July 15, 2021: Summer Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/15/2021
This is an intriguing lot that celebrates Fleer’s foray into the baseball card arena in the 1960s, headlined by a sparkling group of cards from the 1961 Baseball Greats First Series, including a near set from the First Series missing only one card, plus a similarly strong array from 1963 when the company tried its hand at portraying current players in a mainstream issue. The final element in the lot is a grouping of nearly three dozen Near-Mint to Mint cards from the quirky 1968 Fleer World Series set, the collector issue that featured the caricature pen-and-ink artwork of the legendary R.G. Laughlin. In the case of 1961 Fleer there is significant duplication (noted below), often involving Tier One Hall of Famers. We'll start with the 1960 Fleer Baseball Greats (19) issue, an array essentially Very Good to Excellent, with a few below (all Hall of Famers): Nos. 5, 9 (2, one is Fair), 10, 12, 13, 17, 19, 22, 31, 32, 34, 43, 49, 60, 69 and 75; 1961 Fleer Baseball Greats Series One Near Set (134), missing No. 67 Bobo Newsom) – primarily Ex-Mt to Near-Mint, with some above and below and emphasis to Near-Mint, with some of the keys and numbers with duplication listed here: No. 1 Checklist – VG-Ex (mk), 2 Alexander (2), 4 Anson (2), 14 Cobb – Near-Mint m/c, 25 Feller (3), 27 Foxx (3), 31 Gehrig – Nr-Mt, 38 Grove Nr-Mt m/c, 45 Hubbell (2), 49 Johnson (2), 59 Mathewson (2), 68 Ott (3), 77 Simmons (2), 78 Sisler – Nr-Mt m/c, 75 Ruth – Nr-Mt to Mt m/c and 79 Speaker (2); 1963 Fleer (32), mostly different, Ex-Mt to Nr-Mt, with a few below and the emphasis to Near-Mint: No. 32 Santo – Nr-Mt-Plus – presents Near-Mint but 1/8-inch short of standard dimensions, 41 Drysdale (evidence of trimming), 42 Koufax – Nr-Mt (evidence of trimming), 61 Gibson – VG-Ex (evidence of trimming), 64 Cepeda – Good, plus Barber (2), Landis, Francona, Power, Richardson (2), Piersall, Pinson (2), Purkey (2), Tommy Davis, Callison and White; 1968 Fleer World Series (32), Near-Mint to Mint or better, with a few below and a bit of duplication (World Series years listed): 1935 (4), 1936 (2), 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944 (2), 1945 (4), 1946, 1948, 1951, 1952 (4), 1953, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1961, 1962 and 1963 (3).
1960-68 Fleer Baseball Group, High-Grade 1961 Greats and 1963 Koufax, 155 HOFers (217)
Click above for larger image.