Rating the Donruss Wax Pack Wrapper Designs in the 1980s

1981 Donruss Wax Pack Wrapper unfolded

Beginning in 1981, Donruss (and Fleer) presented a formidable threat to Topps monopoly in the baseball card market. As a part of their efforts to compete, Donruss and Fleer each were duty-bound with the task of creating packaging to market and sell their respective products. Donruss elected to take an avenue different than Topps. Topps was known for using the same packaging year-in and year-out with the only change being the color of the wax packaging.

In this article, I rate the Donruss wax packs. Granted, my ratings are arbitrary. But as a collector of wax pack wrappers, I thought I would provide some commentary regarding each wax pack wrapper design of the 1980s.
  
1981 Donruss: Donruss' initial effort was nothing too inspired. With a pitcher throwing a ball revealing that you received 18 cards in each pack, the idea was to let consumers know, "You receive MORE cards in a pack of Donruss than you do in a pack of Topps.". The inclusion of both the MLB logo and the MLB Players Association logo reflect Donruss' commitment to having a fully-licensed product - unlike with past Topps and/or Fleer products which sometimes did not have full licensing. Overall, on a scale of 10, I would rate this pack wrapper as a 6. It is nothing spectacular but at the time, you may have taken notice of the quantity included. Unfortunately, the quality ranks as the very worst of any product ever produced in any sport (except perhaps some of the early 1980s Fleer football productions).

1982 Donruss Wax Pack Wrapper

1982 Donruss: In 1982, Donruss decided to place a much greater emphasis on the fact that you receive puzzle pieces (as opposed to gum which Topps had long since included in its offerings). Like 1981, the packaging was a standard red and yellow. Instead of getting 18 cards though, Donruss reverted to the standard 15 cards most commonly seen in the industry at the time. Donruss also made mention of the fact that you could receive Diamond King cards. A subset within a set, Diamond Kings would be a popular staple of Donruss throughout its run. Overall, I grade this pack wrapper as an 8. Although the wrapper is hardly perfect, it includes a lot of good information that gives the potential buyer a good idea of what you are receiving.
 

1983 Donruss Wax Pack Wrapper

1983 Donruss: For 1983, Donruss elected to go in a different direction as far as wrapper color and design. The design takes on a more simplistic appearance and identifies how many puzzle pieces one would need to complete the puzzle (63). If you had not been a collector of Donruss cards before 1983, you might have wondered regarding that puzzle as far as specifically how many packs you may need to buy in order to complete the puzzle. 21 packs at least would be the answer to that question. Other than that observation, there isn't a whole lot to say regarding the wrapper. Overall, I grade this pack wrapper with a 7. The color attracts the eye-reasonably but isn't too gaudy.

1984 Donruss Wax Pack Wrapper

1984 Donruss: Donruss stuck with the solid one-color background in 1984. Overall, the wrapper has a similar appearance as the 1983 set. Most of the key information is written on a large baseball. I do like the gold color as a background more than light blue but the wrapper doesn't improve otherwise from 1983. For that reason, I grade this pack wrapper with a 7.
  

1985 Donruss Wax Pack Wrapper

1985 Donruss: Ironically, this wax pack wrapper design lines up with what you might expect once you open up the pack. The cards themselves have a black border but with the line pattern seen on the wrapper. Perhaps the design is quintessential mid-1980s. At the time though, I didn't care for it much. Donruss includes the key information you need to know what you are receiving from the pack. The colors remain true to the idea that Donruss prefers reds and golds/yellows on its packaging. But as far as how I grade this pack wrapper, I give it a 5.

1986 Donruss Wax Pack Wrapper

1986 Donruss: In 1986, Donruss returned to a blue background as the heart of its packaging effort. The blue packaging matched the idea that the cards themselves would have a blue border although it would be a different and darker hue. The essential information is included once more. I don't particularly see this wrapper as anything special however. Overall, I grade this pack wrapper as a 5.
 

1987 Donruss Wax Pack Wrapper

1987 Donruss: Donruss incorporated a background akin to the color used in 1984's packaging. The same information as most other years is included so that the purchaser knows he or she is receiving 3 puzzle pieces and 15 cards. This wrapping has been a personal favorite of mine for a long time because I find the rich gold to be attractive to the eye like there is a treasure trove of cards to be uncovered. From that perspective, I grade this pack wrapper as a 9. The use of colors and font may have been Donruss' strongest effort during the 1980s.

1988 Donruss Wax Pack Wrapper

1988 Donruss: Donruss went in a different direction somewhat for this year to place more emphasis on a subset it was including called Donruss MVPs. This set truly was an insert subset. Although it was readily available, Donruss was revealing to collectors that insert subsets would be part of the wave of the future in the hobby. In 1988 America, I was very much drawn to this set - more likely because of its affordability but perhaps also because I did like the card design with the blue backgrounds. Donruss long had a reputation for producing cheap, thin stock cards but at least the wrappers provided a degree of creativity. This pack wrapper is a fair effort and for that reason I grade it a 6.
 

1989 Donruss Wax Pack Wrapper

1989 Donruss: In 1989, Donruss decided to use a multicolor background for the first time. It was a clear reflection of what you would be receiving inside with the rainbow-colored cards. For color lovers, Donruss provided collectors with the idea that the set would be appealing to the eye. Once again, Donruss lets everyone know that Donruss MVP subset insert cards might be found in this pack. For all its worth, I rate this pack wrapper as a 10. I would see this wrapper and want to buy it.