The term variation can raise the ire of many collectors when it is used in context with Donruss Baseball. For the unfamiliar (this is where you would count your blessings) an eagle-eyed collector, or one with OCD (I’m disqualified because mine manifests itself in other more productive ways) discovered that Donruss, or let’s blame the parents, Leaf, printed cards with an “Inc” or “Inc.”, or more lovingly called “Dot” and “No Dot” variations. So there you have it, the Donruss variation.
Alas, this is NOT about THAT. And it is not the only variation gifted to us by Donruss. Since my tastes are more refined I indulge only in exquisite, palatable, and thought-provoking trading cards.
The collective at the Donruss (Leaf Inc or Inc.) design team chose to give the hunter-gatherer type of collector a colorful variation from 1989 through 1991 in the form of an insert set called The Grand Slammers. Bring on the chase, baby. It’s on!
Notice the natural progression of colors; not a full rainbow but a similar effect. All else – the team logo, the Grand Slammers corner diagonal banner, and the photo placement – remains exact in each variation.
Take note also that the numbering I’ve shown is not in numeric/alpha order. But in a more appealing presentation where one can view the gradient pattern of colors between the variations. For the record, I am NOT proposing TCDB correct the order as too much work has already been done on this (and other Donruss sets) and I wish to remain off certain lists.
The basic 1989 Grand Slammers set is 12-cards, but with all the variations there are 72. My master set will be comprised of 59 because, once again that eagle-eyed, possibly OCD’d collector has identified a variation on the back of the cards that I’ve chosen to exclude. And, no it’s not what you think. Some back versions have black bars poking through the top and bottom right side borders. Those variations are NOT part of my quest, i.e. the aforementioned refined taste comes to play here. Seventeen cards remain on my Want List to complete this master set.
Infamy reigned with the release of the 1990 Donruss Baseball splatter (or speckled) design. It wasn’t enough that the company chose bright red as the base color, but then Jackson Pollock’s possible influence on a Donruss designer’s creativity resulted in splattered borders. All was fine until the previously-mentioned, but unnamed, eagle-eyed OCD collector discovered various splatter patterns, 11 to be exact! And the Grand Slammers weren’t immune to this artistic touch.
So a 12-card insert set balloons to 144 cards, BUT that doesn’t include one special card (shown above, the one on the right). See it? For those who can’t see beyond the end of their nose, it’s got a red star whereas the other (alleged) 144 versions have yellow stars. So THAT master set is 145 cards. MY master set is 13 cards with the only extra being the red starred Benzinger. I currently have no desire to go after other variations in this set, mainly because I don’t trust that members will take the time to log the different versions accurately. The “Inc” and “Inc.” have not infiltrated this insert set, and that’d be easier to separate in my opinion, but comparing splotches on 1990 Donruss Baseball just isn’t worth it to many in the hobby. It is to me to some degree, but I’m just not seeking other splatters at the moment.
Let me speak to the red star card’s valuation. It technically didn’t fall into the category referenced in my previous article, “I Lied, Sort of…Maybe…It Depends” because I traded stchazjojo4kharvick (Joel) with TCDB for it and didn’t actually spend money other than postage to acquire it. I sent him 168 cards including a 1971 Topps #5 Thurman Munson in good condition for the one.
Finally we get to 1991 Donruss – Grand Slammers, the best of the trio of sets. These gems show the player super-imposed over an explosion that depicts the exhilaration of clearing the bases with a grand slam. The bold yellow with blueish outline over a field of green coordinate to bring the card to life. The variations come from distinguishing lines and bars positioned along the left and right edges in groups around the top, middle, and bottom above the lower player identification labels.
The master set, which I am seeking, is comprised of 14-base with 81 total variations. The math works out as the first eleven cards have six variants, while the remaining three only have five versions. I am currently six short of completing the master set. It’s a primary collection focus for me that has run into problems.
Remember those eagle-eyed, OCD’d collectors that have been teased throughout this article. Well, apparently very few of them are traders or sellers as many of the versions are rarely available, or accurately logged. I contacted a particular seller to confirm a variant and he said it was the correct one. It wasn’t and I received a credit (and was able to keep the card). I suspect because of DVS (Donruss Variant Syndrome) and the tedium usually associated with it. There is one card in particular that cannot be found – Mark McGwire #8e. There is one currently active collector on TCDB that shows it in his collection and I’ve reached out to him but he’s failed to respond. I simply wish to confirm its existence and if he actually has that particular variant it’d be nice to share with the rest of us by uploading the image. One can only hope.
The Donruss Grand Slammers series’ frontal design variations captured my interest. I find them artistic but not overbearingly that the design overtakes the player. The interest in their textual variations, particularly when it comes to punctuation, not so much. These inserts intrigue me enough to chase them as master or semi-master sets. And, although I couldn’t care less about having versions with all probable Inc’s and Inc.’s with variations of *s, I understand those that do, and attempt to honor their quest by segregating them on my trade list. I, therefore, do believe we share a commonality, for like most of them, I am not an investor, I identify as a card collector.
I Identify as a Card Collector 
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