeter Top Prospect

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While this card is hardly Jeter's most expensive rookie card, that's really not such a bad thing. Here is a great looking rookie card of an absolute baseball legend. The fact that it's affordable might be a drawback to anyone sitting on an "investor's lot" of 200, but it's great news for anyone still looking to add a first-year card of Mr. November to their collection.

1993 Upper Deck Kirk Gibson

Is Kirk Harold Gibson a Tigers legend? Yep. Is he a Los Angeles Dodgers legend? Yep. Did he hit one of the most dramatic home runs in World Series history? Nope. (Trick question. He hit two of them!) And after brief stints with Kansas City and Pittsburgh, was it cool that Gibby was finally back in Motown? Absolutely. Still, none of these are the reason this particular card makes the Essentials list. For that, check the positioning of the Olde English "D" on his helmet, just where the "D" in Upper Deck falls on the card. For collectors who noticed such things, there was a level of cool to this that was absolutely off the charts. And in case you're wondering, Gibby wasn't the only player with such a card. Head to the Shlabotnik Report to see all eight.

1993 Upper Deck Iooss Collection Don Mattingly

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The 1993 Upper Deck set included several insert sets, the coolest of which was the Iooss Collection. These 26 cards, not including the checklist, used images from legendary sports photographer Walter Iooss, Jr., known in some circles as the "poet laureate of sports." As you might expect, every card in the collection is magnificent, so feel free to take your pick. Can you ever go wrong with Donnie Baseball though?

1993 Upper Deck Craig Biggio

These days, collectors take vivid and well timed action shots for granted. Heck, they may even tire of them. In 1993, however, collectors pulling a card like this Biggio from a pack might have stopped to wonder, "Is this the coolest looking card ever?" Of course, what makes the 1993 Upper Deck set great is that this Biggio is more the rule than the exception. Even with a checklist of 840 cards, it may be the case that every card in the set was a beauty. And to think, this wasn't even Upper Deck's high end offering in 1993!