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If you collected baseball cards in the ’80s or ’90s, chances are, you are familiar with Perez’s art. He is responsible for the paintings of the famous and highly successful Donruss Diamond Kings. He started painting the Diamonds in 1983 and carried the tradition well into the ’90s. His art can be found throughout the hobby and in the collections of some of the nation’s biggest celebrities. The list includes Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. In 1972, Perez worked with the Philadelphia Phillies as their official team artist. His resume includes: official artists for Cooperstown, the home of the baseball Hall of Fame; created the official logo for baseball’s National League; artist of Diamond Kings from the 1980s and 1990s; and Perez has canvassed every Hall of Fame inductee. With countless awards and international recognition, Perez captures the heart of America’s favorite pastime.
Diamond Kings (1983 – 2002):
Diamond Kings (DKs) have been offered in a variety of different ways over the years. In the early ’80s, they first introduced the main set. Starting in 1992, DKs were offered as a chase insert as a high-end set. ’92 Donruss Triple Play introduced a similar set called, Gallery of Stars. Then, a decade later in 2002, the Diamond Kings name had its own main set.
Question of the Day:
What is your favorite year for Diamond Kings?
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Just FYI, Gallery of Stars was released in Triple Play products and not actually Diamond Kings, though I can see the confusion since Perez did those (I think anyway).
Hmm. I would have to say 1992/1993 Diamond Kings are my fav, since 1992 is when they were first inserted in packs as an insert and not a subset. Then you have 1997/1998 when they printed the first 500 on canvas stock. Ah, I miss the 90’s.
Hey Tim,
I chose to use Gallery of Stars for ’93 b/c Diamond Kings from ’92 and ’93 look identical.
I would have to agree with you on the 1992 set. I can remember wishing to pull the Thomas from ’92 Donruss. In it’s day, that card was huge! The Canvas from 97/98 is great stuff. ’01 also had the Studio parallel’s #d to 250. I dig that stuff quite a bit.
No need to apologize dood! 🙂
Very true, 1992/1993 did indeed look similar. My apologies 🙂