While it may not be as celebrated as its 1992 predecessor, the 1993 Bowman baseball set was a strong encore.
With a crisp, straightforward design, the 708-card checklist contains plenty of big-name superstars and Hall of Famers.
And it contains around a couple of hundred rookie cards.
Two of them turned out to be among the most iconic players of their era...
Together, Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte helped bring five more championship rings to the New York Yankees.
So it's easy to see why they bring a lot of eyes to this set.
But beyond those two cards, there are many more great-looking cards of other all-time greats inside this set.
And in this guide, we'll take a look at the 15 most valuable.
Let's jump right in!
1993 Bowman #511 Derek Jeter Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $400
After an outstanding senior year at Kalamazoo Central High School, Derek Jeter's professional baseball career officially began when the New York Yankees drafted him in the first round of the 1992 MLB Draft.
Throughout his high school career, Jeter consistently batted over .500 and demonstrated terrific plate discipline at such a young age.
Jeter spent some time in Rookie and Class A ball later in 1992, but his first full season of professional baseball wouldn't take place until 1993.
The future New York Yankee Hall of Famer spent the entire 1993 season with the Class A Greensboro Hornets, playing in 128 games while slashing .295/.376/.394.
In 515 at-bats, Jeter smacked five home runs, drove in 71 runs, scored 85 runs and stole 18 bases.
Before the season, Baseball America ranked Jeter as the 44th-best prospect in baseball but moved him all the way up to 16th heading into the 1994 campaign.
Jeter continued to ride that momentum through the 1994 season, moving up through the Minors and by 1995, he'd soon be wearing Yankee pinstripes.
Because of his legacy as one of the most iconic Yankees of all time, demand for this card and his other rookie cards remains quite healthy.
1993 Bowman #103 Andy Pettitte Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $175
Several New York Yankees pitchers throughout the years have wound up in Cooperstown.
And while he may not be one of them, Andy Pettitte is on a very short list of the most iconic pitchers in Yankees history.
Pettitte spent 15 of his 18 MLB seasons in Yankee pinstripes, retiring after the 2013 season ranked first in strikeouts (2,020) in club history, third in wins (219) and tied for first in starts (438).
Perhaps more impressive, no pitcher won more games than Pettitte in the 2000s and no one has more postseason wins in MLB history than Pettite's 19.
A three-time All-Star, Pettitte never won a Cy Young Award, but he finished in the top five in voting on four occasions.
Pettitte wasn't overpowering.
But he was crafty.
Pettite utilized a multitude of pitches to keep hitters off balance and should they get on base, they were consistently held in check by his incredibly deceptive pickoff move.
Time will tell if Pettitte gets the call to the Hall.
But few pitchers of his era were as reliable and consistent as the lefty from Louisiana, and even fewer were more beloved by their fanbase.
1993 Bowman #375 Ken Griffey Jr.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $150
At just 23 years old, Ken Griffey Jr. was already a three-time All-Star entering the 1993 MLB season and one of the biggest superstars in the league.
Still, the future Hall of Famer hadn't yet hit his ceiling and exceeded expectations by "breaking out" in a big way that year.
Griffey had shown plenty of flashes of power during his first four years in the Majors, but in 1993, he took things to another level.
In 582 at-bats, "The Kid" slashed .309/.408/.617 with 45 home runs and 109 RBIs to go along with an AL-best 359 total bases.
His .408 on-base percentage would turn out to be a career-best and, combined with his .617 slugging percentage, resulted in the third-highest OPS (1.025) of his career.
In simpler terms, Griffey tore up the baseball and base paths in 1993.
And in doing so, the young phenom officially made his claim as one of the most feared hitters in the game.
1993 Bowman #347 Chipper Jones
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $75
Chipper Jones appears a couple of times in this set, one of them being this special foil card that was part of the "Top Prospects" subset.
Foil cards were inserted one per wax pack and two per jumbo pack as a way to draw collector attention.
Remember, the competition was hot during the early 1990s.
And with the hobby bubble bursting, card companies were doing anything they could to stand out from the crowd and capture as much of a dwindling market as possible.
The reverse of Chipper's "Top Prospect" card mentions his ability to hit from both sides of the plate and his soft hands on defense.
They also mention that Jones "hits everything hard" and was "an extra-base hit machine."
Little did Bowman know, Jones would become one of the greatest switch-hitters in MLB history.
1993 Bowman #327 Mariano Rivera
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $65
1993 Bowman #86 Chipper Jones
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $60
1993 Bowman #405 Nolan Ryan
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $60
On September 22, 1993, the legendary career of Hall of Fame fireballer Nolan Ryan finally came to a close during an away game against the Seattle Mariners.
At 46 years old, Ryan starred in the Texas Rangers' starting rotation in his 27th MLB season.
I say "starred" because the fans in Arlington absolutely adored Ryan and would turn out in droves whenever he took the mound.
