Fleer baseball cards have been a staple of the baseball card industry since the company began producing cards in 1956. Over the decades, Fleer has released some of the most iconic and valuable baseball cards that collectors still seek out today.
Fleer started as a chewing gum manufacturer in Philadelphia in 1885. In the early 1950s, the company began experimenting with including premiums and prizes inside gum and candy packages as a marketing promotion. This led them to partner with Bowman Gum in 1956 to produce the first modern baseball trading cards as inserts in gum packs.
The 1956 Fleer baseball card set was a revolutionary release. It was the first serious competitor to the dominant Topps brand, which had been producing baseball cards exclusively since 1951. Fleer’s set featured 336 cards featuring photos of current Major League players. However, Fleer was only able to sign approximately 125 players to license agreements, so the rest of the set featured photo-less backs without player names or stats.
Despite the licensing issues, the 1956 Fleer set was a success and helped spark the baseball card collecting hobby. The scarcity of some star players like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle made those cards very desirable even without names on the front. This first Fleer set paved the way for annual releases and established them as a formidable competitor to Topps for decades.
In the late 1950s and 1960s, Fleer continued releasing annual baseball card sets that were generally around 300 cards in size. They featured colorful designs and photos of the biggest stars of the era like Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Roberto Clemente. Notable Fleer releases included the 1961 Post cereal insert cards, the 1968 Super Stars sub-set highlighting the best players, and the 1969 cards that captured the final season for legends like Mickey Mantle.
The 1970s saw Fleer really push design boundaries and innovate in the baseball card market. In 1972, they produced the first ever “action photo” cards showing players in action shots instead of traditional posed portraits. Sets also started featuring traded players in their new uniforms for the first time. Fleer also experimented with oddball subsets like the 1976 League Leaders cards highlighting single-season stats.
Perhaps Fleer’s most iconic and valuable release came in 1981. The Fleer sticker collection featured a unique “Stick ‘Em” approach where each card had a sticker on the back that could be peeled off and stuck to album pages or other surfaces. The true gem of the set was the Nolan Ryan rookie card, which featured the fireballing pitcher’s first card in a major brand. Only 36 copies of the sticker version are known to exist today, making it one of the holy grails for collectors.
In the 1980s, Fleer continued annual sets but also started producing innovative specialty releases. In 1983, they created the first ever Traded set only featuring players that switched teams. Expansion sets in the late 80s welcomed new franchises. Fleer also had success with oddball subsets like 1987 League Leaders, which featured statistical standouts. However, Fleer’s licensing deal with Major League Baseball ended in 1990.
After losing MLB rights, Fleer produced regional minor league sets through 1994 but was out of the baseball card game for several years. They returned in 2000 with licensed MLB rights again. Modern Fleer releases since have included retro-style throwback designs and innovative parallel and autograph chase cards of current stars. Notable Fleer sets this century featured Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, and Albert Pujols on the cover.
While no longer one of the “Big Three” brands along with Topps and Upper Deck, Fleer remains a respected name in the baseball card world. Collectors still seek out the vintage greats from the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the innovative releases from the 1970s and 1980s peak Fleer era. Modern parallels and autographs also attract buyers. The Fleer brand helped drive innovation and competition in the industry for decades.
In summary, Fleer has produced iconic baseball cards collectors still chase over 60 years after their first release. From pioneering the modern design to creating innovative specialty subsets, Fleer left an indelible mark on the hobby. Stars of the past and present have all graced Fleer cardboard over the decades. The brand’s impact and the classic vintage Fleer cards remain an important part of baseball card history.
