The 1995 Fleer Ultra baseball card set was released late in 1994 as the premiere Fleer product for the upcoming 1995 baseball season. It was the third year Fleer produced an Ultra set after very successful debut releases in 1993 and 1994 that helped revitalize the baseball card industry. The 1995 Ultra set would build on that momentum and become one of the most iconic and collectible issues of the decade.
With the baseball strike ending in August 1994 and excitement high for the 1995 season, Fleer aimed to make Ultra ‘95 one of the flashiest and visually striking sets yet. Under the creative direction of John Phillips, the mastermind behind Ultra’s debut just two years prior, the design would feature cutting edge foil technology and special photo techniques never before seen in a mainstream baseball card product. The end result was a 288 card base set comprised of true works of artistic baseball card design.
Each card had a full bleed photo extending to the very edges of the white borderless card face. But what really made Ultra ’95 stand out was the foil treatment. A different randomly inserted foil design was applied to each player’s uniform, bat, cap or other in-photo element. Whether it was the pinstripes on Derek Jeter’s jersey or foil flecks in the background behind Mike Piazza’s swing, no two cards looked exactly alike. The multi-color foil pops gave each image a real sense of dimension and life. Photography techniques like letterboxing, selective focus and tinted highlights took card photography and graphical design to a new level.
The checklist itself was a who’s who of the game’s stars at the time from Barry Bonds and Greg Maddux to Ken Griffey Jr. and Cal Ripken Jr. Rookies included future Hall of Famers as well like Derek Jeter, John Smoltz, Pedro Martinez and Chipper Jones. Key veteran stars like Nolan Ryan in his final season and Ryne Sandberg rounded things out. The back of each card also featured brilliant illustrative prints detailing stats and bios that really complemented the artistic front designs.
As an insert, Ultra offered several parallels and short prints to add to the excitement of the hobby. The Ultra Premiums featured blue letterboxing around vivid action shots. Both Blue and Red Parallel versions of the base cards were distributed at different rarities. Premium Gold parallel cards numbered to only 100 copies each were true collector chase cards. But the true short prints were the Ultra Blacks, which featured intricate swirling black foil patterns unique to each player on a black card stock. Numbered to only 50 copies each, these were the holy grail inserts of the set.
Despite fears that interest may lag post-strike, Ultra ’95 was an immediate hit with collectors. Its innovative illustration, premium foil techniques and lineup of stars made it a must-have set for the time. Still to this day, its visual appeal and historically significant checklist continue to draw collectors and fueled the secondary market prices of hits like the Jeter and Griffey Jr. rookies as well as the coveted Ultra Black parallels. While production quality has increased many times over in the quarter century since, 1995 Fleer Ultra was truly ahead of its time in terms of blending art, technology and sport into a highly collectible baseball card offering. It set the standard that Ultra would live up to for many years as the preeminent high-end Fleer brand. For both its importance to the hobby and its artistic merit alone, 1995 Fleer Ultra has cemented its place as one of the most iconic baseball card sets ever released.
In the ensuing years, Ultra would continue to push collectible card design to new levels before ultimately losing steam in the 2000s. But the legacy and influence of the groundbreaking 1995 issue, under the stewardship of John Phillips, endures to this day. Its premium foil techniques, selective focus photography and rich illustrative packaging preceded today’s modern parallel and short print crazes. Most importantly, it was the first FUll bleed, foil-covered showcase for the game’s future legends like Jeter, Griffey Jr. and Martinez in their early pro careers. This made 1995 Fleer Ultra the essential set for any true baseball card enthusiast and period collector. Its quality, artistry and all-star content have earned Ultra ’95 permanent recognition as one of the crowning achievements in the hobby’s history.
