Fleer - Revision history

Just me at 05:40, 5 December 2011

2011-12-05T05:40:55Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:40, 5 December 2011
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	In 2006, Upper Deck published baseball sets under the popular names Fleer, Ultra, Fleer Tradition, Flair, Skybox Autographics, and Greats of the Game -- although the last Fleer-branded baseball cards appeared in 2007.		In 2006, Upper Deck published baseball sets under the popular names Fleer, Ultra, Fleer Tradition, Flair, Skybox Autographics, and Greats of the Game -- although the last Fleer-branded baseball cards appeared in 2007.


			[[Category:Fleer]]
	[[Category: Card Companies]]		[[Category: Card Companies]]

Just me at 06:58, 4 December 2011

2011-12-04T06:58:12Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:58, 4 December 2011
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			[[File:Fleer.png\|right]]
	The '''Fleer''' Corporation, founded by Frank H. Fleer in 1885, was the first company to successfully manufacture bubblegum; it remained a family-owned enterprise until it was taken private in 1989. In 1992, Fleer was sold to the comic-book empire Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. for $265 million. Seven years later, Marvel sold Fleer-Skybox to a partnership formed by Alex Grass, the founder of Rite Aid Corp., and his son Roger at a significant loss—reportedly only $26 million. The Grass family retained ownership until 2005 when [[Upper Deck]] bought the rights to the name after it filed for bankruptcy.		The '''Fleer''' Corporation, founded by Frank H. Fleer in 1885, was the first company to successfully manufacture bubblegum; it remained a family-owned enterprise until it was taken private in 1989. In 1992, Fleer was sold to the comic-book empire Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. for $265 million. Seven years later, Marvel sold Fleer-Skybox to a partnership formed by Alex Grass, the founder of Rite Aid Corp., and his son Roger at a significant loss—reportedly only $26 million. The Grass family retained ownership until 2005 when [[Upper Deck]] bought the rights to the name after it filed for bankruptcy.

Stalegum: /* References */

2011-01-22T22:45:16Z

References

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:45, 22 January 2011
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	In 2006, Upper Deck published baseball sets under the popular names Fleer, Ultra, Fleer Tradition, Flair, Skybox Autographics, and Greats of the Game -- although the last Fleer-branded baseball cards appeared in 2007.		In 2006, Upper Deck published baseball sets under the popular names Fleer, Ultra, Fleer Tradition, Flair, Skybox Autographics, and Greats of the Game -- although the last Fleer-branded baseball cards appeared in 2007.

	~~==References==~~
	'''Google Maps''' photo of former F.H. Fleer plant on the 5300 block of N. 10th St. in Philadelphia (vacant since Nov. 1995; Footnote #6):{{Reflist\|<ref>http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=5328+N+10th+Street,+Philadelphia&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=29.578161,56.162109&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=5328+N+10th+St,+Philadelphia,+Pennsylvania+19120&ll=40.03716,-75.139596&sp</ref>}}

	[[Category: Card Companies]]		[[Category: Card Companies]]

Stalegum: /* Billy Ripken */

2011-01-22T22:44:05Z

Billy Ripken

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:44, 22 January 2011
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	==Billy Ripken==		==Billy Ripken==
	[[Image:Ripkenffcard.jpg\|thumb\|150px\|right\|Billy Ripken's 1989 [[baseball card]].<ref>[http://www.snopes.com/sports/baseball/ripken.htm The 1989 Billy Ripken Fleer Baseball Card, Before and After" (Snopes.com)]</ref><ref name="poundstone">Poundstone, William. ''[[Big Secrets\|Biggest Secrets]]''. page 155.</ref>]]		In 1989, Ripken's Fleer card showed him holding a bat with the expletive '' fuck face'' written in plain view on the knob of the bat. Fleer subsequently rushed to correct the error, and in their haste, released versions in which the text was scrawled over with a marker, whited out with correction fluid, and also airbrushed. On the final, corrected version, Fleer obscured the offensive words with a black box (this was the version included in all factory sets). Both the original card and many of the corrected versions have become collector's items as a result. There are at least ten different variations of this card. As of February 2009 the white out version has a book value of $120, but has been sold in mint condition on eBay for asking prices as high as $1,200.<ref>[http://www.billripken.com/index/10BATS.jpg Baseball card variations, from billripken.com]</ref>
	In ~~{{by\|~~1989}}, Ripken's Fleer card showed him holding a bat with the expletive '' fuck face'' written in plain view on the knob of the bat.<ref name="cnbc.com">{{cite news \|publisher=CNBC \|title=Billy Ripken Obscenity Bat: He Finally Talks 20 Years Later \|first=Darren \|last=Rovell \|url=http://www.cnbc.com/id/28116692 \|date=December 9, 2008}}</ref> Fleer subsequently rushed to correct the error, and in their haste, released versions in which the text was scrawled over with a marker, whited out with correction fluid, and also airbrushed. On the final, corrected version, Fleer obscured the offensive words with a black box (this was the version included in all factory sets). Both the original card and many of the corrected versions have become collector's items as a result. There are at least ten different variations of this card. As of February 2009 the white out version has a book value of $120, but has been sold in mint condition on eBay for asking prices as high as $1,200.<ref>[http://www.billripken.com/index/10BATS.jpg Baseball card variations, from billripken.com]</ref>

