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Baseball cards

Donruss produced baseball cards from 1981 to 1998, from 2001 to 2005, and from 2007 to 2009. A majority of the cards produced until 2005 featured players under MLB contract, while cards produced after 2005 featured players no longer under MLB contract. Donruss produced cards under the brands Donruss, Donruss Elite, Leaf, Studio and Triple Play. Each brand consisted of a main product line, often referred to by collectors as a base, regular or standard set. In some cases, Donruss issued additional product lines within each brand; through insert cards, mail-order offers or as stand alone products. Most products were issued in the standard 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" card size. Baseball cards were also issued on the boxes, which contained the product lines.

Donruss' first product was in the winter of 1980, after of Fleer's court victory over Topps. Donruss produced a 605-card set for the 1981 season. The first printings were riddled with errors, most of which were fixed in subsequent runs. They were also printed on flimsy card stock and there were no factory sets; rather, the cards were shipped to dealers in 100-count lots and were then collated by hand. TCMA of Amawalk, New York handled dealer business.

With an entire offseason to prepare, Donruss shipped a much improved, more polished set for 1982. The 1982 offering also saw the introduction of the Diamond Kings, the first 26 cards of the 660-card set, made up of oil paintings by sports artist Dick Perez of Perez-Steele Galleries. Another Donruss innovation for 1982 was the inclusion of jigsaw puzzle pieces with a pack of cards in place of gum. Babe Ruth was pictured as Hall of Fame Diamond King when the 63-piece puzzle was assembled. (An appeal of the 1978 Fleer v. Topps ruling in 1981 barred the two new card companies from using gum premiums; Fleer switched to team logo stickers in 1982.) Donruss also began selling to dealers directly, the first of the major card companies to offer factory sets for those buying in bulk. Puzzle pieces were inserted into packages from 1982 to 1992, and each year would feature a different Diamond King.

Donruss began producing additional product lines in 1983. In addition to the 660-card base set, Donruss issued a 44-card Hall of Fame Heroes set and a 60-card Action All-Stars set. Donruss continued to issue multiple sets each year, until they ceased to produce baseball cards.

In 1985, Donruss started producing a Leaf set to establish themselves in the Canadian baseball card market along with rival Topps' affiliate O-Pee-Chee. These cards are similar in appearance to the standard Donruss set, but are numbered differently and the backs are in both French and English. Donruss released these sets at later date in the United States. These set were produced from 1985 to 1988. The Leaf brand returned in 1990 as a premium series of cards distributed in the United States.

From 1985 to 1987, the wax boxes, which held the wax packs, of the standard issue cards featured four standard-size cards, styled the same as the standard set, on the bottom of the box and are numbered with a PC prefix. A stand alone product, issued in 1986, called All-Star, also featured cards on the bottom of the box.

The Donruss Elite brand was introduced in 1991, as an insert card through Donruss' main product line, and would continue for eight years. Cards were serial numbered, and production was limited to 10,000 cards. Autographed cards were also issued under the Donruss Elite brand; and limited to 5,000 or 7,500 cards, depending on the player featured on the card. In 1993, a series of Donruss Elite Dominators cards were produced specifically for, and distributed by, the Shop at Home Network. Starting in 1997, the Donruss Elite cards were issued as an insert card and as its own product line. The 1997 insert cards were limited in production to 2,500 cards. 1998 was the last year Donruss produced the Elite brand of cards.

1990 to 1999

Donruss baseball cards were produced continuously from 1981 to 1998, when its then-parent Pinnacle Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

They also produced NHL hockey cards from 1992 until 1998, and NFL football cards since 1996. Today, Donruss Playoff LP produces NFL football cards, along with a line of baseball draft picks products and entertainment cards.

"Continuing their success throughout the remainder of the decade, Donruss launched its first premium brand in 1990 called Leaf Baseball. The following year saw the debut of Studio Baseball, which was the first black-and-white card set issued in more than 30 years and spawned many similar sets from competitors." (Source: Becket)

2000 to 2010

Playoff Inc then purchased the Donruss name and produced Major League Baseball sets again from 2001 to 2005, when Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association revoked the company's production license.

"Reacquiring a license from Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association in 2001 allowed for the release of 2001 Donruss Baseball, which incorporated 1999 and 2000 "Lost Years" sets for avid collectors of Donruss baseball cards. Now making a name for itself with several innovative autograph and memorabilia insert programs, Donruss maintains it's standing as a company renowned for heritage and innovation."

Playoff Inc then purchased the Donruss name and produced Major League Baseball sets again from 2001 to 2005, when Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association revoked the company's production license. They also produced NHL hockey cards from 1992 until 1998, and NFL football cards since 1996. Today, Donruss Playoff LP produces NFL football cards, along with a line of baseball draft picks products and entertainment cards.

End of an era

In the late summer of 2005, Major League Baseball created new license criteria for cardmakers in response to collectors' complaints that: 1) the market had become too fragmented and confusing; and 2) rookie cards were becoming too scarce, with diminished importance due to the race between makers to feature unknown players first. MLB chose to renew only their licenses with Topps and Upper Deck, tacitly sealing the fate of Donruss and Fleer, who had folded just weeks prior due to the fragmentation of the industry. The last baseball product shipped by the company was the third series of the Playoff-branded Prime Cuts memorabilia cards.

In late 2007 however, Donruss did release Donruss Elite Extra Edition, which is their first product outside of the NFL. This product was a multisport release that included cards of the top 30 picks in the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft. Since this product wasn't licensed by Major League Baseball, the players from the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft were pictured in their High School or College Uniforms and existing Minor Leaguers had their uniforms airbrushed to remove all marks. In addition, there are a number of collegiate themed cards as well as soccer themes.

In October 2008, Donruss released Donruss Threads Baseball, featuring a balance of Hall of Famers and young stars. Again, players were either featured in their High School/College uniforms or were photographed so as to make the team logo not visible. The cards also included only the city of the ballplayer, with no mention of the team associated. Donruss used its advantage of not having an MLB license to include baseball cards of both Joe Jackson and Pete Rose, who were banned from baseball for allegedly throwing the World Series in the Black Sox Scandal and betting on the game, respectively. The product included game-used bat cards for Jackson as well as autographed and memorabilia cards from Rose. As of September 28, 2008, Donruss had completely sold out the product to distributors.

Basketball cards

Today, Donruss is exclusively a football and basketball card producer. The Score brand was revived in 2005 for the flagship set, while Donruss and Leaf exist as premium brands and Playoff as a memorabilia-oriented brand.

Football cards

Today, Donruss is exclusively a football and basketball card producer. The Score brand was revived in 2005 for the flagship set, while Donruss and Leaf exist as premium brands and Playoff as a memorabilia-oriented brand.

Hockey cards

"Donruss responded to the industry slowing down in 1992 by attaining a NHL license and producing Donruss and Leaf hockey sets for the 1993-1994 season, becoming a major player in baseball, football and hockey throughout the '90s." (Source: Becket)