30 Year Top 50: 1987 Fleer

#38-This is another great 80s set with great rookies, but was completely overproduced.  However, the potential for this set to move up or down is tied to how the Hall of Fame voters deal with the Steroid Era players.  Currently, the 1987 Fleer set houses one important Hall of Fame rookie card, but could potentially be holding other key Hall of Fame rookies.

1987 Fleer Barry Larkin

Barry Larkin was elected to the Hall of Fame this past summer.  This isn't the best card in the set, but is an easy and cheap rookie card of a Hall of Fame player and should be a card most collectors are able to put into their collections.  The regular Fleer issue sells for $2 max while graded versions might max out in the high twenties.  The Glossy version of the Larkin card sells for $2-$3, but the graded versions are a little steeper.  A good graded Fleer Glossy Larkin will run over $50 depending on the grading.  

1987 Fleer Barry Bonds

The best card in the 1987 Fleer set is clearly the Barry Bonds rookie.  Love him, or hate him this is the best card in this set.  Raw versions of the card sell for between $5 and $10 dollars with a premium on the Graded and Glossy versions.  A high end grade on a Glossy Bonds rookie will easily take you over $100.  In my opinion, Bonds is a Hall of Famer and is slightly different from the other steroid cheats in one regard.  Since the steroids case around Bonds has played out in court it is widely accepted that Bonds start date for steroid use was the 1999 season.  Look at the first thirteen years of Bonds career and he is a Hall of Famer.  This is another great card that collectors should try to add to their collection.

1987 Fleer Will Clark 

There are several other nice rookie cards in this set besides the Bonds and Larkin.  Most noteably are the first year issues of Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro, and Bo Jackson.  While none of those players are Hall of Famers, they are all solid Major League players with a good collecting hobby.  Particularly the Clark and Jackson.  The complete sealed Glossy set of cards can be found for between $25 and $30 while the regular issue set can be found for less than $10.  If you aren't interested in owning the whole set I strongly recommend keeping your eyes open for single copies of some of the key rookies from this set.  

Like the 1987 Fleer Set?  Not in my Top 50 is the 1989 Fleer set.  Just like the 1987 set the 1989 Fleer issue has some nice rookie cards.  My two favorites are the Ken Griffey Jr rookie and the Randy Johnson.  If you have some spare time and want to research the Randy Johnson card, it has a few different versions.  Notice over his right shoulder is a Marlboro sign.  Fleer creatively edited this card multiple times.  

1989 Fleer Randy Johnson and Ken Griffey Jr. 

The real story of the 1989 Fleer set is the card of Orioles second baseman Bill Ripken.  In fact, the card is so important to the world of baseball cards the last 30 years I almost put this set in the Top 50 based on that card alone.  So, if you have never seen the Bill Ripken card here it goes.  

1989 Fleer Bill Ripken

This card was issued at a time when kids still collected baseball cards, so imagine the horror Fleer must of felt when they made the ultimate proofreading gaffe in baseball card history.  A quick check of Ripken's bat knob will show that the handle of his bat reads F*** Face.  Collectors went crazy for the card.  Fleer, of course, tried to correct the mistake.  Several different ways.  I am not sure which came first, but here's a look at the edit job.  

1989 Fleer Bill Ripken Whiteout

1989 Fleer Bill Ripken Blackout

1989 Fleer Bill Ripken Black Scribble