Fleer Corporation was a leading American manufacturer and distributor of chewing gum and collectibles from the late 19th century through the 20th century. While best known today for their iconic sports trading cards, Fleer first made their mark with small collectible stickers inserted randomly into packages of chewing gum in the early 1900s. These sticker promotions helped boost gum sales and sparked a collecting craze among children.
By the 1950s, Fleer had gained significant market share in the baseball card industry. They were facing stiff competition from industry leaders Topps. In 1956, Fleer launched a new promotional product – colorful logo stickers featuring the emblems of Major League Baseball teams. These small adhesive stickers depicted just the team logos rather than player photos. They were inserted randomly into Fleer’s Bubble Gum packs alongside the gum.
The logo stickers were an instant hit with young collectors. Kids enjoyed trading and collecting the various team logos. Compared to trading cards which depicted individual players who could be traded for each other, the logo stickers had no player value attached. This allowed for easier collecting of full sticker sets. The logo designs themselves were also bold, colorful graphics that appealed to children. Fleer logo sticker sets from the 1950s and 60s are still highly collectible today.
In 1961, Fleer made another pivotal move by releasing the first post-war baseball card set not produced by Topps. These new Fleer cards featured colorful action photos on the front alongside stats on the back, similar Topps’ format. However, Fleer logo stickers remained a popular inclusion randomly inserted into gum packs alongside the new baseball cards. Collectors enjoyed the surprise of not knowing whether they would find a sticker or card in their packs. This dual inclusion of cards and stickers helped Fleer gain valuable market share from Topps.
Throughout the 1960s, Fleer continued releasing new baseball card sets each year while also providing annual sticker updates featuring the latest team logos. The stickers remained a popular promotional inclusion. By the late 1960s, Fleer’s logo sticker sets had expanded beyond just MLB to include stickers for other professional sports leagues as well. In 1969, Fleer even issued logo stickers highlighting the 50th anniversary of the first World Series.
In the 1970s, Fleer baseball cards and stickers entered a golden age of innovation and design. Bold color photographs replaced simpler black and white images on the cards. Fleer also began experimenting with oddball sets highlighting unique card concepts and subsets. Meanwhile, the logo stickers incorporated fun new graphics and textures on the team emblems. Fleer also started including stickers highlighting the league’s All-Star teams each year.
Through the 1970s and 80s, Fleer continued to issue innovative baseball card sets each season alongside complementary logo sticker updates. The stickers remained a popular bonus inclusion found randomly in wax packs of cards and gum. In 1981, Fleer even produced a special sticker subset focused on the league’s umpires – a unique nod to the men in blue. Rising costs and market saturation began taking their toll on the baseball card industry by the late 1980s.
In 1989, Fleer lost its MLB license to rival manufacturer Upper Deck. This was a major blow to the brand. Without the ability to photograph active MLB players under license, Fleer was forced to focus more on retro and non-sports sets in the early 1990s. Logo stickers soldiered on with retro-themed designs highlighting classic team logos from the past.
In 2000, Fleer regained an MLB license and returned to the baseball card market strong. The baseball sticker portion of the product line was not revived. Collectors had to settle for sticker subsets appearing occasionally in some of Fleer’s retro reprint sets. Today, complete vintage sets of Fleer’s classic baseball logo stickers from the 1950s-80s remain some of the most coveted and valuable items in the entire sports collecting world. The small stickers sparked memories and collections for generations of fans.
While Fleer is best remembered today for their iconic baseball cards, the company’s logo sticker promotions of the 1950s-80s were also hugely influential. The small, colorful team emblems perfectly captured the spirit of collecting and helped grow the popularity of baseball cards. Fleer stickers allowed easy collecting of full sets and sparked trades among young fans. Their inclusion alongside cards helped Fleer challenge Topps’ dominance. Even after Fleer’s MLB license lapsed, the memory of finding a shiny new sticker or card in a pack of gum lives on for many collectors.
