The 1983 Fleer baseball card set is one of the most storied issues in the history of the hobby due to the numerous production errors that occured. Fleer was a startup competitor to the long-time industry leader Topps in 1983 and was working quickly to push out their product during a time period before modern computerized printing. Some of the mistakes they made during production would go on to make certain 1983 Fleer cards highly valuable collector’s items today.
One of the most famous error cards from the set is the Cal Ripken Jr. card with a photo of another Oriole, Todd Cruz, on the front. This switcheroo error is greatly desired among error card collectors. It’s believed only a handful of the Ripken/Cruz switches were ever printed and it can sell for thousands of dollars in gem mint condition today. Another huge error involves the Reggie Jackson card which was actually printed twice within the same pack, back to back. Collectors who pulled this double Jackson error hit the jackpot as its valued in the tens of thousands.
One of the more common errors found involves switched team logo variations. Due to the manual printing process used, its believed team logos were mixed and matched on occasion, resulting in cards showing players wearing uniforms of teams they never played for. Examples include a Dwight Evans with a Phillies logo despite his entire career being spent with Boston and Milwaukee, or a Ron Guidry with Pirates lettering although he only played for the Yankees. These logo variant errors can still hold value in the multi-hundred dollar range depending on condition and player involved.
Perhaps the most visually apparent error seen are the cards that were accidentally printed without any color whatsoever. Entirely in black and white without any team logo or Fleer branding, these monochrome mistakes stand out starkly from the rest of the rainbow colored set. They are especially rare considering most quality control measures would have caught such an obvious flub. Only a handful are reported to exist including monochrome versions of Carlton Fisk, Bert Blyleven, and Steve Carlton cards. auction in the thousands for top-graded examples.
A unique error subset involved certain players’ cards being printed twice within the same series number order. This resulted in specific numeric duplicates throughout the production run such as two consecutive #53 Dave Stieb Cardinals or #202 Rich Gossage Yankees. The odds of pulling one of these numeric duplicates straight from a pack were infinitesimally small. Some key duplicate errors have sold for over $10,000 in high-end condition.
One area that received errors were the rookie cards, including future Hall of Famers Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn. Ripken rookie cards were found with switched photographs showing him without a batting helmet despite being depicted mid-swing. This error commands big premiums today. Gwynn rookies exist where his name is misspelled “Tonyz Gwynn” with a letter flipped. Other notable rookie errors include a Darryl Strawberry without stats on the back and Juan Nieves with another player’s stats superimposed over. These mistakes on seminal rookie issues can exponentially increase already high values.
Towards the latter portions of the colossal 711 card Fleer set, print quality seemed to decrease even more resulting in even stranger anomalies. Cards have been found with entire sections of reverse stats missing or player’s names printed alone without any images present. The oddball errors continued into the later issued Traded and Update sets as well with anomalies like a Jim Rice with another player’s name under his image or issue-wide goofs like the Traded checklist card being absent from packs.
In the end, the combination of being one of Fleer’s first major sports sets produced along with the lack of technology safeguards led to the 1983 output becoming a virtual “error factory.” Today, individuals who spent summers as kids collecting these cards without knowing their value have found monster keys to genuine fortune within their faded longboxes in the attic. The 1983 Fleer errors continue captivating collectors some 40 years later as some of the most remarkable mistakes ever made in the history of sports card production. Their discovery and sale still regularly makes headlines as prices constantly climb for the short prints, stat-less wonders, and visually wrong releases that make this set as much loved for its errors as the actual player content within.
