91 Studio Baseball Cards: A Look Back at a Unique Vintage Card Producer
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a small company called 91 Studio emerged as a unique player in the baseball card industry. Operating on a small scale compared to the major producers like Topps, Donruss and Fleer, 91 Studio carved out a niche producing artistic and creative baseball cards that stood out among the mainstream offerings of the time. While they only produced cards for a few years in the early 90s before shutting down, 91 Studio left their mark with collectors through their artistic designs, photography and focus on specific niche sets. In this article, we will take an in-depth look back at 91 Studio and their contributions to the vintage baseball card market during their short time in business.
91 Studio was founded in 1988 by Richard McWilliam, who had previously worked as a photographer. The company was based in San Diego, California and they produced cards that focused more on creative photography and artistic design compared to the statistics-heavy approaches of the larger manufacturers. Their first set was 1991 Studio Game, which featured 150 cards highlighting action shots from the 1990 season. While basic statistically, the photography and designs stood out with artistic borders and unique crop angles on the photos. They followed this up in 1989 with 91 Studio All-Stars, a 100 card set featuring headshots of the game’s biggest stars at the time like Ken Griffey Jr., Roger Clemens and Wade Boggs.
In 1990, 91 Studio produced one of their most iconic and collectible sets – 91 Studio Wax Pack. Taking their name from the traditional wax paper packaging of baseball cards, this 100 card set featured retro-styled designs to mimic the look of vintage cards from the 1950s and 60s. The cards featured a cream-colored stock with red and blue borders as well as period-appropriate action photography shot specifically for the set. The 1990 Studio Wax Pack set is highly sought after by vintage collectors today for its unique designs and photography that really captured the nostalgia and aesthetic of the early years of the baseball card boom.
91 Studio expanded their output in 1991 by producing multiple sets. This included 1991 Studio Diamond Kings, a high-end 100 card insert set focusing on superstar players. Featuring gold signatures on each card, this set highlighted the biggest names of the day like Cal Ripken Jr, Nolan Ryan and Barry Bonds. They also issued 1991 Studio Rookies, a 100 card set showcasing the top first year players from that season like Chuck Knoblauch, John Smoltz and Jeff Bagwell. Additionally in 1991, 91 Studio produced their second Wax Pack set with 1991 Studio Wax Pack II, another retro-styled 100 card vintage throwback release.
In 1992, 91 Studio took on one of their most ambitious projects with 1992 Studio Tribute. This large 400 card set was broken into four 100 card “books” that paid homage to the early years of Topps from the 1950s. Each book focused on a specific season, with Book 1 emulating the 1952 Topps set design. The subsequent books paid tribute to the 1953, 1954 and 1955 Topps designs respectively. Loaded with stars from those eras in period-accurate uniforms and poses, 1992 Studio Tribute captured the nostalgia and designs of the early Topps years like no other set before or since. Unfortunately, it would be the studio’s final large scale release before shutting down operations later in 1992.
While 91 Studio only produced cards for a few short years in the late 80s and early 90s, they made a big impact among collectors with their creative and artistic approach. Focusing more on unique photography and retro designs over stats, they offered a refreshing change of pace compared to other manufacturers. Some of their most collectible and iconic sets like 1991 Studio Wax Pack and 1992 Studio Tribute really captured the nostalgia and aesthetic of the early vintage card boom. Even after shutting down, 91 Studio cards remain popular with collectors today who appreciate their outside-the-box creativity during baseball cards’ boom period in the late 20th century. Their short run in the industry left an indelible mark and helped push the artistic boundaries of what a baseball card could be during the late 80s and early 90s.
