After a couple years spent swirling around the Junk Wax drain, Donruss decided to try and prop up their 1993 Leaf baseball cards to something resembling the other premium sets on the market.
Gone were the gray borders, flat finish, and sort of drab photography that had marked the 1991 and 1992 Leaf sets, replaced by no borders, high-quality photos front and back, and ice-storm gloss, also front and back.
Now, there was still plenty of product on the market, but Leaf was definitely digging in to try and regain the status it held when it took the hobby by storm in the summer of 1990. Issued in three series of 220, 220, and 110 cards, the 1993 run even tried to drum up a bit of “scarcity” talk by limiting that third series (Leaf Update) to “just” 6250 cases of 12 boxes each.
So, not scarce at all, but these are pretty good looking cards, depending on your tastes.
And the set is, of course, loaded with the stars of the day.
That combination — premium design and big names — means a select few of the 1993 Leafs sell for decent prices today, especially in top grade.
What follows, then are the most valuable 1993 Leaf baseball cards, based on recent sales of copies in graded PSA 10 condition (as of November 2022). We’ll start at the bottom of the pile (in the room closest to the commons bin) and work our way up from there.
(Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon listings for the cards being discussed.)
1993 Leaf Wade Boggs (#285)
This was a weird, fraudulent-looking card back in 1993, and it doesn’t look all that much righter today.
“WADE BOGGS YANKEES”
B.S.
But, of course, it was true – the great Red Sox third baseman signed as a free agent with New York in December of 1992, then continued his march toward 3000 hits and the Hall of Fame in the Bronx.
And then, in Tampa.
Of all the years for a card company to get a jump on showing guys in their new uniforms, Donruss picked one where we got to see one of the most traumatic side-switching wowsers of our generation.
Fans and collectors sort of got over it, and so did Boggs, especially when he won a World Series ring with the 1996 Yankees.
Value: $10-15
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1993 Leaf Paul Molitor (#262)
After Paul Molitor’s body proved to be First Period Black Mark Belleek (it’s Google-worthy, trust me) over the first decade or so of his career, the Milwaukee Brewers decided to try something outrageous with their aging infielder – they moved him to designated hitter.
Now, that doesn’t sound all *that* out there today, when we have the universal DH, or even in 1991, when old sluggers regularly traded in their leather for a dugout rocking chair and stack of candy bars to power up their bats.
But Molitor had spent his career as a super leadoff type, getting on base, smacking doubles and triples, stealing bases, generally wreaking havoc, and, of course, falling apart.
Strolling from the bench to the batter’s box, though, did wonders for Molitor and the Brewers, as The Ignitor turned in a full season in 1991 … and 1992 … and 1993 … and, well it looked like he might go on forever.
And he was going on at a high, HIGH level of production – in his mid-to-late 30s, Molitor was suddenly a near lock to challenge the 200-hit plateau every season, and batting averages in the .330s and .340s were commonplace.
All of a sudden, the dude who couldn’t stay on the field was picking up MVP votes and marching toward 3000 hits. Of course, collectors took notice, and the 1978 Topps rookie card Molitor shared with Alan Trammell began to heat up. So did his chronically off-center 1979 Topps card, and, really, all of his issues.
The Blue Jays took notice, too, signing Molitor as a free agent in December of 1992, just in time for him to help them to a second World Series title the next year.
And also just in time for Leaf to get him in his new uniform for their 1993 set – part of the new world of premium cards included much improved turnaround times.
After three great seasons in Toronto, Molitor finished up with three slightly less great seasons with his hometown Minnesota Twins. Along the way, he did, indeed, surpass 3000 hits and sealed his Cooperstown fate.
Value: $10-20
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1993 Leaf Rickey Henderson (#291)
After winning the American League MVP Award in 1990 and breaking Lou Brock’s career stolen base record in 1991, Rickey Henderson cooled his heels a bit in 1992.
Indeed, that summer marked the first one since 1987, and only the second since 1979, that he did NOT lead the league in stolen bases. His “paltry” 48 steals were good enough for just sixth place, in fact, behind Kenny Lofton, Pat Listach, Brady Anderson, Luis Polonia, and Roberto Alomar.
It didn’t matter, though, because, by then, Henderson was hobby royalty, vying with Nolan Ryan and Cal Ripken for “hottest veteran” honors on any given day, while being pushed from behind by youngsters like Ken Griffey, Jr., and Frank Thomas.
And I don’t know about you, but having “old man” Rickey on base behind me, as he’s shown on his 1993 Leaf card, would have made me nervous as a cat if I were the pitcher.
Or the catcher … or any of the fielders … or the opposing manager … or the clubhouse attendant … or …
Value: $20-30
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1993 Leaf Craig Biggio (#223)
If you like your players gritty and hard-nosed, then it’s tough to beat Craig Biggio and his 1993 Leaf baseball cards.
After winning a Silver Slugger in 1989 and notching his first All-Star berth in 1991, both as a catcher, the young Killer B moved to the other side of the pitcher in 1992.
As a second baseman, Biggio again scored an All-Star selection while playing in all 162 games and leading the National League with 721 plate appearances. His .277 batting average was healthy enough, but he bolstered that by walking 94 times and taking a pitch to his person on seven occasions, a light preview of the hit-by-pitch barrage he’d endure later in his career.
Add in 38 stolen bases and 96 runs, and you had a spark plug with all the ingredients to become a superstar. It would take a few years for that notion to click with collectors, but when it did, we semi-flocked to cards featuring the future denizen of Cooperstown.
And there’s no better representation of Biggio and his grit than this grimy, pants-torn, high-intensity shot of the man at work in the batter’s box.
