The 1985 Fleer baseball card set was unique in many ways. It marked Fleer’s return to the baseball card market after an 8-year hiatus, having last produced cards in 1977. The company hoped to compete against industry juggernauts Topps and Donruss, who at the time dominated the baseball card landscape.
Fleer took a novel approach with the 1985 set that set it apart from its competitors. For the first time, Fleer licensed photos from major league teams rather than using their own photographers at spring training like Topps and Donruss. This gave the cards a more polished, high-quality look compared to previous years.
At the same time, Fleer went with a smaller card size compared to standard. Their cards were 2.5×3.5 inches, noticeably smaller than the usual 2.5×3.75 size. This was likely done to cut costs on paper and printing. While a unique attribute, many collectors at the time were not fans of the smaller card stock.
The design template Fleer chose was straightforward. On most cards, the player’s bust photo took up the majority of the front with their name and team across the bottom. Statistics were kept to a minimum on the back. The visual simplicity stood out against flashier designs from competitors. The set had 512 cards and carried no serial numbers.
While lacking in extras like league leaders or rookie cards found in other 1985 sets, Fleer made up for it by securing the rights to include true rookie cards for superstar prospects like Dwight Gooden and Frank Viola who had debuts in 1984 but were left out of Topps and Donruss. These are among the most coveted and valuable cards from the set today.
Considering it was Fleer’s return to baseball after years away, card quality control had some issues. Many collectors noticed colour registration problems, with photos not properly aligned on the cardboard. Centering was also off on several cards. These production flaws have come to be seen as part of the charm and uniqueness of the 1985 Fleer set nearly 40 years later.
In the decades since its release, certain cards have skyrocketed in value due to the player featured or the aforementioned production anomalies increasing rarity. For example, the Don Mattingly rookie card has sold for over $10,000 in mint condition due to his Hall of Fame career and status as a fan favourite. Another personal highlight is the Nolan Ryan card, which had an off-center photo making it highly sought after by error collectors.
Perhaps most valuable of all from the 1985 Fleer set is the Wayne Gretzky hockey card accidentally mixed into the production run. Known as the “Gretzky error card,” it was never intended for the baseball cards but somehow ended up being packaged and distributed. Fewer than 30 are believed to still exist today in collectors’ hands, with one in pristine condition achieving a record-breaking sale price of $465,000 at auction.
While not as heavily collected as flagship sets from Topps or Donruss in the 1980s, the 1985 Fleer baseballs cards hold a unique place in the hobby. They carried rookie cards that could not be found elsewhere and brought back visual novelties like team-licensed photos. Production glitches sometimes enhanced collector interest decades later as well. The risk Fleer took in returning to the baseball card market with this set paid off in creating lingering collector demand and value for some of the stars featured over 35 years ago.
While not without flaws, the 1985 Fleer baseball card set made its mark through creative choices that set it apart from the competition at the time. Securing star rookie cards and utilising team photos for the first time gave it a distinctive identity that collectors still appreciate today. Out of the hundreds produced over the decades, the 1985 Fleer issue remains one fondly remembered for its contributions to the hobby.