The 1990 Fleer baseball card set was the final baseball card issue released by the Fleer Corporation before they lost the MLB player licensing rights to Upper Deck the following year. It was the company’s 22nd year producing MLB cards and featured over 700 total cards in the base set along with various insert sets. The 1990 Fleer set is notable for showcasing some of the game’s biggest stars of the late 1980s and early 1990s such as Rickey Henderson, Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Cal Ripken Jr. among many others.
Fleer had been one of the top two baseball card manufacturers along with Topps since the late 1960s. In the late 1980s the company started to face more competition from new industry entrants like Donruss and Score. In an effort to freshen things up, the 1990 Fleer design featured a modern white border around each photo and stat listing which was a departure from their more traditional designs of the past. The front of each card displayed a large color player photo along with the team name and logo at the top in addition to Fleer branding at the bottom.
On the back of each 1990 Fleer card, the player’s career statistics were listed along with a short career summary. One of the innovations Fleer introduced that year was highlighting a player’s best single season stats in bold text to make them easier to find at a glance versus their complete career lines. Regional variations also existed for the first time in 1990, with Fleer producing East, Central, and West series cards to better match players to the teams located closest to where those series would be primarily sold and distributed.
Some of the notable rookies featured in the 1990 Fleer set included future Hall of Famers Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux, and Ken Griffey Jr. who were just starting their prolific MLB careers. Star veterans like Nolan Ryan in an Angels uniform, Roger Clemens with the Red Sox, and Ozzie Smith manning shortstop for the Cardinals continued impressing fans on and off the field. Perennial All-Stars like Rickey Henderson, Wade Boggs, and Mark McGwire were entering their baseball primes in the late 80s/early 90s as well.
In total, the 1990 Fleer base set included 752 total cards made up of the following breakdowns:
660 team cards (33 cards per team)
60 Managers/coaches cards
22 Checklist cards
10 Future Stars cards
Beyond the base cards, Fleer also released several inserts series in 1990 packs and boxes that added to the excitement of the release. Some of the most popular included:
Fleer All-Time Greats – 32 card set highlighting legends of the past like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Ted Williams.
Fleer Traded sets – 26 cards showing players after being dealt to new teams mid-season.
Fleer League leaders – 15 cards featuring stats champions in different categories.
Fleer Team Checklist – 22 cards listing the 33 man rosters for each MLB club.
The coveted inserts like the Future Stars and All-Time Greats pieces were scarce pull rates making completing those subsets quite challenging. They added valuable chase aspects to the release and maintaining interest in continuing to purchase 1990 Fleer packs and boxes at the local card shop.
The overall design aesthetic of the 1990 Fleer baseball card set was considered a minor upgrade over their prior few years of issues by most collectors. It would be their final major release as Fleer was outbid for the MLBPA player license beginning in 1991 by the innovative new brand Upper Deck. As such, sealed wax boxes and unopened packs of 1990 Fleer have gained more reverence in the ensuing decades as the last of the Fleer baseball card era many collectors cut their teeth on as children.
Prices for 1990 Fleer boxes at release was generally $19.99 MSRP which was average for that period. Today sealed wax boxes in mint condition frequently sell for $150-300 given the 30+ years of appreciating vintage value. Some individual high-valued cards that can demand premium prices include serial #1 R Cs of stars like Ken Griffey Jr. going for $500-1000 in top-grades.
The 1990 Fleer baseball card set served as a solid final hoorah for the brand before losing the MLB license. Featuring the transition from stars of the 1980’s to rookie debuts of future Hall of Famers defined the early 90’s era. While not their most coveted annual issue overall, 1990 Fleer boxes remain a nostalgic and fairly attainable way for vintage enthusiasts to commemorate Fleer’s long run as a leader in the sportscard industry before Upper Deck’s takeover beginning the following year shook up the baseball card landscape for decades to come.