Value: $20-35
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1993 Leaf Kirby Puckett (#378)
From the time Puckett made his first All-Star Game in 1986 until his early retirement in 1995, the Minnesota Twins fireplug spark plug hit under .300 just twice – in 1990 (.298) and in 1993 (.296).
So, if he had managed just three more hits while this card was “live,” Puck would have ended on a five-year streak. And, with just five more hits sprinkled across 1990 and 1993, he’d have had ten straight .300s.
But those hits didn’t materialize, and so he did not thusly streak.
None of which mattered a whit to collectors, who loved Puckett all through his short, exhilarating burst through MLB … and beyond.
Value: $25-40
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1993 Leaf Bo Jackson (#316)
Bo looks pretty menacing here on his 1993 Leaf baseball card, a departure from the generally jovial persona he has cultivated over the years.
But, really, who could blame the guy if he woke up a touch grouchy after a hip injury suffered in a January 1991 NFL playoff game ended his football career and hastened his exit from the Royals?
No one.
But that stark black White Sox top half adds to the effect and gives us a different look at one of the greatest athletes of the last 50 years (or more).
Always a popular figure in the hobby, Bo seems to have engendered a deeper look while we were all studying our navel fuzz and baseball cards during the pandemic, and most of his pasteboards push for “most valuable” real estate these days.
And, while this may not be the most valuable of all 1993 Leaf baseball cards … well, I’ll let you break that news to Bo.
Value: $30-40
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1993 Leaf Mike Piazza (#35)
Piazza’s rags-to-riches story was just beginning to develop when Leaf issued their first card of the Dodgers’ young catcher.
Selected by Los Angeles in the 62nd round of the 1988 draft as a favor to family friend and Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda (so the story goes), Piazza improbably climbed through the minors at a steady pace and seemed to get better with each stop.
He got a cup-of-coffee look in September 1992 and, though he didn’t do much with it (.232, 1 HR, 7 RBI), he was in Spring Training the next year and broke camp as the Dodgers’ new backstop.
In that summer of 1993, when collectors were pulling this rookie card, Piazza was busy showing he belonged. By the end of the year, he had put up a .318/35 HR/112 RBI line that won him the National League Rookie of the Year Award and set his cards on fire.
A steady march to the Hall of Fame followed, and his cards maintain a heady status in the hobby – especially rookie cards like this one.
Value: $30-45
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1993 Leaf Frank Thomas (#195)
Thomas was in full-on Big Hurt mode by the time his 1993 baseball cards debuted, courtesy of two straight seasons in which he had hit .318 or better with 24+ home runs and 109+ RBI and 104+ runs scored in each of those campaigns.
Predictably, that ridiculous offensive output had made Thomas’ baseball cards hot hobby items, and his fire had sparked the 1990 Leaf kindling into a bona fide explosion.
It was more of the same (and better!) for Thomas in 1993, as he copped his first of two consecutive American League MVP Awards and kept even his new cards perking along the top rungs of the various hot lists.
Decades later, and with a Hall of Fame plaque to his name, Big Hurt cards have settled into a nice, steamy simmer, that pushes them toward the top of “most valuable” lists for whatever sets they appear in … like 1993 Leaf.
Value: $30-50
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1993 Leaf Nolan Ryan (#115)
For those fans and pundits who always suspected Nolan Ryan might be hiding something from the rest of us – like, maybe, the map to the Fountain of Youth – this Leaf dandy seemed to provide some evidentiary support.
I mean, The Ryan Express looks about as wily as they come ducking behind his age-defying leg kick as he gets ready to demolish the next helpless batter.
Of course, by the time this card hit the hobby, anything featuring Ryan was akin to hard, cold cash, and collectors flocked to it like lemmings to an unguarded cliff.
Not much has changed in that regard over the years – we still love our Nolans!
So no surprise to see him high up on this list, huh?
Value: $40-45
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1993 Leaf Ken Griffey Jr (#319)
After four seasons of general all-around excellence, Griffey broke out the power stick for the first time in earnest during the summer of 1993.
Suddenly, the 23-year-old went from a 20-20 type player to one who might one day join Jose Canseco in the 40-40 club … but with more of that “all-around excellence” lingering around his game than the A’s slugger could ever dream of.
To wit, in 1993, Junior hit .309 with 45 home runs and 109 RBI while scoring 113 times himself and stealing 17 bases. He also won another Gold Glove in centerfield and finished in the top 5 of American League MVP voting for the first time.
So, yeah, it was a good year for Leaf to step up their quality game, if for no other reason than to capture the Mariners’ youngster in his best light as he stepped into “legend” territory.
Easy to see why this is the king of 1993 Leaf baseball cards.
Value: $50-60
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There you have them — the most valuable 1993 Leaf baseball cards. Did your favorite make the cut? Or is there some gorgeous 1993 Leaf card out there trolling around at bargain-basement prices? I’d love to hear your picks!
1993 LEAF STUDIO Factory Sealed HOBBY BOX (24 Packs) GRIFFEY RYAN RIPKEN BONDS
$44.90 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
1993 Leaf Baseball Cards 501-550 (NM) - You Pick - Complete Your Set
$0.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
1993 Leaf Baseball Cards 251-500 (NM) - You Pick - Complete Your Set
$0.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
1993 Leaf Series 2 Baseball Box W/ 36 Packs. Many Stars, Great Inserts
$25.00 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
1993 Leaf Baseball Cards 1-250 (NM) - You Pick - Complete Your Set
$0.99 Buy it now | Add to watch list |
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