	Years later, Ripken admitted to having written the expletive on the bat; however, he claimed he did it to distinguish it as a batting practice bat, and did not intend to use it for the card.~~<ref name="cnbc.com"/>~~		Years later, Ripken admitted to having written the expletive on the bat; however, he claimed he did it to distinguish it as a batting practice bat, and did not intend to use it for the card.

	Some collectors list the card as the "Rick Face" card. The script on the bat appears to make the word ''fuck'' look similar to ''Rick''.~~<ref name="poundstone"/>~~		Some collectors list the card as the "Rick Face" card. The script on the bat appears to make the word ''fuck'' look similar to ''Rick''.

	==Key Trading Card sets==		==Key Trading Card sets==

Stalegum at 22:42, 22 January 2011

2011-01-22T22:42:55Z

Show changes

Stalegum at 22:34, 22 January 2011

2011-01-22T22:34:16Z

Show changes

Stalegum at 22:30, 22 January 2011

2011-01-22T22:30:40Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:30, 22 January 2011
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	[[Image:fleer.png\|\|right\|140px]]		[[Image:fleer.png\|\|right\|140px]]

	The Fleer Corporation, founded by Frank H. Fleer in 1885, was the first company to successfully manufacture bubblegum; it remained a family-owned enterprise until it was taken private in 1989. In 1992, Fleer was sold to ~~the comic-book empire~~ Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. for $265 million. Seven years later, Marvel sold Fleer-Skybox to a partnership formed by Alex Grass, the founder of Rite Aid Corp., and his son Roger at a significant loss—reportedly only $26 million. The Grass family retained ownership until 2005 when Upper Deck bought the rights to the name after it filed for bankruptcy.		'''The Fleer Corporation''', founded by Frank H. Fleer in 1885, was the first company to successfully manufacture bubblegum; it remained a family-owned enterprise until it was taken private in 1989. In 1992, Fleer was sold to Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. for $265 million. Seven years later, Marvel sold Fleer-Skybox to a partnership formed by Alex Grass, the founder of Rite Aid Corp., and his son Roger at a significant loss—reportedly only $26 million. The Grass family retained ownership until 2005 when Upper Deck bought the rights to the name after it filed for bankruptcy.

	==History==		==History==

	The success story of Fleer Trading Cards dates back to 1849 when Frank H. Fleer began his ~~bubble~~ gum business. After ~~success in~~ bubble gum, Fleer decided it was time to begin producing trading cards. In 1923, Fleer created its first "trading card," 120 "famous pictures" (referred to as ~~W515~~) packed with every 5-cent pack of Fleer's Bobs & Fruit Hearts. Babe Ruth's picture was among the stars, but because the set is so rare, no one knows all of the players who were included in the set. In 1935, Fleer packaged a Cops & Robbers trading card set with bubble gum. Fleer's first complete entry into the baseball card industry was ~~the popular~~ 80-card ~~1959~~ Ted Williams set followed by Baseball and Football Greats from 1960-63. The first complete professional basketball card set was 1961 ~~FLEER~~ Basketball.		The success story of Fleer Trading Cards dates back to 1849 when Frank H. Fleer began his chewing gum business. After successfully introducing the world to the first "bubble gum," Fleer decided it was time to begin producing trading cards. In 1923, Fleer created its first "trading card," 120 "famous pictures" (referred to in the ACC as W-515) packed with every 5-cent pack of Fleer's Bobs & Fruit Hearts. Babe Ruth's picture was among the stars, but because the set is so rare, no one knows all of the players who were included in the set. In 1935, Fleer packaged a Cops & Robbers trading card set with bubble gum. Fleer's first complete entry into the baseball card industry was an 80-card Ted Williams set in 1959 followed by Baseball and Football Greats from 1960-63. The first complete professional basketball card set was 1961 Fleer Basketball.

