The 1987 Donruss Diamond Kings set was one of the most highly anticipated releases of the late 1980s. Donruss was already known for producing some of the flashiest and most collectible cards on the market, and the 1987 Diamond Kings took things to an entirely new level. The 110-card base set featured dazzling photography, sharp designs, and a premium feel that attracted legions of collectors.
Each Diamond Kings card portrayed the player in a unique action shot against a dark backdrop. Bold colors and textures popped off the card, drawing the eye to every intricately captured detail. Donruss photographers captured players mid-swing, mid-pitch, or mid-play to freeze epic moments in time. The action shots helped transport collectors right onto the field alongside their favorite stars.
Beyond just the thrilling photography, Donruss also released Diamond Kings cards in a high-quality format that remains unmatched today. Printed on thick, glossy cardstock with a semi-rigid feel, each card had the substance and durability to withstand handling while maintaining a collectible charm. Sharp corners and clean edges held up well even to the most vigorous flipping through sets.
Adding to the premium experience, Donruss adorned the fronts of Diamond Kings cards with intricate blue, red, or gold foil designs. Metallic logos, team icons, player silhouettes, and game imagery enhanced the flashy visual appeal. On the rears, stats and career highlights summarized each player concisely in an easy-to-read format. Altogether, the foil, photography, stats, and quality stock merged for a cards that felt like treasures in the hands of collectors.
While the 1987 set didn’t feature any rookie cards of future Hall of Famers, it did include stars entering their primes like Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs, Rickey Henderson, and Ozzie Smith. More established names like Mike Schmidt, George Brett, and Nolan Ryan also anchored the checklist. Every card paid tribute to baseball greatness past and present.
Of course, no release was complete in the late ’80s without the inclusion of special parallel and insert sets. In addition to the base Diamond Kings, Donruss released three parallel subsets – Silver Signature, Platinum Signature, and Golden Signature. As the names implied, each parallel carried signature treatments and differed in design details, production numbers, and refractors. Finding and completing these parallel sets became highly coveted goals for collectors.
Perhaps the most sought-after Chrome Error Cards, meanwhile, took the typical “short print” concept to a whole new level. Mid-print, a manufacturing glitch occurred that caused some 1987 Diamond Kings cards to be printed on a silverized foil stock rather than the typical paper or cardboard. These exceedingly rare chrome versions featured the player photos intensely mirrored against a glittering background. Savvy collectors prowled the secondary market for years attempting to track down sets of these aberrantly printed gems.
Another insert set, the Diamond Cutters parallel, showed close-up headshots of MLB superstars against colored diamond patterns. Collectors could also find Star Performers highlighting top individual seasons or Milestone Moments commemorating historic career achievements. Later in the year, Donruss even released Traded sets to document midseason player transactions with new photos capturing the players in their new team uniforms.
While production numbers on the entire 1987 Donruss Diamond Kings set and its parallels remain undocumented, the premium materials, photography, and inserts clearly signaled Donruss’ plan to push cardboard collectibles to new heights. Even years later, examples from this groundbreaking release command premium secondary prices from dedicated collectors seeking to relive the magic of late ’80s baseball card culture. For both its unprecedented in-hand experience and collector chasing opportunities, the 1987 Donruss Diamond Kings cemented its place as one of the most coveted and captivating releases in the hobby’s history.
