Inside Story

The 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken baseball card is not just a trading card; it’s a piece of baseball lore. When Ripken picked up a bat, with a profanity written on it, and posed for a photo, he likely had no idea what would unfold. This seemingly innocuous mistake has captivated collectors and sparked debate for over three decades. Let’s delve into the story behind this infamous error card, exploring the prank, the controversy, and its lasting impact.

The “FF ERROR” Prank and Photograph

The year was 1989. Spring training was in full swing, and young Bill Ripken grabbed his batting practice bat for his Fleer photo session. Nobody noticed that he’d marked the knob of his bat in an impish way: He wrote “F**k Face” in dark black marker (but the real version wasn’t censored).

The photograph, with the offensive inscription clearly visible on the bat knob, somehow slipped through the editing process at Fleer. Whether it was an oversight, a deliberate attempt to generate publicity, or a combination of both, the exact reason remains a subject of speculation. The card, numbered #616, went into production, destined to become an unexpected collector’s item.

Release and Repercussions

When the 1989 Fleer set hit the shelves, the error card quickly gained notoriety. Collectors scrambled for the card, sometimes labeled the “Rick Face” card to make it more palatable in the media and at shows. The card’s value skyrocketed, fetching exorbitant prices compared to its regular counterparts.

Meanwhile, news of the error card spread like wildfire, reaching the ears of both Ripken and Fleer. Ripken admitted that he wrote on the bat as a way to easily see that it was his batting practice bat. He didn’t intend for it to gate-crash his Fleer photo session. He ultimately blamed Fleer: “They certainly have to have enough proofreaders to see it. I think not only did they see it, but they also enhanced it. That writing on that bat is way too clear. I don’t write that neat. I think they knew that once they saw it, they could use the card to create an awful lot of stir.”

1989 Fleer Bill Ripken Errors and Variations

Fleer, facing public scrutiny, quickly addressed the issue. Over the next year, they made multiple attempts to correct the error, with varying degrees of rarity now assigned to their efforts:

• Original: This is the first issue, with the obscenity on full display
  • PSA 8 value: $80
• Whiteout: The first correction worked pretty well, but didn’t quite blend with the natural wood of Ripken’s bat, so they tried again
  • PSA 8 value: $175
• White Scribble: Another attempt by Fleer to cover up the profanity involved using a scribble pattern over the inscription
  • PSA 8 value: $600
• Black Scribble: For an unknown reason, Fleer used black marker in this later version, which was more obvious than any of the previous corrections
  • PSA 8 value: $20
• Black Box: Fleer ultimately obscured the inscription by printing a black box over it
  • PSA 8 value: $10

The early attempts to obscure the word are the rarest, and most valuable, of the variations. Some collectors have reported other variations, including cards that have been “notched,” but these are generally considered outliers rather than variations.

The existence of these variations adds another layer of intrigue to the story of the Bill Ripken error card. It highlights the complexities of the printing process and the unexpected ways errors can manifest themselves in the world of sports cards, and the lack of a process to address these issues.

1989 Fleer Bill Ripken: The Aftermath

The Bill Ripken error card became a hot potato for Fleer. While the company faced criticism for the initial oversight, the publicity surrounding the error arguably boosted sales of the entire set. Ripken, despite his initial disapproval, eventually embraced the card’s notoriety, even signing autographs on them later in his career.

The card’s legacy extends beyond its monetary value. It serves as a reminder of the unexpected twists and turns that can occur in the world of card collecting. It also highlights the power of a seemingly small error to capture the public’s imagination and become a permanent fixture in sports history.

Embracing Error Cards

The Bill Ripken error card’s impact extends far beyond its own unique story. It has left a lasting mark on the world of sports card collecting, influencing attitudes towards errors and shaping the hobby in unexpected ways.

Prior to the Ripken card, error cards were often viewed as undesirable oddities. However, the immense popularity of this particular error helped shift the perception. Collectors began to appreciate the unique character and historical significance of error cards, recognizing them as valuable additions to their collections.