	~~Throughout the 20th century~~ Fleer ~~produced innovative~~ trading card ~~sets,~~ and ~~through aggressive new product development is leading the charge into~~ the ~~21st century~~. Fleer ~~has been producing MLB licensed trading cards consecutively now since 1981, NBA cards since 1986 and NFL cards since 1990~~.		In 1995, Fleer acquired SkyBox International Inc., a trading card company located in North Carolina they had been partially owned by the NBA and the Lorillard Tobacco Company. The new company was renamed Fleer/SkyBox International Inc.

	In ~~1995~~, Fleer ~~acquired SkyBox International Inc.,~~ a ~~trading card company located in North Carolina~~ and ~~known for their innovative NBA and Entertainment products. The new company was called Fleer/SkyBox International Inc~~.		In February 1999, Fleer was bought by a partnership formed by Alex and his son Roger Grass.

	~~With successes constantly growing for Fleer another was on the way.~~ In ~~February 1999~~, Fleer ~~was bought by a partnership formed by Alex and his son Roger Grass. The Grass~~ family ~~has~~ expanded Fleer~~'s product line by offering collectors a wide selection~~ of ~~products~~, ~~with an emphasis on offering~~ the ~~most value per pack~~.		In January 2001, the Fleer family expanded its umbrella with the purchase of White Rose Collectibles, one of the most successful die-cast manufacturers in the country. Fleer followed the purchase of White Rose Collectibles with another major announcement concerning the company. With the first release back in April of 2001, Fleer became the exclusive manufacturer of WWE Wrestling cards.

	~~In June 1999~~, ~~capitalizing on~~ the ~~popularity~~ of the ~~WNBA, Fleer became the exclusive licensee of WNBA cards~~.		The company had been dealing with financial shortfalls for several months and on May 16th, 2005 shut down operations. Just prior they had canceled plans to attend the 2005 NFL Players Rookie Premiere photo shoot in Los Angeles. One of the company's printers refused to release products due to unpaid bills.

	~~As the company headed into the new millennium, Fleer completely overhauled and redesigned its website, www.fleer.com, into the most comprehensive and interactive site in the hobby.~~		Fleer looked for potential buyers in 2004 and several other card companies submitted offers. Mr. Grass did not sell and the company invested in product improvement and promotions. After liquidation, the remnants of Fleer were sold to Upper Deck for less than $8 million.

	With strong product comes strong athlete representation for your products, and in the spring of 2000, Fleer signed NBA superstar Vince Carter to an NBA spokesman deal making him the company's leading NBA spokesman, gaining exclusive rights to all game worn NBA jerseys, shorts, pieces of memorabilia from his University of North Carolina days and more.

	With the signing of Vince Carter in the NBA, Fleer now turned to Major League Baseball for another superstar spokesman. In the summer of 2000, Fleer Trading Cards announced the signing of New York Yankees' all-star shortstop and three-time world champion Derek Jeter to an exclusive spokesman deal for its complete line of Major League Baseball cards.

	The summer of 2000 was the summer for Baseball Card Flipping as Fleer presented its second annual nationwide Fleer Baseball Card Flipping Challenge. Over 400 hobby shops across the nation participated in the events, which culminated in a six-city MLB stadium tour. Ever since, Fleer has been bringing the MLB Card Flipping Challenge to multiple ballparks throughout the country and now visits 10 each season.

	In January 2001, the Fleer family expanded its umbrella with the purchase of White Rose Collectibles, one of the most successful die-cast manufacturers in the country. Currently operating as Fleer Collectibles, Fleer has expanded the die-cast product line in a way that has never been done before. Innovative items such as stealth bombers, fighter jets, helicopters, monster tucks, tractor-trailers and many other popular vehicles in American culture are just a part of Fleer's very diverse and extensive sports licensed die-cast product lineup. Look for Fleer die-products all year long at fleercollectibles.com.

