The Fleer baseball card company produced cards from 1956 to 1981 when they lost the licensing rights to produce baseball cards to Topps. During their time producing baseball cards, Fleer released some very coveted and valuable rookie cards that are worth a significant amount of money today for collectors. While most common Fleer cards from the different series are only worth a dollar or less, there are definitely certain rare and desirable Fleer cards that can be extremely valuable.

One of the most valuable and iconic Fleer baseball cards ever produced is the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams card. Only 368 of the Ted Williams rookie card were made, making it one of the rarest modern baseball cards in existence. In near-mint condition, a 1959 Fleer Ted Williams rookie card can sell for well over $150,000. Even heavily played copies in poor condition still sell for tens of thousands. The rarity and stellar career of Ted Williams make this one of the true “holy grail” cards for collectors.

Another noteworthy Fleer rookie card worth a substantial amount is the 1961 Fleer Mickey Mantle card. As one of the best players of all-time and an iconic Yankee, Mantle’s rookie card brings a high price despite not being quite as rare as the Ted Williams with over 2,000 printed. Mint condition 1961 Fleer Mantle rookies can sell for $50,000 or more, with very good copies still fetching $10,000+. Not bad for a card that’s over 50 years old.

In addition to the Ted Williams and Mantle rookies, there are a handful of other Fleer rookie cards from the 1950s and 1960s that hold significant value today:

1958 Fleer Jim Hall of Fame Cardinals rookie – often sells for $5,000+ in top shape
1959 Fleer Orlando Cepeda rookie – in the $3,000 range mint
1960 Fleer Roberto Clemente rookie – $2,000+ for a gem copy
1961 Fleer Billy Williams rookie – $1,500+ in excellent condition
1962 Fleer Tom Seaver rookie – over $1,000 for an near-mint Seaver rookie

While those were some high-end examples, there are also stars from later Fleer sets whose rookie cards can still carry worthwhile value in top condition:

1969 Fleer Nolan Ryan rookie – $500+ for a very nice copy
1972 Fleer Gary Carter rookie – commonly $300-400 mint
1973 Fleer Mike Schmidt rookie – around $200 in near-mint+
1977 Fleer Ozzie Smith rookie – $100 or more if it grades high
1981 Fleer Cal Ripken Jr. rookie – $50-100+ range for an excellent card

Rare inverted images, oddball variations, and short-printed subset cards within the Fleer sets all fetch significant premiums over standard issue cards. For example, the 1968 Fleer Stargellsubset cards which feature images of players wishing each other happy holidays can sell for $200-500 each depending on condition and player.

While modern production techniques and higher print runs severely lowered values of more recent sports cards, the vintage Fleer cards of the 1950s-70s hold great allure and financial worth to collectors due to their rarity, iconic rookie players featured, and nostalgia. With graded gem mint examples of the top Fleer rookies listed potentially worth tens of thousands, it’s easy to see why collectors continue to chase these vintage cardboard treasures decades later. So in summary – while common issues are cheap, there are definitely some valuable Fleer baseball cards worth serious money for lucky collectors.