Top 10 Most-Important Baseball Sets During the Junk Wax Era (1981-93)

Between 1981 and 1993, card companies producing baseball cards went from 1 (Topps) to too-many-to-count. In that era, a number of historically-important sets came into being which in one way or another transformed the hobby and brought us in some small measurable way to where we are today. Here is a list of 10 sets which affected the hobby in a meaningful manner. Note: It is not a list of the 10 best baseball sets by any stretch (simply given the fact that both the 1981 Donruss and 1981 Fleer sets are included!).
  

1981    Donruss

The Topps monopoly fell in 1981 and Donruss (along with Fleer) introduced their sets to the market and in some way begin to turn the hobby in a different direction.

  
1981    Fleer

Fleer had long produced cards and other hobby-related items like stickers in many different areas of the hobby (such as football cards and products). But for the first time in many a decade, Fleer was now competing head-to-head with Topps in the baseball card arena.

    
1984    Fleer Update

Although Topps Traded existed previously, the Fleer Update set was produced in very limited quantities and included XRCs of future hobby legends like Puckett, Gooden and Clemens.

   
1989    Upper Deck

The birth of the premium cards began with this set and its staple card the Ken Griffey Jr rookie. The hobby forever changed. Some say for better. Others say for worse.

   
1990    Leaf

Long considered a Canadian product and largely an American afterthought, Leaf emerged this year after a brief hiatus in the late 1980s. For a short time, Leaf provided a competitive product to Upper Deck.

   
1991    Topps Stadium Club

Borderless cards did not exist on any meaningful level prior to this set’s introduction. Quality photography ramped up with the roll-out of this set to the market.

    
1992    Topps Gold

Premium parallel sets to standard issue sets started with this set. No longer would collecting a base set be sufficient for some hobbyists.

    
1992    Bowman

After 3 rather uninspired years of production, Bowman humbly rebranded its image, limited quantity and truly became home of the rookie with this set’s sneaky introduction into the hobby as a premium brand.

    
1993    Upper Deck SP

There were premium sets before as described above. This set brought collectors into the realm of super premium sets with expensive technology being brought mainstream to a set. The price tag for a pack or box also moved into realms unseen previously.

     
1993    Topps Finest

Not to be outdone by Upper Deck, Topps also rolled up its version of the super premium set (as well as refractors as inserts) and ensured a new debate in future sets to come, “To peel or not to peel?”