2003 Donruss Classics

Donruss Classics was one of many sets released by Donruss toward the end of their MLB licensing. Donruss flooded the market with card sets and decided to let the collectors figure it all out. The thinking in the hobby was to throw sets out there to see what sticks. Much like KISS albums in the seventies, if you didn't like one set, maybe you'd like the next one. This led to over-saturation of the marketplace. As a result, many of these sets can be picked up for a song.

The set contains 200 cards. It's not a bad number for a fringe set. The treat in this set is the second half, comprising of legends and rookies, which are numbered to 1500. The short prints make this one a little trickier to complete, but not impossible.

The White Sox have eleven cards in the set. Five are regular cards, five are numbered rookies and one (Luis Aparicio) is a legend numbered to 1500.

33 - Frank Thomas
47 - Magglio Ordonez
51 - Mark Buehrle
66 - Joe Borchard
69 - Carlos Lee
128 - Luis Aparicio
152 - Tim Hummel
155 - Josh Stewart
161 - Joe Valentine
165 - Corwin Malone
195 - Jon Adkins

The balance of rookies and regulars make this a nice set. The design isn't phoned in, but it is reminiscent of other Donruss Classics sets. The addition of the Aparicio card is a nice touch. I can only blame the White Sox draft system around the turn of the 21st century for the poor showing in rookies.

Corwin Malone never made it to the majors. Hummel and Valentine had some playing time in Cincinnati. Both started with the Reds in 2003. Hummel's last appearance was in 2004, Valentine's in 2005. Josh Stewart spent time with the 2003 and 2004 White Sox. Jon Adkins played in the majors from 2003 until 2008, played in Korea in 2009, played in the minors in 2010 and now works as a scout for the Boston Red Sox.