This newfound appreciation for errors has fueled a niche market within the hobby. Collectors actively seek out error cards, with prices often exceeding those of their regular counterparts. This trend has encouraged a closer examination of cards by collectors, leading to the discovery of new and interesting variations.

Conclusion

The Bill Ripken error card remains a source of fascination and debate over three decades after its release. Its story is a captivating blend of humor, controversy, and historical significance. It serves as a reminder that even the seemingly mundane can hold unexpected value and capture the public’s attention.

In conclusion, the Bill Ripken error card is more than just a piece of cardboard with a mistake. It’s a testament to the power of unexpected events, the evolving landscape of sports card collecting, and the enduring allure of historical oddities. It serves as a reminder that the most captivating stories in the world of collectibles often lie in the unexpected.

In over 100 years, no baseball card has sparked as much fascination as the 1909-1911 T206 Honus Wagner. Despite the existence of more renowned players and even rarer cards in the baseball card collecting hobby, it is the T206 Honus Wagner that continues to enchant collectors and permeate popular culture.

What sets it apart? The story behind the T206 Honus Wagner, and the story of its investors, is what drives the value and interest over a century since it was printed. Where else can you find a card featuring a Hall of Fame player within the hobby’s revered “Holy Grail” baseball card set, all entwined with captivating tales, some conspiracy, plus scandals and an air of mystery?

Join us as we delve into the fascinating history of the T206 Honus Wagner, exploring theories surrounding its scarcity and unraveling the most significant aspects of this iconic piece.

History

In the early 1900s, baseball card companies like Topps didn’t exist. Back then, candy and tobacco companies created cards, and they were simply a bonus with their main products.

The American Tobacco company was a tobacco conglomerate that produced brands like Sweet Caporal and Piedmont. They had been including baseball cards with their products for several years before they introduced the T206 cards in 1909. It was one of the first color sets, produced by lithograph with over 500 works of art.

So why was Honus Wagner – one of the game’s best players – so hard to find?

Theory #1: Honus Wagner was Anti-Tobacco

One widely accepted theory revolves around the circumstances of Wagner’s objection to the card’s production. Legend has it that Wagner was displeased with the use of his image on tobacco products, as he did not want to be associated with promoting smoking to children. Allegedly, the company pulled the card after a limited print run, at his request. Today, only 50-100 copies are known to exist. (For context, there are 50 Wagners shown in the photo at the top of this article)

In 1900, the average American smoked 54 cigarettes in a year; by 1910, this had increased 18x, to 970 cigarettes per person, per year (Source: CDC). In addition, according to the National Cancer Institute, 80% of people born in 1920 went on to smoke at some point in their lives. This gives credence to the theory that Wagner was unhappy with tobacco use among young people in the early 1900s.

However, according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Wagner both chewed and smoked tobacco. He appeared in a cigarette ad in 1909, and his 1948 Leaf baseball card even shows him chewing tobacco. While this doesn’t prove he was against tobacco use among kids, it is an indication that this theory is false.

Theory #2: Honus Wagner Wanted More Money

Another commonly cited theory states that Honus Wagner objected to the use of his image on the T206 card because he was not fairly compensated for it. During the early 20th century, baseball players were not as highly paid as they are today, and endorsement deals were not as common. Wagner was one of the first players’ whose earnings from endorsements – from soda to gunpowder – outstripped his baseball salary.

According to this theory, Wagner realized that tobacco products were using his image for promotion, but he did not receive adequate financial compensation in return. The American Tobacco Company, which produced the T206 set, likely offered a flat fee or a modest amount to Wagner for the rights to use his image, while making a lot of money itself. If Wagner believed that the compensation did not match the value of his endorsement or the potential revenue generated by the card, he may have chosen to protest by requesting the card’s removal from circulation.

A related theory, as reported by ESPN, says that the artist and the tobacco company got into a copyright dispute, causing card production to cease. This theory is more difficult to believe, given that over 99% of the cards had no issues with short prints.

Theory #3: Quality Control Issues

Another plausible theory suggests that the T206 Honus Wagner cards were subject to stringent quality control measures during the printing process, but the process was unreliable. Consequently, the public only had access to a small number of cards. This theory aligns with the idea that the limited supply was not intentional but rather a consequence of rigorous production standards, and it’s true that the cards on the market don’t suffer from printing errors like misaligned colors.

