In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a small company called 93 Studio began producing limited run sets of hand-cut and hand-painted baseball cards. Founded by two brothers, David and Michael Erlich, 93 Studio cards stood out from traditional mass-produced cardboard offerings from Topps, Fleer, and Donruss due to their unique artistic designs and extremely limited print runs.
Each 93 Studio baseball card was handcrafted, with the fronts featuring original paintings of players and the backs providing stats and brief biographies. No two cards were exactly alike, as slight variations could occur between copies due to the labor-intensive production process. Print runs for individual cards rarely exceeded 100 copies. This combination of artistic designs, limited availability, and handmade origins made 93 Studio cards extremely popular with collectors looking for something different than the mainstream options.
One of the earliest 93 Studio sets was the 1990 Cincinnati Reds Tribute issue. Featuring 15 cards honoring stars from the Big Red Machine era like Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Tony Perez, each painting was reproduced on a single sheet of card stock which was then individually cut out by hand. Subsequent early sets paid homage to the Baltimore Orioles and Philadelphia Phillies of the 1970s/80s. These initial runs helped build buzz within the collecting community about 93 Studio’s unique vision.
Throughout the early 1990s, 93 Studio released sets focused on individual all-time great players. Sets featuring Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Mickey Mantle were among the most popular. Each multi-card series provided a retrospective on that player’s career through original paintings and extensive statistical data on the verso. 93 Studio also produced sets dedicated to entire franchises, with examples including the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers.
In addition to sets, 93 Studio also produced one-of-a-kind commissioned portraits. Major League teams, Hall of Famers, and top individual collectors would contract with 93 Studio to produce a limited series featuring a player of their choosing. One of the most famous examples is a 1993 Barry Bonds card commissioned by The Baseball Card Magazine to celebrate Bonds’ MVP season. Only 25 copies were produced, making each one extremely valuable today.
While production remained small-scale throughout, 93 Studio continued operating into the mid-1990s. Their final original set may have been a 1996 tribute to the New York Yankees dynasty teams of the 1950s-60s. The brothers also produced reprint sets of some earlier issues in 1997-98 to meet continued collector demand. After over a decade of handcrafting some of the most unique and sought-after cards in the hobby, 93 Studio ceased operations in the late 1990s.
To this day, 93 Studio releases remain among the most coveted and valuable vintage card issues. Their limited print runs, original paintings, and hand-cut/hand-signed production methods make each one truly one-of-a-kind. While other companies now produce high-end limited edition cards, 93 Studio was truly pioneering in their vision of marrying artistic expression with sports collecting. Original 93 Studio singles can now command prices well over $100 each online. Even reprints from their late-era reissue sets still sell for $50-75 depending on the player featured.
For dedicated baseball card collectors, 93 Studio releases represent the pinnacle of artistic and creative expression applied to the hobby. While finding pristine near-mint originals from their early 1990s heyday is increasingly difficult, the legacy and passion behind their unique vision continues to inspire. Over 30 years after their founding, 93 Studio remains revered as one of the most innovative and collectible names in sports card history. Their handcrafted creations were truly one-of-a-kind works of baseball card art.
