The 1993 Fleer Ultra Series 1 baseball card set was released in early 1993 as part of Fleer’s new Ultra brand. The Ultra brand was seen as an innovative new line that would feature cutting edge photography and designs. The 1993 set would be the inaugural release under the Ultra label and represented a big opportunity for Fleer to make a splash in the trading card market.
Previous Fleer releases had featured somewhat basic photography and designs that paled in comparison to the highly creative releases from Topps. The Ultra brand was intended to change that perception and establish Fleer as an industry leader in terms of creative baseball card designs. The initial reaction to the 1993 Ultra Series 1 release would help determine whether Fleer had achieved that goal.
From a production standpoint, the 1993 Ultra Series 1 set featured several key innovations. For the first time, Fleer used laser cut edges on the cards rather than the traditional saw cut edges. This enabled far more precise cutting and created cleaner, more defined edges on each card. Fleer also pioneered the use of metallic ink for autographs and team logos on many of the cards.
Perhaps the biggest innovation was the photography selected for the set. Fleer used state of the art action shots that captured players in the midst of their swings or fielding plays. Many of the close-up shots featured dramatic tilting angles that gave each image a cinematic feel. Backgrounds were often blurred to draw focus to the central action. This represented a major shift from the more static, posed images typically found in card releases up to that point.
In total, the 1993 Ultra Series 1 set included over 700 baseball cards featuring major and minor league players from that year. Roster inclusions stretched from established superstars down to marginal major leaguers and top prospects. Notable rookie cards in the set included Jorge Posada, Jason Giambi, Bobby Higginson, and Troy Percival among many others.
Veteran stars featured prominently, including franchise icons like Barry Bonds, Cal Ripken Jr., Frank Thomas, Greg Maddux, and Ken Griffey Jr. One particularly unique element was that each Bonds card in the set showcased him swinging a different bat model, reflecting his equipment endorsements at the time.
In terms of parallels and insert sets within the base offering, Fleer included several popular short prints and serially numbered chase cards. The highly coveted “Ultra Blasts” parallels offered parallel versions of hitters photographed mid-home run swing. These short prints were amongst the most difficult to obtain out of packs.
Fleer also introduced the concept of “refractors” with randomly inserted parallel versions of base cards cut from refractive sheets meant to mimick the look of a baseball diamond. These refractors had gorgeous rainbow color shifts and immediately became collector favorites despite their tough pull rates.
On the serial numbered front, Fleer offered a small subset highlighting the current single season home run leaders. This included players like Bonds, McGwire, and Canseco and numbered cards to just 100 copies. An even more exclusive “Buzz Box” parallel was offered solely through promotional packaging and numbered to an ultra-limited 25 copies.
Overall reaction to the 1993 Ultra Series 1 release was overwhelmingly positive across the collector community. Reviews praised the innovative photography, laser cut edges, futuristic designs, and overall production value represented a huge step forward for Fleer. The quality and creativity rivaled or surpassed what Topps was offering at the time.
On the resale market, demand soared for the popular short prints, refractors, and serially numbered parallel cards. Rates these harder-to-find items initially retailed for reasonable amounts but their aftermarket value skyrocketed as collectors sought them out. Even basic base cards held value quite well due to the quality and popularity of the release overall.
Following the positive reaction, Fleer doubled down on the Ultra brand in subsequent years. They struggled at times to consistently match the groundbreaking excellence achieved with their debut 1993 set. Issues around print quality, licensing, and other factors saw the brand peak early before facing challenges. Still, the 1993 Ultra Series 1 started it all and remains revered as one of the most innovative baseball card releases ever produced. It represented the high water mark for the brand and showed collectors the potential of the Ultra label going forward.
In the years since, 1993 Ultra Series 1 cards have maintained strong collector demand. The high-quality photography, creative designs, and barrier-breaking innovations ensures this set remains a prized part of virtually any vintage baseball card collection. Prices have increased steadily to reflect the classic status it now enjoys among enthusiasts. For both innovative achievements and its place in the brand’s history, 1993 Fleer Ultra Series 1 stands as one of the most iconic and desirable releases in the entire sports card industry. Its impact is still being felt decades after collectors first tore into those innovative foil packs searching for Barry Bonds or a sought-after refractor parallel.
