The 1962 Fleer baseball card set was a pioneering release that helped spark more competition in the baseball card market and changed the collecting hobby forever. Until 1962, the Topps company had enjoyed a monopoly on producing baseball cards for over a decade. In 1962 the Fleer Corporation broke through Topps’ stranglehold and became the first company other than Topps to produce and distribute modern baseball cards.
The 162 card 1962 Fleer set featured all players from the American and National leagues at the time. Some of the highlights included rookie cards of future Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Perhaps most notably, the 1962 Fleer cards were the first to use modern size dimensions of 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches, which became the standard cardboard size for baseball cards that is still used today. Prior to Fleer, most cards produced were smaller postcard sized. The larger modern size allowed for better quality images and more stat info to be included on each card.
While pioneering in many ways, the 1962 Fleer set also had some flaws that prevented it from immediate widespread popularity and acceptance. Chief among these was the poor photograph quality on many of the cards. Due to a rushed production schedule to get the cards out before the 1962 season began, Fleer used low quality recycled photographs from various sources for many of the images. Close up head shots were often small and grainy. The card stock was also somewhat flimsy in comparison to the sturdier stock used by Topps.
Perhaps the biggest innovation and risk that Fleer took however, was to include statistics and stats on the back of each card for the first time. Prior to 1962, most or all baseball card backs were blank. By putting stats like career batting averages and home run totals on the reverse, Fleer helped turn the cards into a more informational collecting and reference product beyond just pictorial representations of players. Because the stat research was rushed and not always fully verified, some unintentionally incorrect or misleading information exists on the backs of 1962 Fleer cards as well.
Despite the various production flaws, the 1962 Fleer set broke new ground and forced Topps to take notice. In response, Topps greatly increased its output and added many innovations to its 1963 set like color photos, foil wrappers on packs, and statistics on the card backs. This new competition marked the beginning of the modern baseball card boom era and catalogued hobby. Fleer produced baseball card sets in most subsequent years as well, usually with incremental improvements in quality.
For collectors and players today, the historical significance and pioneering nature of the 1962 Fleer cards make them hugely desirable, despite the mixed photo and stats quality. Key rookie cards like those of Mays and Aaron regularly sell for thousands of dollars in high grades. Even common players can sell for $50-$100 in near mint condition. The larger size also means fewer examples survive in pristine shape compared to older postcard style issues. The card designs themselves though simple feature lively illustration work and colors that still pop over 50 years later.
In many ways, the 1962 Fleer cards kicked off the golden age of baseball cards that lasted through the 1980s. Their innovative blueprint changed the cardboard collecting world and put competitive pressure on card companies to better serve fans and add value. The early production flaws are also a reminder of the risks that Fleer took to break Topps’ monopoly. Today, no baseball card set holds more significance in the story of the entire hobby than these pioneering 1962 Fleer cards that started it all. Their release made the modern collecting landscape possible and ensured baseball cards would become a billion-dollar industry.
