Donruss Baseball Cards by Year: A History from 1981-Present

Donruss began producing baseball cards in 1981 and has become one of the most iconic and recognizable brands in the hobby. Over the past 40+ years, Donruss cards have featured some of the game’s biggest stars and provided collectors with memorable designs and inserts. Let’s take a look at the Donruss brand through the years to see how their sets and products have evolved since the early 1980s.

1981 – Donruss released their inaugural baseball card set in 1981. The set featured 540 cards and highlighted rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Wade Boggs, Rickey Henderson, and Ozzie Smith. The design was simple but effective, showing a player photo on the front with basic stats on the back. This set launched the Donruss brand and is still highly sought after by collectors today.

1982 – Not much changed design-wise in 1982, as Donruss stuck with the basic front photo and back stats look. The set included cards for all 26 MLB teams and highlighted rookie cards for future stars like Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry. The ’82 Donruss set is regarded as one of the more affordable vintage issues that collectors can still find in bargain bins.

1983 – Donruss expanded to 660 cards in 1983 and added team logo designs on the front of many cards. The back also saw an update with more in-depth stats and career highlights. Rookies like Wade Boggs, Kirby Puckett, and Ron Guidry had their first Donruss issues in ’83. The set also featured the first Donruss Traded/Update set, which included cards of players who switched teams during the season.

1984 – Donruss kept the 660 card count and logo front designs in ’84. This set is notable for featuring the rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Roger Clemens, Dwight Gooden, and Don Mattingly. The ’84 Donruss set also contained the first Special Olympics Benefit cards, which honored athletes from the organization. Proceeds from the sales of these cards went to support the Special Olympics.

1985 – A major redesign occurred in 1985 as Donruss unveiled new vertical card designs showing action shots on the fronts. The backs also received an overhaul with a green color scheme and more visual career stats. Set size increased to 674 cards and rookies included Barry Larkin, Mark McGwire, and Bret Saberhagen. The ’85 Donruss issue is still a popular set among collectors today.

1986 – Donruss kept the vertical action shot design from ’85 but changed the fronts to feature team wordmarks across the top. The 674 card set included rookie cards for Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz. Insert sets like Traded and Update were also included. The ’86 Donruss release highlighted many future Hall of Fame players and remains a classic in the brand’s history.

1987 – With 674 cards again, the ’87 Donruss set retained the vertical design while making minor tweaks to the fronts and backs. Notable rookies included Chuck Knoblauch, Moises Alou, and Todd Zeile. Insert sets in ’87 included Traded, Update, and Manager cards. Overall it was an evolution of the previous few years’ designs from Donruss.

1988 – In 1988, Donruss reduced the base set count to 552 cards but introduced parallel “Diamond Kings” inserts featuring glossy photo variations. The vertical design stayed put as well. Rookies included Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and David Justice. The ’88 release was the last Donruss set to feature the classic vertical design that defined the mid-80s era.

1989 – Donruss unveiled a brand new horizontal card design for 1989, moving away from the vertical look. The 660 card set featured a clean white border around each photo. Notable rookies included Jeff Bagwell, Kenny Lofton, and Tim Wakefield. Insert sets like Traded and Manager returned as well. The ’89 issue marked a change in aesthetics that would carry into the 90s.

1990 – The horizontal design continued into 1990 with a 660 card base set. That year’s rookies included Frank Thomas, Jeff Kent, and Mo Vaughn. For the first time, Donruss offered factory sets in addition to loose packs. Insert sets included Traded, Update, and Managers. The ’90 release showed the brand’s commitment to evolving while holding onto some classic insert sets.

1991 – Donruss kept the horizontal base card layout but added team wordmarks above the photos. The 660 card set featured the rookie cards of Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, and Derek Jeter. Popular inserts returned like Traded, Update, and Managers. The ’91 issue is highly sought after today due its rookie class and classic Donruss design elements.

1992 – For 1992, Donruss reduced the set count to 528 cards and made minor tweaks to the horizontal template. Notable rookies included Jason Giambi, Nomar Garciaparra, and John Smoltz. Insert sets included Traded, Update, and a new “Diamond Kings” parallels subset. The ’92 release showcased many future Hall of Famers in their early careers.

1993 – Donruss went back to a 660 card base set in 1993. That year’s rookie class included Derek Jeter, Jason Kendall, and Todd Helton. Inserts included Traded, Update, Diamond Kings, and a new “All-Time Greats” subset highlighting legends of the game. The ’93 issue maintained the clean horizontal design collectors had grown accustomed to.

1994 – The 660 card ’94 Donruss set featured rookie cards for Nomar Garciaparra, Pedro Martinez, and Troy Percival. Insert sets included Traded, Update, Diamond Kings, and All-Time Greats. Design-wise, Donruss kept the formula consistent. This set remains highly collectible due to its star-studded rookie class.

1995 – For 1995, Donruss reduced the base count again to 528 cards. Rookies included Derek Jeter, Hideo Nomo, and Todd Helton in their first Donruss issues. Inserts were Traded, Update, Diamond Kings, and All-Time Greats. The horizontal template endured as the brand’s standard design language.

1996 – Donruss went back to 660 cards for the ’96 release. Rookies included Nomar Garciaparra, Kerry Wood, and Derek Jeter in his second year card. Insert sets stayed the same as ’95. The horizontal design showed no signs of changing as Donruss entered the late 90s.

1997 – The 660 card ’97 Donruss set featured rookie cards for Ben Grieve, Todd Helton, and Carlos Beltran. Inserts included Traded, Update, Diamond Kings, and All-Time Greats. Design-wise, this set was very similar to previous mid-90s issues from Donruss. The brand maintained stability during a time when other companies experimented.

1998 – Donruss reduced the base count to 528 cards in 1998. Rookies included Nomar Garciaparra, Kerry Wood, and Ben Grieve in his second year issue. Insert sets were Traded, Update, Diamond Kings, and All-Time Greats. The tried-and-true horizontal template carried over unchanged.

1999 – For the final base set of the 90s, Donruss went with a 660 card design. Rookies included Jorge Posada, Jason Giambi, and Matt Morris. Inserts included Traded, Update, Diamond Kings, and All-Time Greats. The horizontal design showed no signs of going away as Donruss entered the new millennium.

2000 – Donruss started the 2000s with a 528 card base set. Rookies included Bobby Abreu, Alfonso Soriano, and Mark Mulder. Insert sets were Traded, Update, Diamond Kings, and All-Time Greats. The brand’s signature horizontal card template remained in place.

2001 – The ’01 Donruss release included 660 base cards. Rookies that year included Albert Pujols, Ichiro Suzuki, and Johnny Damon. Inserts were Traded, Update, Diamond Kings, and All-Time Greats. Design-wise, this set was more of the same successful Donruss formula collectors had come to expect.

2002 – Donruss went back to 528 cards for 2002. Notable rookies included Scott Kazmir, B.J. Upton, and Miguel Cabrera. Insert sets stayed consistent with Traded, Update, Diamond Kings, and All-Time Greats. The horizontal template endured as the brand’s standard into the early 2000s.

2003 – The 660 card ’03 Donruss set featured rookie cards for Dontrelle Willis, Josh Beckett, and Carlos Beltran in his second year issue. Insert sets included Traded, Update, Diamond Kings, and All-Time Greats. Design-wise, this set showed little change from previous years.

2004 – Donruss reduced the base count to 528 cards for 2004. Rookies included Jered Weaver, Bobby Crosby, and Justin Verlander. Insert sets were Traded, Update, Diamond Kings, and All-Time Greats. The tried-and-true horizontal template lived on