Ten Interesting Cards: 1995 Fleer Update

This is the box that got me into this mess in the first place. There's a guy who has been at a couple of card shows that I've been to this year who has junk wax by the tableful and is not shy about dumping it on unsuspecting prey such as myself. Hardly a second went by after I picked up this box before I started looking at other, less attractive Fleer goodies. By now you know that I left the table no less than three boxes, despite the fact that no more than 1% of the cards contained in said packs could actually fit in my collection.

This is an update set, so aside from an odd rookie or two, the players you actually care about are mostly relegated to inserts. Fortunately, this being a mid-'90s Fleer product, there's an insert in every single pack.

This year saw Fleer reduce the quality of their cardstock while dramatically increase their design/marketing budget... with hilarious results! Andre Dawson, normally badass, looks positively goofy here. It probably doesn't help that he's trying to wear teal and pull it off.

This apparently was meant to be a celebration of the new divisional alignment, so there are six total base designs, one for each division. I don't personally feel that the current divisional alignment is anything worth celebrating. The Mets/Cards rivalry makes anything they've got going currently with the Brewers or the Reds just pale in comparison.

You can tell this is an insert card because the design is actually somewhat understated, despite all of the foil. This is a backwards set. Inserts are supposed to look ridiculous. Base cards are supposed to be as consistent as your grandfather's haircut.

I... don't even know what to say.

Here's a little nod to the old school and thus is probably my favorite insert set from this release.

Actually, these Diamond Tribute inserts look a bit like 1994 Fleer Ultra.

Wow, I'm sorry, AL Central fans. I really am.

Even Rickey is trying to run away from this horror show of a set.

This Pettitte base design actually looks normal in comparison to some of the others, which is just a sad state of affairs.

Interestingly enough, Fleer would move on from this to an almost rebellious minimalist approach for the next couple of years, keeping the almost paper-thin cardstock but rejecting glossy and multi-photo rainbow colors. Unfortunately, that approach doesn't appear to have been any more successful.

Now I get to mail stuff! Hooray!