The 2018 Panini Diamond Kings variations are big in number and they cover several fronts. All told, there are 50 different cards that bring things like different photos, color changes and name swaps.
With two landing in every hobby box, 2018 Diamond Kings variations shouldn’t be too hard to find. But they’re probably not as plentiful as the ones found in 2018 Donruss Baseball.
The 2018 Diamond Kings variations fall under four categories: Photo, Name, Black and White, and Sepia.
2018 Panini Diamond Kings Photo Variations
The Photo Variations in 2018 Panini Diamond Kings Baseball are standard fair. The concept is a simple one. Put the base card and the variation side-by-side and you’ll see the images are different.
The checklist for these is mostly retired legends. The only active player is Shohei Ohtani. Both of his base cards, pitching and hitting, are in all four of the variation groupings.
Name Variations
2018 Diamond Kings Name Variations don’t change the image. Rather, the difference is in the nameplate. Variations replace the player’s name with a nickname or saying that they’re famous for.
For Ohtani’s pitching card, it shows Japanese Kanji script.
Sepia/Black and White Variations
The approach for both the Sepia and the Black and White variations is the same, although the end result is a little different.
These cards jump out quickly due to the coloring of the image. The photos are switched up as well, but it’s the color that’s most noticeable.
Black and White cards are all rookies while Sepia cards are mainly veterans.
Parallels
In addition to the base versions, all 2018 Diamond Kings variations come with several levels of parallels. These match those found in the base set:
Artist Proof Red
Blue Frame
Red Frame
Artist Proof Gold – /99
Gray Frame – /99
Brown Frame – /49
Artist Proof Blue – /25
Green Frame – /5
Artist Proof Masterpiece – 1/1
Black Frame – 1/1
2018 Diamond Kings Variations Checklist
Here’s a master list of all the 2018 Diamond Kings variations for quick reference. If you’re looking for a specific card, click on the links to see what’s on eBay.
1 Babe Ruth – Name
2 Honus Wagner – Name
2 Honus Wagner – Photo
3 Stan Musial – Photo
4 Lou Gehrig – Photo
7 Mickey Mantle – Name
7 Mickey Mantle – Photo
8 Harry Hooper – Photo
9 Ted Williams – Name
9 Ted Williams – Photo
10 Joe Cronin – Photo
11 Joe DiMaggio – Photo
13 Lloyd Waner – Photo
18 Paul Waner – Photo
19 Roberto Clemente – Photo
20 Roger Maris – Photo
23 Pee Wee Reese – Photo
25 Ernie Banks – Name
25 Ernie Banks – Photo
27 Lefty Gomez – Photo
28 Jackie Robinson – Photo
30 Joe Jackson – Photo
34 Ty Cobb – Photo
49 Frank Thomas – Name
65 Francisco Lindor – Sepia
69 Jose Altuve – Sepia
70 Mike Trout – Sepia
73 Shohei Ohtani – Black and White
73 Shohei Ohtani – Name
73 Shohei Ohtani – Photo
73 Shohei Ohtani – Sepia
76 Shohei Ohtani – Black and White
76 Shohei Ohtani – Name
76 Shohei Ohtani – Photo
76 Shohei Ohtani – Sepia
78 Bryce Harper – Sepia
79 Buster Posey – Sepia
80 Aaron Judge – Name
80 Aaron Judge – Sepia
81 Andrew Benintendi – Sepia
82 Cody Bellinger – Sepia
100 Victor Robles – Black and White
104 Rafael Devers – Black and White
105 Francisco Mejia – Black and White
108 Walker Buehler – Black and White
116 Amed Rosario – Black and White
117 Clint Frazier – Black and White
118 Miguel Andujar – Black and White
121 Rhys Hoskins – Black and White
136 Nolan Ryan – Name
2018 Diamond Kings Variations Gallery
Use the tabs to navigate between the various variation types. We’ll be adding images to fill in the gaps until it’s complete.
