The SURPRISING History of Fleer Baseball Cards - the UNTOLD story
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ย. 2024
- Imaging fighting a baseball card monopoly all by yourself...For OVER 50 years...
This is the SURPRISING History of Fleer Baseball Cards
1885-1950: Origins and Early Years
• 1885: Founding of Fleer Corporation
o Frank H. Fleer establishes Fleer Corporation in Philadelphia, initially focusing on producing chewing gum, candies, and confectioneries.
• 1906: First Attempt at Bubble Gum
o Fleer introduces "Blibber-Blubber," the company's first bubble gum product. However, it fails to gain commercial success.
• 1928: Success with Dubble Bubble
o Fleer re-enters the bubble gum market with "Dubble Bubble," becoming the first commercially successful bubble gum. This success provides financial stability for future ventures, including trading cards.
1950s: Entry into the Trading Card Market
• 1957: Introduction to Trading Cards
o Fleer enters the trading card industry by producing baseball cards. Their initial sets feature a mix of active and retired players, including stars like Ted Williams.
• 1958: Expansion of Card Sets
o Fleer releases more comprehensive baseball card sets, enhancing design quality and increasing the number of players featured to attract collectors.
1960s: Growth and Legal Challenges
• 1960: Competitive Market
o Fleer continues producing baseball cards but faces intense competition from Topps, which dominates the market by holding exclusive rights to active MLB players.
• 1963: Antitrust Lawsuit Against Topps
o Fleer challenges Topps' monopoly by filing an antitrust lawsuit, seeking the right to produce cards featuring active Major League Baseball (MLB) players.
• 1966: Court Ruling
o The court rules in favor of Topps, maintaining Topps' exclusive rights and limiting Fleer's ability to compete directly in the mainstream baseball card market.
1980s: Breaking the Monopoly and Market Expansion
• 1980: Victory in Antitrust Case
o Fleer successfully wins an antitrust case against Topps, allowing them to produce baseball cards featuring active MLB players. This legal victory significantly expands Fleer's market presence.
• 1981: First Modern Baseball Card Set
o Fleer releases its first modern baseball card set featuring active players, effectively ending Topps' 20-year monopoly. The 1981 Fleer set gains attention for its quality and inclusion of rookie cards, such as Fernando Valenzuela and Harold Baines.
• 1989: "Billy Ripken" Error Card
o Fleer releases the infamous "Billy Ripken" error card, featuring a vulgar inscription on the bat knob. Fleer corrects the error multiple times, resulting in various versions that become highly sought-after collector's items.
1990s: Innovation and Market Challenges
• 1994: Acquisition of SkyBox International
o Fleer acquires SkyBox International, a leading trading card company specializing in both sports and entertainment cards. This acquisition increases Fleer's market share and diversifies its product portfolio.
• 1998: Bankruptcy and Acquisition
o Fleer Corporation declares bankruptcy due to ongoing financial difficulties. The company's assets and brand name are purchased by a group led by Alex Grass, founder of Rite Aid.
2000s: Decline and Acquisition by Upper Deck
• 2000-2002: Attempts at Revival
o Under new ownership, Fleer attempts to revive its baseball card lines and explore new products but struggles to regain its former market position amid intense competition and a saturated market.
• 2003: Financial Struggles Continue
o Fleer faces continued financial difficulties, exacerbated by increased competition from other card companies and declining consumer interest in sports cards.
• 2004: Efforts to Diversify and Innovate
o Fleer makes further attempts to diversify its product offerings and innovate within the trading card space, but these efforts fail to stabilize the company's finances.
• 2005: Final Bankruptcy and Acquisition by Upper Deck
o Fleer files for bankruptcy for the second time and ceases operations. Upper Deck, a major competitor in the trading card industry, acquires the rights to the Fleer name and its assets.
#fleer #baseballcards #sportscards
Dude these videos are REALLY good. Keep em coming please.
Thank you so much!! More to come!
