Fleer started in the baseball card market in 1956 to compete against Topps, which had been the sole producer of modern baseball cards since 1950. Fleer’s cards that first year featured current players but were no-name issues meaning they did not feature the players’ names due to licensing restrictions. They also only produced 125 cards that year compared to Topps’ 524 card set. It established them as the first competitor in the modern baseball card market that had been dominated by Topps up to that point.

In 1957, Fleer was finally able to obtain player name rights so their cards that year featured the players’ correct names. They increased their set size to 132 cards that year as they continued to challenge Topps for market share. Through the late 1950s and early 1960s, Fleer issued sets of around 150-200 cards per year as they tried to catch Topps, which was putting out sets as large as 700 cards annually during this time period.

A big change happened in 1964 when Fleer signed a licensing deal with the MLB Players Association to use players’ names and likenesses. Prior to this, Topps had maintained exclusive deals with individual teams and players directly. This allowed Fleer to produce their first “true” complete team set that year since they could now guarantee including all current major leaguers. Their 1964 set included 210 cards.

In 1967, Fleer made another breakthrough by being the first company to offer color baseball cards in their regular sets. Up until then, colorization in sets had been minimal. They continued to innovate, such as releasing short printed parallel subsets within their 1969 and 1970 sets that included error cards, action photos, and cards featuring players from outside the U.S. leagues. Fleer’s sets steadily increased in size through the 1960s as well, topping out at 300 cards by 1969.

In 1972, another competitor arose when Topps lost its exclusive licence on the players’ likenesses due to an antitrust lawsuit, opening the door for more companies. Both Donruss and TCMA joined the market over the following years with their own card issues. This increased competition caused Fleer’s sets to decrease in size, with just 132 cards released in 1974 and 100 cards in 1976 as they struggled against Topps and the new rivals.

Through the 1970s, Fleer made several attempts to reinvigorate interest such as special “traded” sets in 1975 and 1978 featuring inter-league player swaps not shown in the main issues. They also released box-bottom inserts in 1978 that were not found on the base cards. Fleer remained in the market through the early 1980s but lost steam. Their 1981 set was a mere 60 cards before Topps acquired Fleer’s baseball card business later that year, putting them out of the baseball card market.

From 1956 to 1981 Fleer issued over 25 separate baseball card sets, starting with humble beginnings of 125 no-name cards in 1956 and increasing their presence through innovations like color photography, special subsets, and player name licensing deals. Their sets ranged in size from 60 cards to over 300 before succumbing to increased competition and being purchased by Topps, who remains the dominant force in baseball cards to this day. Through over two decades, Fleer left an enduring mark on the baseball card collecting hobby.