Studio debuted in 1991 with posed black & white photos and pinkish borders. The black and white stuck around for 1992, but only for the background. The cards featured a posed color photo in front of a B&W action shot. That all changed in 1993 when Studio went full-color.

1993 Studio Baseball base cards are full-color and glossy with the normal posed player shots. One of the defining features this time is embroidered team logos dominating the background. The cards also have foil facsimile autographs.

In addition to the 220-card base set, there were three insert sets to chase in 1993 Studio Baseball hobby boxes: Heritage, Superstars on Canvas and Frank Thomas Collection.

1993 Studio Baseball Box Break

Cards per pack: 12
Packs per box: 36
Price paid: $20

Shop for 1993 Studio Baseball boxes on eBay.

Pack 1 highlights:

Frank Thomas, John Smoltz x2, Lee Smith, Brady Anderson & Frank Viola

Frank Viola finished his career with a pretty solid 3.73 ERA. He also won 176 games over 15 major league seasons. 

Pack 2:

Moises Alou, Harold Baines, Cal Ripken, Jr., Darryl Strawberry & Ivan Rodriguez

Pack 3:

Jay Bell, Jim Abbott, Cal Ripken, Jr., Kenny Lofton, Kirby Puckett & Larry Walker

Pack 4:

Dave Winfield, Jose Rijo & Steve Avery

Steve Avery…with a helmet? Avery racked up 495 plate appearances in his career. He hit just .174 with four home runs. 

Pack 5:

Terry Pendleton, Vinny Castilla & John Olerud

Pack 6:

Edgar Martinez, Vince Coleman, Mike Mussina, Juan Gonzalez, Sandy Alomar, Jr. & Mark McGwire

Pack 7:

Rafael Palmeiro, Greg Maddux & Kenny Lofton

Lofton was a six-time All-Star. Those selections came in six straight seasons between 1994 and 1999. During that time, he amassed 295 stolen bases. He finished his career with 622 stolen bags. 

Pack 8:

Benito Santiago, Tony Phillips, Julio Franco & Mark Grace Heritage 

Pack 9:

Ivan Rodriguez, Dwight Gooden, Luis Gonzalez & Frank Thomas Collection

Pack 10:

Curt Schilling, Vinny Castilla, Kirk Gibson & John Kruk

Now isn’t that a fun picture of Gibby? How can you not enjoy that?

Pack 11:

Kevin Mitchell, George Brett, Chuck Knoblauch, Tony Gwynn & Kirby Puckett

Pack 12:

Will Clark, Bo Jackson & Jose Canseco

Pack 13:

Jose Canseco, Jeff Bagwell, Gary Sheffield & Mark McGwire

Lots of power in this pack! These four guys combined to hit 2,003 home runs!

Pack 14:

Ron Gant, Fred McGriff, Bo Jackson & Ozzie Smith Heritage

Pack 15:

Brady Anderson, Barry Larkin, Frank Thomas, David Justice & Fred McGriff

Pack 16:

Luis Gonzalez, Barry Bonds, Jimmy Key, Greg Maddux & Mark McGwire Superstars on Canvas

Key spent his entire 15-year career pitching in the AL East, splitting time between the Blue Jays, Yankees, and Orioles. 

Pack 17:

Gary Sheffield & Jay Buhner

Pack 18:

Ramon Martinez, Juan Gonzalez & Lee Smith

Pack 19:

Julio Franco, Jose Canseco, Greg Maddux, Roberto Alomar & Dwight Gooden

Julio Franco played in the big leagues until he was 48-years old. He hit .309 as a 45-year old during the 2004 season. 

Pack 20:

Dennis Eckersley, Ken Caminiti, Mike Greenwell & Greg Maddux

Pack 21:

Tony Fernandez, Tim Salmon, Wade Boggs, Carlos Baerga, Mo Vaughn, Bret Saberhagen & Larry Walker

Pack 22:

John Franco, Ron Gant, Tim Raines, Don Mattingly, Ozzie Smith & Robin Yount

Yount was selected third overall by the Brewers in the 1973 MLB draft. He would debut (and play over 100 games) the following season as an 18-year old. He played his entire 20-year Hall of Fame career in Milwaukee. 

Pack 23:

Kirby Puckett, Jim Abbott, Tim Salmon, Larry Walker, Lenny Dykstra & Tony Gwynn

Pack 24:

Mark McGwire, Andres Galarraga, John Kruk, Ken Griffey, Jr., Joe Carter & Tino Martinez

Pack 25:

Lance Johnson, Tim Raines, Don Mattingly, Mike Mussina, Dante Bichette & Jose Canseco Superstars on Canvas

Johnson made his lone all-star appearance in 1996. He finished that season leading the league in plate appearance, at bats, hits, and triples. 

Pack 26:

Darryl Strawberry, Paul Molitor, Gregg Jefferies, Nolan Ryan, Edgar Martinez & Andre Dawson

Pack 27:

Lou Whitaker, Sandy Alomar, Jr., Lee Smith, George Bell & Cecil Fielder dupes

Pack 28:

Randy Johnson, Wally Joyner & John Franco

Franco currently ranks fifth on the all-time saves list with 424. The closest active player, Craig Kimbrel, trails by 31 (as of 9/5). 

Pack 29:

Darryl Strawberry, a couple of Mike Piazzas, George Brett, Jose Canseco & George Brett Heritage

Pack 30:

Bret Saberhagen, Larry Walker, Mo Vaughn, Frank Viola, Harold Baines & George Bell

Pack 31:

Matt Williams, Rickey Henderson, Vinny Castilla & Ryne Sandberg

Vinny loved playing in the thin Rocky Mountain air. From 1995 to 1999, Castilla averaged 38 home runs and 112 RBI per season. 

Pack 32:

Eric Karros, John Olerud & Ivan Rodriguez

Pack 33:

Roberto Alomar, Cecil Fielder, Doc Gooden & Ivan Rodriguez

Pack 34:

Kirby Puckett & Frank Thomas

Kirby was an All-Star 10 straight seasons starting in 1986 until his final year in 1995. 

Pack 35:

Don Mattingly, Tino Martinez, Kirby Puckett & George Brett

Pack 36:

Curt Schilling, David Justice & Bobby Bonilla

Lastly, the Bonilla card back. No stats on these, aside from the best/worst averages. I do enjoy the personal info though. 

I think this product was a huge upgrade over previous releases. I love the full-color fronts, and appreciate the facsimile signatures as well. Some of the base cards are really fun, especially Griffey. The inserts aren’t, either. 

The highlight of this set, for me, is the abundance of Hall of Fame players. As a player collector, I really enjoy the early ’90s sets because they are absolutely loaded in this regard.

Shop for 1993 Studio Baseball on:

• Beckett Marketplace
• eBay

Want more installments of Shane Salmonson’s Cheap Wax Wednesday? Check out his other breaks in the archives.