Photo
2018 Diamond Kings Baseball Photo Variations
2 Honus Wagner, Pittsburgh Pirates
Photo Variation – swinging
Base – holding bat up
3 Stan Musial, St. Louis Cardinals
Photo Variation – batting stance
Base – swinging
4 Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees
Photo Variation – swinging
Base – batting stance
7 Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees
Photo Variation – swinging, grass in background
Base – batting stance, stands in background
8 Harry Hooper, Boston Red Sox
Photo Variation – looking up
Base – looking down
9 Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox
Photo Variation – gray jersey
Base – white jersey
10 Joe Cronin, Boston Red Sox
Photo Variation – black cap
Base – blue cap
11 Joe DiMaggio, New York Yankees
Photo Variation – gray uniform
Base – white uniform
13 Lloyd Waner, Pittsburgh Pirates
Photo Variation – blue cap
Base – black cap
18 Paul Waner, Pittsburgh Pirates
Photo Variation – grass in background, looking to left of card
Base – no grass in background, facing right of card
19 Roberto Clemente, Pittsburgh Pirates
Photo Variation – smiling, gray jersey
Base – white jersey
20 Roger Maris, New York Yankees
Photo Variation – turned to side
Base – facing front
23 Pee Wee Reese, Brooklyn Dodgers
Photo Variation – fielding
Base – batting
25 Ernie Banks, Chicago Cubs
Photo Variation – pinstripe jersey
Base – dugout and crowd in background
27 Lefty Gomez, New York Yankees
Photo Variation – glove fully visible
Base – glove partially visible
28 Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers
Photo Variation – facing forward, TV 9 sign in background
Base – swinging
30 Joe Jackson, Chicago White Sox
Photo Variation – batting stance
Base – looking up
34 Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers
Photo Variation – bat upright
Base – swinging, pinstripe jersey
73 Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Photo Variation – knee up
Base – straight arm
76 Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Photo Variation – batting stance
Base – swinging
Name
2018 Diamond Kings Baseball Name Variations
1 Babe Ruth, New York Yankees
Name Variation – The Sultan of Swat
Base – Babe Ruth
2 Honus Wagner, Pittsburgh Pirates
Name Variation – The Flying Dutchman
Base – Honus Wagner
7 Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees
Name Variation – The Mick
Base – Mickey Mantle
9 Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox
Name Variation – Splendid Splinter
Base – Ted Williams
25 Ernie Banks, Chicago Cubs
Name Variation – Let’s Play Two
Base – Ernie Banks
49 Frank Thomas, Chicago White Sox
Name Variation – The Big Hurt
Base – Frank Thomas
73 Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Name Variation – Kanji
Base – Shohei Ohtani
76 Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Name Variation – Japanese Babe Ruth
Base – Shohei Ohtani
80 Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Name Variation – All Rise
Base – Aaron Judge
136 Nolan Ryan, Houston Astros
Name Variation – The Ryan Express
Base – Nolan Ryan
Black & White
2018 Diamond Kings Baseball Black and White Variations
73 Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Black and White Variation
Base
76 Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Black and White Variation
Base
100 Victor Robles, Washington Nationals
Black and White Variation
Base
104 Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
Black and White Variation
Base
105 Francisco Mejia, Cleveland Indians
Black and White Variation
Base
108 Walker Buehler, Los Angeles Dodgers
Black and White Variation
Base
116 Amed Rosario, New York Mets
Black and White Variation
Base
117 Clint Frazier, New York Yankees
Black and White Variation
Base
118 Miguel Andujar, New York Yankees
Black and White Variation
Base
121 Rhys Hoskins, Philadelphia Phillies
Black and White Variation
Base
Sepia
2018 Diamond Kings Baseball Sepia Variations
65 Francisco Lindor, Cleveland Indians
Sepia Variation
Base
69 Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
Sepia Variation
Base
70 Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
Sepia Variation
Base
73 Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Sepia Variation
Base
76 Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Sepia Variation
Base
78 Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
Sepia Variation
Base
79 Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants
Sepia Variation
Base
80 Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Sepia Variation
Base
81 Andrew Benintendi, Boston Red Sox
Sepia Variation
Base
82 Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers
Sepia Variation
Base
Comments? Questions? Contact Ryan Cracknell on Twitter @tradercracks or by email.
2 Comments
If i find an error on a card in the diamond king where do i find out if it.is one. Thanks
@Curtis – It depends what it is. If it’s something like a typo, the set has not had any corrections.