The Fleer 1985 baseball card set was one of the most significant releases in the history of the hobby. Issued during a time of great change in the sports card industry, the 1985 Fleer set showcased cutting edge photography and design while also introducing rookie cards of future Hall of Famers. With its innovative approach, the 1985 Fleer cards helped usher in a new era for the business of sports card collecting.
In the early 1980s, Topps had long dominated the baseball card market as the exclusive producer of licensed major league player cards. In 1981 Fleer was granted a license by the MLB Players Association to produce baseball cards as well. This presented the first real competition Topps had seen. In 1982 and 1983, Fleer released sets that were novel but not hugely impactful. In 1984 Fleer made a major statement by landing exclusive contracts with superstar players like Nolan Ryan and Cal Ripken Jr. This showed collectors and the industry that Fleer was a serious contender.
Entering 1985, Fleer was poised to take collecting to a new level with creative design and photography. Gone were the simple vertical card designs of the past. The 1985 Fleer set featured innovative horizontal cards with vivid action shots and colorful graphics. For the first time, many cards showed multiple images of the player on one card rather than a single posed portrait. Fleer also took advantage of improved printing quality to make the cards sharper and more vivid than ever before. These presentation upgrades truly made the 1985 Fleer set stand out from anything that had come before.
In addition to pioneering new card designs, the 1985 Fleer set is especially notable for introducing the rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Barry Larkin, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz. Of particular significance are the rookie cards of Larkin and the Atlanta Braves trio, who would become known as one of the greatest pitching rotations in baseball history. Their Fleer rookie cards from 1985 are among the most valuable in the hobby today given their accomplishments. Other notable rookies included John Kruk, Wally Joyner, and Jay Buhner. Collectors realized they were seeing the beginnings of great careers still to unfold.
The 1985 Fleer set totaled 792 cards and had several innovative insert sets beyond the base issues. One was the “Fleer Futures” subset which focused on top prospects and included cards of players like Mark McGwire before they reached the majors. Another popular insert was the “Traded” set highlighting players who switched teams in 1984 like Rickey Henderson. Fleer also produced the first “traded” or “update” sets acknowledging midseason player transactions. All of these subsets added to the excitement and completeness of the 1985 Fleer release.
While innovative in design and content, the 1985 Fleer set did have some issues that collectors had to overcome. The heavy use of action photography sometimes led to unclear images where the players were difficult to identify. The thin cardboard stock also made the cards more prone to damage compared to the thicker stock used by Topps. These were relatively minor complaints for a set that otherwise delivered such a leap forward in the industry.
When it was released in 1985, the Fleer baseball card set was an instant success and sold out quickly. Collectors were drawn to the vibrant new presentation and treasure troves of valuable rookie cards within. The competition with Topps also had the effect of driving greater overall interest and sales in the baseball card market. By taking bold risks and focusing on creative design, Fleer had truly changed the game. Their 1985 release is now regarded as one of the most influential and important sets in the history of sports cards. It helped propel Fleer to the top while also establishing new standards of quality that still influence card design today. For all these reasons, the 1985 Fleer baseball card set remains an iconic touchpoint for collectors and historians of the hobby.
In the decades since, as the players from the 1985 Fleer set went on to Hall of Fame careers, the values of their rookie cards have skyrocketed. The Fleer Update and Traded cards have also gained recognition as important and collectible subsets. Today, high grade examples of cards like the Barry Larkin, Tom Glavine, or Greg Maddux rookies can sell for thousands of dollars. The 1985 Fleer set as a whole continues to enthrall collectors with its place in history, innovative presentation, and valuable rookie card content. It set the stage for the modern era of the baseball card industry and remains one of the single most influential releases ever produced.
