The 1985 Donruss baseball card set is one of the most iconic and popular issues ever released by the company. This was the seventh year that Donruss produced baseball cards and it was also one of the best and most visually appealing designs. Some key things to know about the 1985 Donruss baseball cards include:

The set contains 435 total baseball cards and features players and managers from both the American and National Leagues. This was a significant increase from the previous year’s set which only featured 384 total cards. Some key rookies included in the ’85 Donruss set were Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, and Roger Clemens. All three would go on to have Hall of Fame careers and their rookie cards from this set are very popular with collectors.

The design featured colorful action shots of each player on a white background. At the top was the team logo and colors, while player stats, position, and career highlights were listed on the bottom in white text. Perhaps the most notable visual aspect was the ‘Donruss’ wordmark across the front of each card partially covering the player’s face. This created a very unique and distinct look that collectors immediately recognized as being from the Donruss brand.

In addition to players, the ’85 Donruss set included 15 team cards showing that season’s roster and a separate card for both league’s president at the time. The managers were also included as individual cards showing their photo along with a brief career overview. Some of the notable managers featured included Sparky Anderson of the Detroit Tigers, Whitey Herzog of the St. Louis Cardinals, and Dick Williams of the San Diego Padres.

The base cards ranged in number from 102 to 144 depending on the team. The Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and Detroit Tigers each had 102 cards while the San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals had the maximum of 144 cards representing all of their players. The Milwaukee Brewers had the fewest base cards at 133. Each team’s cards were grouped together alphabetically making it easy for collectors to find specific players.

In addition to the standard base set, Donruss also produced popular inserts and parallel subsets that added to the excitement of the product. Some of the key ones included:

‘Turn Back The Clock’ – Highlighted older players still active and showed photos from earlier in their careers. There were 30 cards in the set.

‘Stars Of The 80s’ – Featured huge stars from the previous half-decade like Mike Schmidt and Nolan Ryan. It contained 20 cards.

‘Super Veterans’ – Similar to Turn Back The Clock but focused more on aging vets. It had 20 cards.

‘All-Star’ – Featured photos from the 1984 All-Star game with a blue border. There were 60 cards in the set distributed throughout wax packs and factory sets.

‘Record Breakers’ – Honored players who set significant career records. It contained 10 cards.

‘Missing Links’ – Showed how a player looked without their team’s cap on to disguise their identity. 10 cards were produced.

When it came to parallel and short print variations, Donruss went all out in 1985. There were over 130 different ‘SP’ short prints scattered throughout the base set at extremely low print runs. The ‘Gold Medallion’ parallel featured gold foil stamping on a black border and was one of the rarest inserts at only 50 printed of each card. Other parallels included ‘Glossy Sendouts’, ‘Team MVP’, and ‘Diamond Kings’ among many others.

In terms of value, the 1985 Donruss set has become highly coveted by traders and investors due to its classic design coupled with the starring rookie class. Near-mint graded versions of the Bonds, McGwire, and Clemens rookies regularly sell for thousands of dollars today. Other stars of the era like Wade Boggs, George Brett, and Eddie Murray also command strong prices. The short prints and parallel inserts remain extremely difficult to obtain. Factory sets have also gained steady value as complete sets become increasingly scarce.

The 1985 Donruss baseball card set marked one of the brands most iconic and collectible issues of the 1980s. The memorable design paired with all-time great rookies and a dizzying array of inserts and parallels gave collectors a true treasure hunt experience. It’s no wonder this set remains one of the most popularly collected among card hobbyists decades later. Its combination of nostalgia, star power, and chase factors have cemented it as a true classic among the hobby’s greatest baseball card releases.