Fleer Baseball Cards of the 1980s, Do You Remember?
When the modern collector turns their thoughts to 1980s Fleer, which is to say barely at all, their focus is nearly always one of two cards: the Jordan rookie or F*ck Face. Take away these two cards, and the company may as well never existed. Of course for those of us who were there, who lived through it, we know better. Where Topps gave us more or less the same old same old year after year, the Fleer sets were always full of surprises, intentional or otherwise.
Here is a long overdue year-by-year look back at some of the decade's most legendary cards. If you remember all of them, then congratulations! You are a true O.G. of 1980s card collecting. Bonus points, of course, if you still have them in your collection! (And of course you do, because NOBODY was throwing away baseball cards in the 1980s!)
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1981
Following an extended absence from the Hobby, at least as far as traditional card sets were concerned, Fleer made its long awaited return in 1981. Almost immediately, the Philadelphia-based upstart had the Hobby's hottest card, a Graig Nettles card that misspelled his name "Craig" on the back.
"No fair," cried the Topps execs. Fleer was all of a sudden "the collector's choice" because of a typo? Evidently though, it was not just a typo. It was a Fleer typo, which apparently matters. After all, no matter how many times Topps botches "Yastrzemski," collectors barely even notice. (Okay, except Night Owl Cards.)
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1982
The company's sophomore offering was largely a blur, and I mean that literally. The 1982 Fleer set is practically defined by its blurry photos and shoddy production. Still, that doesn't mean it didn't include a few masterpieces. My vote for the year's best goes to what may well be the most clever baseball card of all-time.
Oh, and did I mention the 1982 Fleer card of a player holding his own baseball card?
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1983
Though mainly remembered today for its rookie cards of Wade Boggs, Tony Gwynn, and Ryne Sandberg, those of us who collected at the time remember it was another Fleer rookie who had the year's hottest card. Still, for collectors not yet swept up by rookie hysteria, could anything beat this sort of fun?
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1984
Rookies again dominated the Hobby landscape in 1984, led by Don Mattingly and Darryl Strawberry. But really, that's what Topps and Donruss were for. Where else were you going to find cards like these? Answer: NOWHERE!
1985
Taking a page from the "Carlton and Fisk" playbook, Fleer was back in 1985 with some wordplay, only this time it was a puzzle. While cards with puzzle backs had been part of the Hobby for 50 years, Fleer was a pioneer in the use of puzzle front cards. Oh, and this was their third straight year doing it!
Meanwhile, the only time Topps gave us wordplay, there was no puzzle and it was by accident!
1986
The 1986 Fleer Mickey Hatcher wasn't the first card to feature oversized equipment, nor has it been the last. However, it's easily the best.
Oh, and the first card to feature oversized equipment? That was also Fleer, only it was way back in 1959!
1987
Something funny happened at Fleer in 1987, and the team there got serious. On one hand, they put out their best looking set of the decade, but on the other hand it had a grand total of zero silly cards. Collectors accustomed to Fleer "thinking outside the pack" would have to wait until the late-season Update set to see something novel: a Traded card featuring both of a player's new teams.
Then again, should we have even been surprised? This was the same company that four years earlier brought up the "Two Teams Same Day" card.
1988
Fortunately, who ever ordered the "strictly business" approach must have gotten canned, the result being this instant classic.
1989
Like 1987, this year once again marked a return to a largely serious set. Someone at Fleer must have gotten the memo that baseball cards weren't just for kids anymore. This was a big money enterprise, right? Well, consider this card a reminder that you can never really escape your past. And as the myriad of comical corrections to the card showed us, Fleer was not afraid to lean in when the occasion called for it.
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Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.