Your Favorite Donruss Sets from 1981-1991

[Rich Klein]

1984 was the set which changed Donruss "for the better". The difficulty of finding the cards, the gorgeous design and the two key rookies (Mattingly and Strawberry) made this one of the sets of the 1980's.

Now, Topps had a nice 1983 set, but the card world evolved quickly after the 1984 set, including the prominence of the "Rated Rookies" cards.

So between the importance of the set and the design, 1984 is by far the best and most important Donruss set of that time period.

I will also say, I just received a donation in which there was a significant amount of 1992 Donruss cards in the pile and the 1992 sets is in my opinion, very underrated as to the non monetary aspects. Clean design, lots of space for the pictures, great information on the back with a second player photo. And, while the value may never be there except for the tougher inserts, that set is going to be 25 years old next year and deserves some recognition as well.