The 1993 Leaf Series 1 baseball card set was the first series released by Leaf Trading Cards in 1993. It marked a major shift for the company as they transitioned away from football cards and began focusing more on producing high-quality baseball card sets. The 1993 Leaf Series 1 set contains 264 total cards and features many star players from both the American and National Leagues.
Some of the biggest names included in the set were Barry Bonds, Cal Ripken Jr., Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas, Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux, David Cone, and Dennis Eckersley. Bonds was entering his prime with the Pirates and had begun establishing himself as one of the game’s most feared sluggers. Ripken was coming off winning the 1992 AL MVP award and was in the midst of his historic consecutive games played streak which would end at 2,632 games. Griffey was still early in his career but was already dazzling fans with his athleticism and power potential.
Thomas was fresh off winning the 1992 AL MVP and batting title while continuing to terrorize pitchers as one of baseball’s most complete hitters. Martinez was only in his third MLB season but was already showcasing his incredible pitching talents while still with the Expos. Maddux was a veteran ace and had won the 1992 NL Cy Young award while leading the Braves staff. Cone and Eckersley were dominant veterans anchoring the Mets and A’s staffs and bullpens respectively. These were some of the biggest offensive and pitching talents of the early 1990s.
In addition to star rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Griffey, the set also featured notable rookie cards for Jason Giambi, Mike Piazza, Cliff Floyd, Edgar Martinez, and Tino Martinez. Piazza in particular had just finished a monster minor league season and was on the cusp of debuting with the Dodgers and eventually becoming one of the best hitting catchers in MLB history. The set did a great job spotlighting both established veterans and young upcoming talents that Leaf executives likely recognized as future stars.
From a production standpoint, the cards had a standard baseball card design format with a color photo on the front and player stats/career highlights on the back. One distinguishing design element Leaf incorporated was leaving the bottom third of the card blank with no background in order to draw more focus to the central photo. The photos had a sharp, high quality look printed on high gloss card stock which made the images really pop. Overall the set had a very clean and stylish aesthetic feel reflective of the brand Leaf was trying to establish.
In terms of parallels and inserted chase cards, the 1993 Leaf Series 1 included SP (Special Parallel) photo variation parallel cards that showcased an alternate photo of the player. The set also had Spectrum parallel inserts featuring a shimmering rainbow foil treatment on specially marked cards. These parallel and insert cards increased the overall collectibility and added layers to the base card chasing experience for collectors.
When it was originally released in 1993, the 264 card Leaf Series 1 set retailed for around $65-70 depending on the vendor. This surpassed the flagship Topps and Score sets in price point but the production quality and star player content helped justify the higher MSRP. Given it was Leaf’s first major foray into baseball cards, availability was wider than some more limited sets from companies like Ultra and Pinnacle issued around the same time.
In the decades since, the 1993 Leaf Series 1 set has grown in reputation and collector demand. Rarer parallel and rookie cards like the Piazza or Griffey have surpassed the $1000 price range in high grades. Even common star player cards can sell in the $10-50 range depending on condition. The set is seen as one of the most iconic early releases that helped put Leaf on the map as a respected baseball card manufacturer. Its classic design sensibilities have also led to the set being cited as influential on later 1990s card designs. For both its important role in Leaf’s history and the star talent it featured, the 1993 Leaf Series 1 set remains a nostalgic favorite for many vintage card collectors today.
