The 1985 Fleer baseball card set was the eighth edition of Fleer’s modern baseball card releases that began in 1981. Following the success of previous Fleer sets, the company produced its largest baseball card release yet in 1985 with a flagship set of 792 cards. While Fleer’s first several releases were received well by collectors due to their innovative design and photography compared to Topps, the 1985 set faced more competition than ever. Later in the year Topps would release one of its most premium sets to date with 700 cards in the flagship edition and parallel ‘Traded’ subset. Despite the increased rivalry, Fleer produced another quality cardboard product that has become a beloved set for collectors today.
One of the standouts of the 1985 Fleer offering was the excellent photography throughout. Like previous years, Fleer cards featured crisp color images with little border space around each image window. The lighting and posing generally highlighted each player’s skills and athleticism. Notable photographers continued shooting for Fleer such as Herb Scharfman, Marc Epstein and Rich Pilling. Each photographer brought a unique style that resulted in some truly iconic cards over the years. While traditional posed shots made up the bulk of the ’85 Fleer set, some action shots began to find their way into the product as technology improved. This added energy and realism compared to some stoic Topps portraits from the same year.
Condition sensitive collectors praise ’85 Fleer for its durable stock. While not quite the thickness of Topps at the time, Fleer cards from this era have tended to hold up better over time than some previous thinner issues. The stock was rigid enough to mostly avoid creasing or bends in well cared for specimens even decades later. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for centering which was an ongoing quality control issue throughout Fleer’s early runs. Miscuts running outside the financial borders or cutting off portions of images plague collectors to this day. Decently centered examples command strong premiums due to the set’s iconic photography and design elements.
Speaking of design, Fleer stuck to their successful template established in 1981 by featuring a white border around each image window with team logo and player identifiers below. What set the 1985 issue apart was a new color scheme with reddish borders and a navy base. This patriotic style paired well with classic baseball imagery and gave the set a sleek, modern feel compared to the busier blue and white borders of years past. At the same time, the redesigned color palette distanced Fleer from Topps’ familiar drab gray paper. Set the border was cleanly designed with plenty of negative space letting the captivating photography stand out.
Once inside the sleek boarded confines, collectors were treated to a virtual “Who’s Who” of 80s MLB talent. Superstars like Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Don Mattingly and Wade Boggs and many Hall of Famers highlighted the checklist. What made 1985 Fleer so special was its inclusion of rising young stars who were just breaking into the big leagues. Cards like Mark McGwire, Roger Clemens, Barry Larkin and Barry Bonds’ rookie are especially desirable today as investments decades later. Seeing these future legends in their earliest playing days adds tremendous nostalgia and historical significance to the 1985 Fleer set.
In addition to future Hall of Famers and their rookie cards, Fleer also included plenty of action shots, manager/coach cards, and enjoyable oddball selections. The ‘Executives’ and ‘Announcers’ subset from previous years grew into a 22-card ‘Broadcasters’ section. International players were also featured with their home country identified on the front of each card. Overall depth was strong with even lesser known role players receiving cardboard acknowledgement of their MLB service. For completionists, this added immensely to the challenge of obtaining a 100% original collection. Limited print runs also meant finding and acquiring every obscure parallel added difficulty over the years.
While the flagship 792-card 1985 Fleer Baseball set stands as the crown jewel, variations were also produced. The most notable was the ‘Traded’ subset mimicking Topps. These 80 additional cards featured players who had been dealt to a new team mid-season. Other parallels included Photo variations, ‘Star Stickers’, test issues, promo packs and factory sets. The availability of these differed wildly making some true keys to an advanced collection. Overall condition matters even more so for variations which were produced in far lower quantities and often exited packs with more risk of damage. Pristine graded Gem Mint examples can demand particularly strong prices to this day.
In the end, 1985 Fleer left a legacy as one of the true classic vintage issues for collectors. With rookie cards of future legends, strong classic team content, memorable photography and an identifiable patriotic design, the set delivers huge nostalgia and enjoyment even decades removed from packs. Condition sensitive collectors continue to hunt raw specimens while investors recognize star rookies and HOF content. Limited quantities of premium sealed factory sets and variations escalate values exponentially as well. Whether being collected or sold, 1985 Fleer cards remain a thriving segment of the vintage sports card market thanks to their iconic nature and historical significance within the hobby.