However, his 5-5 record, 4.88ERA, and career-low 6.2 strikeouts per nine innings didn't necessarily seem like the kind of resume for a superstar.
But again, to Rangers fans, Ryan was more than a stat line, he was a baseball icon.
Since Ryan joined the team in 1989, home attendance at Rangers games exceeded the two million mark every year until his final season in 1993, having never exceeded two million in any season before that.
Yet, on that fateful day in Seattle, Ryan heard a ligament in his right elbow pop as he delivered a fastball to Seattle's Dave Magadan.
Ryan was unable to return to the game and afterward, he told reporters, "There's no way I'll ever be able to throw again. My body is telling me it's time to move on and do something else."
1993 Bowman #595 Don Mattingly
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $50
As meteoric as Don Mattingly's rise to baseball greatness was during the 1980s, it was disappointing to see him fall back to Earth during the 1990s.
Mattingly routinely put up incredible numbers at the plate for the Yankees during the 80s but nagging injuries would all but zap his power during the 90s.
But "Donnie Baseball" still had his lockdown glove at first base and earned his eighth Gold Glove during the 1993 campaign.
His bat wasn't too shabby in 1993, either, and his numbers at the plate showed he still had flashes of that offensive greatness he so often displayed in the 80s.
To go along with a slash line of .291/.364/.445, Mattingly hit 17 home runs and drove in 86 RBIs.
By season's end, he'd finish 19th in the MVP vote, his highest mark since finishing the 1989 campaign in 15th place.
1993 Bowman #625 Rickey Henderson
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40
One of MLB's most iconic moments occurred on May 1, 1991, when Oakland Athletics superstar Rickey Henderson stole third base against the Yankees to break Lou Brock's record of 939.
Yet, not many remember that he broke another stolen base record in 1993.
During a game in Toronto on June 6, Henderson stole the 1,066th base of his career to set the world record formerly owned by Yutaka Fukumoto, who stole 1,065 bases in Nippon Professional Baseball.
Little did he know it then, but Henderson would find himself playing for the Blue Jays later that season.
In his first 90 games, Henderson was as electric and productive as ever, but the Oakland Athletics just weren't winning.
The reigning World Series champion Blue Jays, looking to make a run at another deep playoff run, saw an opportunity and traded for Henderson in July.
Henderson struggled during his 44 games in Toronto, as his batting average fell from .327 to .241 and his on-base percentage tanked from .469 to .356.
Yet, in the end, it didn't matter as Henderson happily scored one of the game-winning runs in Game 6 of the 1993 World Series when Joe Carter hit a three-run walk-off homer.
1993 Bowman #703 Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $40
If you were around for Bowman's return to the ring in 1989, you might remember they produced a card in the style of a television set that featured both Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. to celebrate the father-son duo.
In their 1993 release, Bowman included four father-son duos in a special subset near the end of the checklist.
Along with the Griffeys, collectors could also find cards with Felipe and Moises Alou, Bobby and Barry Bonds, and Hal and Brian McRae.
All four cards are great-looking and do a fantastic job of paying homage to each family.
Griffey Sr. wasn't as good as his son, but he had a successful career from 1973 to 1991.
In 1993, he became a manager for the Seattle Mariners.
On this card, Griffey Sr. appears with a beaming, proud smile while a smaller action shot of his son sits alongside.
The red, textured background gives the card fantastic eye appeal.
1993 Bowman #225 Cal Ripken Jr.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35
In his 13th season of Major League Baseball, 32-year-old Cal Ripken Jr. kept charging toward baseball immortality by playing every game of the 1993 season.
By season's end, he'd be in range to meet or beat Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 consecutive games played in just a couple more years.
However, at one point, his streak nearly came crashing down when he sprained the MCL in one of his knees after slipping in the grass during a benches-clearing brawl with the Seattle Mariners on June 6.
Fortunately, he prepared his knee well enough to suit up for consecutive game number 1,791 the next day against the Oakland Athletics to keep the streak alive.
Ripken was as fantastic as ever during the 1993 campaign, slashing .257/.329.420 with 20 home runs, 90 RBIs and 87 runs scored in an MLB-best 641 at-bats.
For the eleventh consecutive season, Ripken earned a trip to the Midsummer Classic as an AL All-Star and picked up his seventh Silver Slugger at the season's end.
The Orioles missed the playoffs and finished in a third-place tie with the Detroit Tigers in the AL East, yet many fans were relieved that Ripken's streak remained intact.
1993 Bowman #325 Kirby Puckett
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35
Kirby Puckett was one of my favorite players to watch as a kid growing up in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
His ability to play at a high level on both offense and defense, combined with his joy and enthusiasm for the game, made him an easy player to like.
It also didn't hurt that he was one of the winningest players of his era, helping the Twins capture World Series titles in both 1987 and 1991.
