1982 Fleer

Description

1982 Fleer is a 660-card set. The set is in team order based upon standings from the previous season with the 1981 World Series Champion Dodgers first. Cards numbered 628 through 646 are special cards highlighting some of the stars and leaders of the 1981 season. The last 14 cards in the set (647-660) are checklist cards. The backs feature player statistics and a full-color team logo in the upper right-hand corner of each card.

'82 Fleer is probably best known for the number of errors that riddled the set. Some collectors believe that many of the errors (especially the "All Hrabosky" cards) were gimmicks meant to capitalize of the buzz created by the "Craig Nettles" error card of the year before. However, the most famous (and valuable) error card in the set, the "reverse negative" of John Littlefield, was an honest mistake.

After issuing 1981 Fleer with a stick of gum in each pack, an appeals court ruled that Topps still had the exclusive right to market baseball trading cards packaged with gum, or as a stand-alone product. In lieu of gum, Fleer inserted a team logo sticker in each pack.

Notable Rookie Cards in this set include Cal Ripken, Jr., Lee Smith, and Dave Stewart.

Distribution

Wax: 36 packs per box, 15 cards plus one team logo sticker per pack (MSRP: $0.30). 20 boxes per case.

Cello: 24 packs per box, 28 cards plus two logo stickers per pack (MSRP: $0.49).

"Triple-Wax" Rack: Three 15-card wax packs.

500-card vending boxes.

From 1981-84 Fleer distributed 500-card vending boxes, numbered #1, #2, #3, or #4. When opened, the contents of one of each box would yield three full 660-card sets.

Checklist

Test Cards

These cards, issued early in the 1982 Fleer press run, feature photos used in the 1982 set along with the players name. These cards can be identified by the words "Test Card" on the front. It is unclear exactly how these cards made their way into circulation.

<sql2wiki database="carddb"> SELECT player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1982) AND (setname = 'Fleer Test'); </sql2wiki>

Base Set

<sql2wiki database="carddb"> SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1982) AND (setname = 'Fleer') AND (num < 628) ORDER BY num +0 ASC; </sql2wiki>

Specials

NOTE: Card #639 commemorates Len Barker's 1981 perfect game. Unfortunately, Barker is depicted with Indians catcher Bo Diaz who was NOT in the lineup that day (Ron Hassey was the catcher). This would be corrected in the following year's set.

<sql2wiki database="carddb"> SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1982) AND (setname = 'Fleer') AND (num BETWEEN 628 AND 646) ORDER BY num +0 ASC; </sql2wiki>

Checklists

<sql2wiki database="carddb"> SELECT num,player,info FROM cards WHERE (year = 1982) AND (setname = 'Fleer') AND (num > 646) ORDER BY num +0 ASC; </sql2wiki>

Inserts

Team Sticker

Beginning in 1982, Fleer could no longer package its baseball cards with a stick of gum, nor could they sold just by themselves -- as Topps continued to have an exclusive license to sell baseball cards with confectionery products and as a standalone product. As a work-around, each pack of 1982 Fleer Baseball contained a team logo sticker. There were four styles: "Hat Logo," "Hat," and "Team Logo with Stat Line on Square Background," and "Team Logo with Stat Line on Baseball Diamond Background" -- the designs of which are virtually-identical to the 1980 Fleer World Series and 1981 Fleer All-Star Game sticker sets, which were stand-alone products.

The reverse side of each Team Sticker contains a puzzle piece that, when assembled, shows a scene from the 1981 All-Star Game.

Fleer/Fleer Tradition
Pre-License Era: 1959 Fleer Ted Williams - 1960 - 1961 - 1963
Triopoly Era: 1981 - 1982 - 1983 - 1984 - 1985 - 1986 - 1987
Junk Wax Era: 1988 - 1989 - 1990 - 1991
Marvel Entertainment Era: 1992 - 1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997
Fleer Tradition Era: 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005
Upper Deck Era: 2006 - 2007
Update Sets: 1984 - 1985 - 1986 - 1987 - 1988 - 1989 - 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - 1993 Final Edition - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2002 - 2003
Other Fleer/Fleer Tradition Brands: 2002 Fleer - 2006 Fleer Tradition