While this theory is not as interesting as the others, it does also explain the scarcity of other cards in the set – notably, Sherry Magee, Eddie Plank and Joe Doyle. Collectors acknowledge that those cards also had errors or variations (Magee, Doyle) and alleged printing plate issues (Plank). Sometimes, collectors attribute the scarcity of the T206 Honus Wagner to broken printing plates (although this theory is less prevalent).

When we’re talking about the nascent days of baseball cards, shortages caused by quality issues certainly make sense.

Theory #4: Regional Distribution Issues

Distribution problems during the early 20th century could also be a contributing factor to the scarcity of the T206 Honus Wagner card. Some people believe that Wagner, being a Pittsburgh Pirates player, may have limited the distribution of his card to the local area, making it less widely available compared to cards featuring players from other teams. This regional restriction could have inadvertently led to a limited supply of the card.

However, Pittsburgh’s population was larger in 1910 than other major league cities like Cincinnati and Washington, DC. The T206 also featured cards of 18 other Pirates players, without any shortages or regional issues.

Sales of the T206 Honus Wagner

The mystery surrounding the scarcity of the T206 Honus Wagner card has led to significant intrigue around the card. In the 1930s, the Wagner card earned its designation as rare for the first time when it featured in the influential American Card Catalog, created by renowned collector Jefferson Burdick. At the time, he assigned a value to the Wagner card that was 200x the value of other cards in the set.

Prominent collectors like hockey star Wayne Gretzky, actor Charlie Sheen and Ken Kendrick (owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks) have also owned the card. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Public Library and even a group of nuns in Baltimore owned copies at some point.

The most recent T206 Honus Wagner cards have sold for as much as $7.25 million, which is the second-highest sale ever for a baseball card. Even a fragment of a T206 Honus Wagner holds significant value, as evidenced by a torn-in-half card selling for $475,000 in 2022, and a PSA 1 card fetching over $3.13 million in the same year.

Scandals, Fakes & Alterations

Due to the high value given to the T206 Honus Wagner, it has unfortunately been subject to several scandals around card trimming and fakes. Even well-established auction houses fell victim to doctored cards.

The Gretzky T206 sold for a then-record $451,000 in 1991, in a sale that stunned collectors and non-collectors alike. Gretzky submitted the card to PSA shortly after acquiring it. The card received a PSA 8 grade and, subsequently, Gretzky sold it to Walmart for $500,000 in 1995 as part of a giveaway. Nevertheless, subsequent analyses revealed that it had been altered and should never have been assigned a grade.

Alternative versions of the T206 Honus Wagner card have surfaced and vanished from public visibility due to doubts about their authenticity. Overall, only 60 authenticated Wagner cards are recognized to exist, with just three of them attaining a PSA rating of 5 or higher.

Conclusion

Today, while the original card is rare, you can find the T206 Honus Wagner on everything from t-shirts, jigsaw puzzles and in derivative works and reprints. Why is it so popular?

“The card is valuable because it is famous; it is famous because it is valuable,” noted one writer.

Due to its scarcity and folklorish appeal, the T206 Honus Wagner continues to captivate the imagination of collectors and enthusiasts. While historical context, quality control, and distribution issues offer reasonable explanations, the allure of more outlandish theories adds an element of fun to the quest for the truth.

Whether rooted in reality or fueled by whimsy, the T206 Honus Wagner card remains an iconic and enigmatic piece of baseball card history.

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card is one of the most iconic and valuable baseball cards ever produced. In 2022 the card sold at auction for $12.6 million, and even poorly-graded versions sell for six-figures.

The Rarity

The 1952 Topps set is one of the most important baseball card sets ever released. The Mickey Mantle card is the key card in this set and is card number #311. It’s part of the “high number series” (cards #311 to #407), which were released later in the year and are scarcer than the lower-numbered cards.

