Remembering 1984 Fleer: The Perfect Baseball Card Set
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Bring up a set—any set—from the Hobby's hallowed vintage era, defined as 1980 or earlier, and you're bound to hear statements like "What a set!" or "Those were the days!" These are sets that foster nostalgia and elicit nothing but praise from collectors who were there at the time or just discovering the cards today. Fast forward the better part of the decade and the reaction is just the opposite. The Hobby's Junk Wax Era, as it's known, is full of sets cheaper today than they were 30-40 years ago. Whatever great cards the sets might include, apart from a single-digit number of rookie cards, most collectors regard the cards as complete trash.
Sandwiched between those two eras are the baseball card sets of the early 1980s, some of which deserve to be forgotten but some of which are tremendous. Topping the list of "sandwich sets" is the 1984 masterpiece issued by Fleer of which the word perfection may not even be a stretch.
Design
The 1984 Fleer set offers about as simple a design as can be found in the last 40-50 years of baseball cards. Looking nothing like its more modern 21st century counterparts, it provides exactly what collectors need and no more: name, team, position, and photo. Fleer does add its branding to the cards, but it does so in a discreet manner that doesn't steal space from anything else on the card. Today's collector can certainly ask whether the blue stripes used throughout the set might have been better as team color matches, but that's a rather small detail.
Rookies
1984 wasn't the first year that rookie cards were a really big deal, but it was definitely a year that took the excitement over Fernando in 1981, Cal Ripken in 1982, and Ron Kittle in 1983 to the next level. Don Mattingly and Darryl Strawberry were baseball card gods in 1984, likely unprecedented in the buzz their rookie cards created around the Hobby. Though neither player made the Hall, often a requirement for the enduring value of rookie cards, both of their rookie cards continue to be exceedingly popular even today.
Fun
No trading card company had more fun in the 1980s than Fleer, thanks to its non-traditional player poses (Glenn Hubbard with a snake, anyone?) and various Super Star Specials. While today, an event like the famous Pine Tar Incident would be sure to trigger a Topps NOW card, but back in the 1980s such things would only warrant a card in one set: Fleer.
Rarity
Though 1984 Fleer hardly falls into the Junk Wax category, the truth is that the cards were fairly plentiful. Any kid in any city or town could walk into just about any drug store and pick up a pack. (Anyone else miss those days?) Still, the set has something to offer collectors who prize rarity most of all: its famously tough Update set. However many millions of cards Fleer cranked out of Darryl and Donnie Baseball in 1984, the print run for its Update set was only 10,000, half of which were quickly bought up by legendary dealer Larry Fritsch. The result is that the "extended rookie cards" of Kirby Puckett, Roger Clemens, and Dwight Gooden are among the most coveted of the decade.
Icing on the Cake
A final detail of 1984 Fleer, lost on collectors who focus solely on its key cards, is the set's organization. As was the case with all sets of the decade, it was conveniently sorted not only by team but also alphabetically. Leading off the set were the World Champion Baltimore Orioles, sequenced from Mike Boddicker to Tim Stoddard, followed by the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies, ranging from Marty Bystrom to Ozzie Virgil. Looking for the Don Mattingly in your binder? No problem. Head to the Yankees and look between Matt Keough and John Montefusco! Wondering where to find the Yankees? If they were good, look near the front. If they were bad, look near the back.
Value
As excellent as the 1984 Fleer set is, it remains incredibly affordable. Head to eBay and you'll find no shortage of complete sets in the $60 to $70 range, or roughly what a collector might expect to pay for just the Mattingly and Strawberry. In other words, take away the two key cards and the set is priced like Junk Wax. For a 42-year-old set that is NOT Junk Wax, that's a heckuva deal!
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.