Unfortunately, Puckett's baseball career ended abruptly in 1996 when he retired at just 36 years old.
He undoubtedly had so much good baseball left in him, but vision loss in one eye made playing again impossible.
Still, in the twelve seasons he was able to play, Puckett played at an incredibly productive clip, earning six Silver Sluggers and Gold Gloves to go along with eight trips to the All-Star Game.
Puckett was his usual All-Star self in 1993, slashing .296/.349/.474 with 22 home runs, 89 RBIs, 89 runs scored and 39 doubles.
Unfortunately, Minnesota struggled due to a lack of quality pitching and fell to fifth place in the AL West with a 71-91 record.
1993 Bowman #630 Tony Gwynn
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $35
Only the legendary Ty Cobb had more batting titles than Tony Gwynn, putting the San Diego Padres superstar in incredibly rare territory.
During his 24 years playing from 1905-1928, Cobb won twelve batting titles while Tony Gwynn racked up eight of his own during the twenty seasons he played for the Padres.
That put Gwynn in a tie for second-most with Honus Wagner, who also won eight batting titles over his 21-year career.
Gwynn nearly won his ninth title during the 1993 season when he hit .358 for a terrible San Diego Padres team that finished in last place of the NL West with a 61-101 record.
However, as fate would have it, Andrés Galarraga, a career .288 hitter, played off the charts for the Colorado Rockies during their inaugural season, finishing with a .370 average to win the batting crown.
Still, Gwynn had an incredible season in 1993, earning his ninth trip to the Midsummer Classic with a reputation as one of the most disciplined hitters of his era.
Though he fell just short of the title in 1993, Gwynn remained motivated and followed up with a 1994 campaign that saw him hit for a staggering .394 average.
Gwynn made sure no one was going to catch him that year.
1993 Bowman #646 Mike Piazza
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30
With a resumé that included 1993 Rookie of the Year honors, twelve All-Star selections, ten Silver Sluggers and various other accomplishments, Mike Piazza was an easy choice for Cooperstown.
Yet, his path to the Majors didn't always look so bright.
During the 1988 MLB Amateur Draft, 1,389 players were selected ahead of him.
Finally, in the 62nd round, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected Piazza with the 1,390th pick.
Had long-time Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda not been a good friend of Piazza's father, Vince, they likely would have never selected him.
Lasorda thought Piazza had little chance to play at his natural first baseman position and encouraged him to switch to catcher to improve his odds.
The change paid dividends neither could have imagined at the time.
Piazza would make his official debut for the Dodgers on September 1, 1992, against the Chicago Cubs and never looked back.
He'd go on to win 1993 NL Rookie of the Year honors and immediately become a perennial All-Star for years to come.
Piazza played sixteen seasons in the Majors, and his 427 home runs, 1,335 RBIs, and 1,048 runs scored made him one of the best offensive catchers the game ever witnessed.
1993 Bowman #415 Bo Jackson
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $25
There was arguably no greater athlete than Bo Jackson when he was at the height of his prime.
To put things in perspective, Jackson was an All-Star for the Kansas City Royals in 1988 and a Pro Bowler for the Los Angeles Raiders in 1990.
Yet his football career ended and his baseball career was put in serious jeopardy when he injured his hip during a playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals in early 1991.
His days of playing football were over and the Royals soon released him.
But, the Chicago White Sox were willing to take a chance on Jackson and quickly signed him to a three-year deal.
Jackson only played in 23 games for Chicago in 1991 and sat out the entire 1992 season after having hip surgery.
During the final year of his contract with the White Sox, Jackson showed flashes of his old self in the 85 games in which he appeared.
As always, he struggled to hit for average, batting a paltry .232, but he still had enough power to smack 16 home runs and drive in 45 runs.
Jackson's performance was enough to help Chicago to a 94-68 record and a first-place finish in the AL West.
1993 Bowman Baseball Cards In Review
Anytime a set includes a Derek Jeter rookie card, it's bound to have a decent following in this hobby.
Jeter was not only one of the most iconic Yankees in history, but a favorite among baseball collectors.
And with Andy Pettitte's only rookie card also in the 708-card checklist, the set should have some staying power for years to come.
Beyond the couple of hundred rookie cards in the 1993 Bowman set, collectors can find cards of Hall of Famers like Ken Griffey Jr., Nolan Ryan, Rickey Henderson, Cal Ripken Jr. and more.
And there are plenty of other big-name superstars who didn't make it to Cooperstown, such as Bo Jackson, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Roger Clemens.
Within the checklist there are some decent subsets, including:
- Player of the Year (#339 - 346)
- Top Prospects (#347 - 374; #693 - 700)
- Father and Son (#701 - 704)
- Checklists (#705 - 708)
As I mentioned in the opener, the 1992 Bowman baseball set is often thought of as more important and groundbreaking than this set.
But 1993 Bowman baseball cards are obviously no slouches themselves.