1986 Donruss Diamond King Andre Dawson

For this post we will stay with the Diamond King Theme. Today's card from my collection is number 25 from the 1986 Donruss set. This was the fourth year in a row that Donruss produced the Diamond King subset. Stylistically the 86' set continued incorporating horizontal lines that were used minimally in the 85' issue and gave the cards a blue border. Overall the design for this set isn't the worst Donruss produced in the 80's, I think the 89' set clearly wins that distinction, but it also is not it's best effort.

At the time of it's issue and through the 90's this was a popular card set due to the rookie cards of Fred McGriff, Jose Canseco and second year card of Roger Clemans. The success of these players helped to drive the cards in the secondary market as collecting rookie cards became an important driving force in the hobby. Today these cards retain a fraction of the value they once commanded as steroids and other off the field issues took their toll on these former superstars. Besides the indifference or dislike many collectors feel towards players during the steroid era and their cards, the 1986 set also falls into the era of overproduction. Donruss ramped up production on its sets after the huge popularity of it's 1984 issue and has the hobby and rookie card collecting began to explode.

As for "The Hawk," his recent induction in the Hall of Fame last summer was the final touch to an outstanding career. He flew under the radar for years playing in Montreal and didn't really become a household name until he signed with the Cubs in 1987. His 1987 season season was his finest, hitting 49 home runs and 137 RBI and winning N.L MVP. Today Dawson works for the Florida Marlins organization, where he won a World Series ring in 2003.