	Fleer followed the purchase of White Rose Collectibles with another major announcement concerning the company. With the first release back in April of 2001, Fleer became the exclusive manufacturer of WWE Wrestling cards. Fleer brings World Wrestling Entertainment cards to a higher level with the most innovative trading cards ever manufactured. In addition to spectacular base-card photos and designs, Fleer offers tons of unique event-worn memorabilia, along with numerous autographs from WWE superstars.

	With a rich history of successful entertainment licenses (stemming from the early 90's) that produced smash hits such as The Lion King, Toy Story, Star Trek, and many more, Fleer launched Fleer Entertainment.

	Fleer's Entertainment line has continued to thrive in 2003 by obtaining the license to become the exclusive manufacturer of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cards. They're back and better than ever. Fleer has been working with 4Kids Entertainment to put out the best product possible for Turtle fans. Fleer has also recently obtained the license to exclusively manufacture Transformers cards in 2003.

	For TMNT and in a few selected sports licenses (MLB and NFL), Fleer has created and manufactured a Three Dimensional trading card. These 3D cards are printed on a hard plastic card, and can be punched out to build unique and collectible models of Turtles, MLB players, and NFL fighter jets.

	Fleer's most recent announcement, is that they have now officially entered the CCG (Collectible Card Game) world with the highly anticipated game, Ophidian 2350. Ophidian 2350, which releases in August of 2003 takes CCG's to a place where they have never been. Ophidian, which is a futuristic gladiator combat game, introduces a new game engine to play CCGs and is groundbreaking for the category. More information can be found on this product at www.ophidiangames.com.

	On the sports card side of things Fleer continues to manufacture quality products at affordable prices. Just recently, Fleer has made plans to incorporate even higher technology in trading card sets along with many more autographs across all Fleer brands.

	Looking into the future Fleer is committed to producing the finest products in the hobby. Collectors will continue to see innovative basic card sets and dynamic inserts as well. Fleer is also committed to offering the best game-used and autographed cards at the best ratios possible.

	The company had been dealing with financial shortfalls for several months and on May 16th, 2005 shut down operations. Just prior they had cancelled plans to attend the 2005 NFL Players Rookie Premiere photo shoot in Los Angeles. One of the company's printers refused to release products due to unpaid bills.

	Fleer looked for potential buyers in 2004 and several other card companies submitted offers. Mr. Grass did not sell and the company invested in product improvement and promotions. Fleer ~~is the second-oldest trading card manufacturer dating back~~ to ~~the 1920s. It has been a licensee of baseball since 1981, football since 1990 and basketball since 1986-87 and a WWE licensee~~.

	The company did business under the names Fleer Trading Cards and Fleer Collectibles and was located at 1120 Route 73, Suite 300, Mt. Laurel, N.J. 08054.		The company did business under the names Fleer Trading Cards and Fleer Collectibles and was located at 1120 Route 73, Suite 300, Mt. Laurel, N.J. 08054.

	[[Category:Card Companies]]		[[Category:Card Companies]]

Chris at 03:32, 28 December 2009

2009-12-28T03:32:33Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:32, 27 December 2009
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	[[Image:fleer.png\|\|right\|140px]]		[[Image:fleer.png\|\|right\|140px]]

			The Fleer Corporation, founded by Frank H. Fleer in 1885, was the first company to successfully manufacture bubblegum; it remained a family-owned enterprise until it was taken private in 1989. In 1992, Fleer was sold to the comic-book empire Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. for $265 million. Seven years later, Marvel sold Fleer-Skybox to a partnership formed by Alex Grass, the founder of Rite Aid Corp., and his son Roger at a significant loss—reportedly only $26 million. The Grass family retained ownership until 2005 when Upper Deck bought the rights to the name after it filed for bankruptcy.