I love finding videos that I can comfortably click the like button on in the first fifteen seconds. Awesome work!
Wow I really appreciate your kind words. Thank you so much!!
You hit the nail on the head with all of the monopoly stuff. Topps and now Fanatics monopoly on MLB has ruined the hobby. They are out of control and there's zero value with buying packs/boxes.
Agree! I tend to stick with vintage cards myself
I couldn't agree more about the 91 yellow being the ugliest yet such a badass insert set lol
I know right! I think those yellow cards were the reason I stopped buying junk wax as a kid
Called them the cansry cards@@sportscardsedge
1991 Donruss is a good second. Those red cards.
@@jpmnky yes agreed lol
@@sportscardsedge You should do a brief history video on the puzzle cards, because i can't find any info on them except the 82-92 i think Donruss puzzle pieces. I'd like to find out if Topps or anyone else made them and collect them and put them in a frame for the man cave🙂
This video was a great look into the history of Fleer. I'd love to have heard more about the involvement of R. G. Laughlin from the late 60s to the early 80s. His illustrated World Series cards (especially the rare 1971 "Roberto Clemente" one) and the 1974 Pioneers of Baseball sets were really nice (although a bit less known today) and the 1972 Famous Feats, 1973 Baseball Wildest Days and Plays, and 1976 Baseball Firsts (illustrated by Laughlin as well) helped to convey a lot of baseball history in a time where Topps dominated the contemporary baseball market. Fleer would also release several Team Sticker issues in the later 70s, the logical followup to the decals issued in their 1960-61/2 issues. Also talking about the 61 Fleer basketball cards, filling in the rookies missed since the 1957 Topps issue such as HOFers Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Lenny Wilkins.
In order to help increase sales of their 1981 baseball cards (their first year back), Fleer used a strategy of printing Error Cards (Cards that would eventually be corrected). Most notably, the CRAIG Nettles card (instead of Graig). This card could be found for sale by dealers in hobby magazines like
Baseball Hobby News,
Sports Collectors Digest,
Baseball Card News, and The Trader Speaks, with the price topping out at $35 at that time. Collectors would keep on buying packs with the hope of pulling a $35 card. A genius move, really.
The following years also had error cards, but none of them sparked the interest that the "C" Nettles card did.
Magazines like SCD and BHN voted 1981 Fleer Baseball as the best looking set for the year against Topps and Donruss (as well as in 1982).
I didn’t know about the intentional error cards. Fun fact!
Awesome video ! :-) I didnt know a LOT of the history of Fleer you explain here. Many thanks ! :-)
Thank you so much, I spent some time researching it!
1984 Fleer is a just a nice baseball card set. Clean design with some interesting poses. Every 1991 set needs to be launched into the sun.
hahahhah agree about 1991
Man, I think you found your niche on TH-cam. You condo card companies and brands for years. I’d like to see 1984 Topps Football and Topps USFL.
Thank you so much and yes I love suggestions and have put yours on the future topics list as well! Thanks!
Well done
thank you for watching!
Not bad . I appreciate your efforts.
Fleer did a great job with 1980s basketball.
Yes epic cards
Fernando Venezuela and Dominique Williams 😅
When the mic is rolling, i can make some
Mistakes. It’s all good.
If Fanatics don't lower the prices on boxes the industry will die along side fleer. I see several new boxes sitting at shelves at target and walmart stores. Nobody want them.
Yeah I stick mostly to vintage cards myself
@@sportscardsedge great videos. Nicely done.
Thank you so much I really appreciate it!
There were Fleer baseball cards in 2006 and 2007. You're so close. Basic research.
Yes. in the stock market they call that the dead cat bounce... Fleer was already dead
Dominique Williams?? 😅
Hahahaha i wondered if anyone would catch that. I just misspoke when on the mic!
Yayyy
Thank you so much for watching!
I don't think 1991 Fleer is ugly but it's a BORING set/design.