The initial print run of the 1952 Topps set was relatively small, as the company was a newcomer to the baseball card market. In addition, the 1952 Topps set faced distribution challenges. Many unopened packs were returned to the manufacturer and later dumped into the Atlantic Ocean. This resulted in a scarcity of high-grade cards from this set, including the Mantle rookie.

1952 Topps Mickey Mantle Features

The image on the card is a colorized black-and-white photograph of Mantle. He likely posed for the photo in 1951 during his rookie season. The colorization process was common for cards of that era.

The card includes Mickey Mantle’s signature; it’s a printed facsimile, not a real signature. This is an integral part of the card’s design and adds to its aesthetic appeal.

Card Value & Finds

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card is one of the most valuable and sought-after cards in the hobby. The card’s value can vary widely based on its condition, with mint or near-mint examples commanding astronomical prices in the collector’s market.

Graded Examples: Due to its high value, many collectors have submitted their 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie cards for professional grading and authentication by services like PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) or BGS (Beckett Grading Services). Graded cards with high grades (e.g., PSA 8 or PSA 9) are particularly valuable.

In the early 2010s, former Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford found a collection of rare, high-grade 1952 Topps cards, including several Mantle rookies. This “Whitey Ford Find” generated significant interest and led to the sale of several pristine Mantle rookie cards.

Significance of the Card

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card is a symbol of baseball card collecting and holds a special place in the hearts of collectors and fans alike. Its rarity, historical significance, and association with one of baseball’s greatest legends make it a coveted piece of sports memorabilia.

The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle rookie card has also transcended the world of sports collecting to become a pop culture icon. It is often featured in documentaries, books, and discussions about the history of baseball cards and collecting.

The 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card is one of the most iconic and sought-after baseball cards in the hobby.

Here’s Comes Upper Deck – And Griffey Jr.

Ken Griffey Jr. made his Major League Baseball debut on April 3, 1989, at the age of 19. Upper Deck released its inaugural baseball card set that same year, making Griffey’s card one of the first cards produced with the new company’s hologram logo, which added an element of authenticity and prestige.

The Ken Griffey Jr. card is the very first card in the 1989 Upper Deck baseball set, which further adds to its significance. The first card in a set is often reserved for the most highly anticipated rookie or star player.

The 1989 Upper Deck set was known for its superior production quality. Upper Deck printed the cards on high-quality, thick cardstock. The use of glossy, UV coating gave them a premium look and feel compared to other cards of the time. Although Upper Deck’s hologram looked cool, it also served a purpose: It was there to combat counterfeiting. This made it one of the first trading cards to feature this security measure. This hologram, along with the card’s premium quality, added to its collectible value.

1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Card Features

The card features a young Ken Griffey Jr. with a signature smile. This became one of his trademark expressions throughout his career. This image captured the youthful exuberance and charisma that endeared him to fans.

Ken Griffey Jr. posed for the photograph during a spring training game in 1988. The photographer, Walter Iooss Jr., captured the shot while Griffey was in the on-deck circle. Iooss is a renowned sports photographer, and his work added to the card’s allure.

While the primary 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card is the most famous, there are also variations. One example is the “UER” (Upper Deck Error Rookie) variation, which features a corrected birthdate on the back.

Card Value

Over the years, the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card has remained extremely popular among collectors. Its value has fluctuated depending on the condition of the card. Mint or near-mint examples often fetch high prices in the secondary market. Collectors also covet autographed versions.

Due to its popularity and value, many collectors have sent their Griffey rookie cards for professional grading and authentication by services like PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator) or BGS (Beckett Grading Services). Graded cards with high grades (e.g., PSA 9 or PSA 10) often command a premium in the market.

Collectors can purchase an ungraded Griffey Jr. in excellent-mint condition for as low as $50-$100. A PSA 10 / Auto 10 has sold for $55,201, according to Cardbase. (That designation means the card is a perfect 10 and includes a gem mint 10 autograph.)

Lasting Impact

The 1989 Griffey rookie card is often cited as a catalyst for the baseball card collecting boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s. It attracted new collectors to the hobby and helped establish Upper Deck as a major player in the trading card industry.

The 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card remains an enduring symbol of baseball card collecting and continues to be a coveted piece for collectors and fans of “The Kid.”