			==History==

	The success story of Fleer Trading Cards dates back to 1849 when Frank H. Fleer began his bubble gum business. After success in bubble gum, Fleer decided it was time to begin producing trading cards. In 1923, Fleer created its first "trading card," 120 "famous pictures" (referred to as W515) packed with every 5-cent pack of Fleer's Bobs & Fruit Hearts. Babe Ruth's picture was among the stars, but because the set is so rare, no one knows all of the players who were included in the set. In 1935, Fleer packaged a Cops & Robbers trading card set with bubble gum. Fleer's first complete entry into the baseball card industry was the popular 80-card 1959 Ted Williams set followed by Baseball and Football Greats from 1960-63. The first complete professional basketball card set was 1961 FLEER Basketball.		The success story of Fleer Trading Cards dates back to 1849 when Frank H. Fleer began his bubble gum business. After success in bubble gum, Fleer decided it was time to begin producing trading cards. In 1923, Fleer created its first "trading card," 120 "famous pictures" (referred to as W515) packed with every 5-cent pack of Fleer's Bobs & Fruit Hearts. Babe Ruth's picture was among the stars, but because the set is so rare, no one knows all of the players who were included in the set. In 1935, Fleer packaged a Cops & Robbers trading card set with bubble gum. Fleer's first complete entry into the baseball card industry was the popular 80-card 1959 Ted Williams set followed by Baseball and Football Greats from 1960-63. The first complete professional basketball card set was 1961 FLEER Basketball.

Chris at 19:04, 24 December 2009

2009-12-24T19:04:24Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:04, 24 December 2009
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	[[Image:fleer.png\|\|right\|~~240px~~]]		[[Image:fleer.png\|\|right\|140px]]

	The success story of Fleer Trading Cards dates back to 1849 when Frank H. Fleer began his bubble gum business. After success in bubble gum, Fleer decided it was time to begin producing trading cards. In 1923, Fleer created its first "trading card," 120 "famous pictures" (referred to as W515) packed with every 5-cent pack of Fleer's Bobs & Fruit Hearts. Babe Ruth's picture was among the stars, but because the set is so rare, no one knows all of the players who were included in the set. In 1935, Fleer packaged a Cops & Robbers trading card set with bubble gum. Fleer's first complete entry into the baseball card industry was the popular 80-card 1959 Ted Williams set followed by Baseball and Football Greats from 1960-63. The first complete professional basketball card set was 1961 FLEER Basketball.		The success story of Fleer Trading Cards dates back to 1849 when Frank H. Fleer began his bubble gum business. After success in bubble gum, Fleer decided it was time to begin producing trading cards. In 1923, Fleer created its first "trading card," 120 "famous pictures" (referred to as W515) packed with every 5-cent pack of Fleer's Bobs & Fruit Hearts. Babe Ruth's picture was among the stars, but because the set is so rare, no one knows all of the players who were included in the set. In 1935, Fleer packaged a Cops & Robbers trading card set with bubble gum. Fleer's first complete entry into the baseball card industry was the popular 80-card 1959 Ted Williams set followed by Baseball and Football Greats from 1960-63. The first complete professional basketball card set was 1961 FLEER Basketball.

Chris at 19:04, 24 December 2009

2009-12-24T19:04:11Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:04, 24 December 2009
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	[[Image:fleer.png\|\|right\|~~340px~~]]		[[Image:fleer.png\|\|right\|240px]]

	The success story of Fleer Trading Cards dates back to 1849 when Frank H. Fleer began his bubble gum business. After success in bubble gum, Fleer decided it was time to begin producing trading cards. In 1923, Fleer created its first "trading card," 120 "famous pictures" (referred to as W515) packed with every 5-cent pack of Fleer's Bobs & Fruit Hearts. Babe Ruth's picture was among the stars, but because the set is so rare, no one knows all of the players who were included in the set. In 1935, Fleer packaged a Cops & Robbers trading card set with bubble gum. Fleer's first complete entry into the baseball card industry was the popular 80-card 1959 Ted Williams set followed by Baseball and Football Greats from 1960-63. The first complete professional basketball card set was 1961 FLEER Basketball.		The success story of Fleer Trading Cards dates back to 1849 when Frank H. Fleer began his bubble gum business. After success in bubble gum, Fleer decided it was time to begin producing trading cards. In 1923, Fleer created its first "trading card," 120 "famous pictures" (referred to as W515) packed with every 5-cent pack of Fleer's Bobs & Fruit Hearts. Babe Ruth's picture was among the stars, but because the set is so rare, no one knows all of the players who were included in the set. In 1935, Fleer packaged a Cops & Robbers trading card set with bubble gum. Fleer's first complete entry into the baseball card industry was the popular 80-card 1959 Ted Williams set followed by Baseball and Football Greats from 1960-63. The first complete professional basketball card set was 1961 FLEER Basketball.