1987 Fleer Baseball's Hottest Stars Set

Anyone who collects baseball cards from the 1980s to early '90s is familiar with the fabled "boxed set." In a nutshell, these are small baseball sets that were produced by Topps or Fleer to be sold by specific retail chains. A colorful point-of-purchase display case would typically house 24 sets, with each set being cello-wrapped in an equally colorful cardboard box. Topps boxed sets typically contained 33 cards and a stick of gum, while Fleer boxed sets typically contained 44 cards and several stickers. 

Sets of this nature were always named with a theme; "Memorable Moments", "Stars of the Decades", "All-Time Home Run Kings" and "Baseball Rookies" were some of the topics chosen for boxed sets. Thanks to the internet, it seems that no sets from this genre are difficult to find today. Though none of these boxed beauties are scarce, some are sought more by collectors than others... In particular, sets featuring rookie players that went on to have superstar careers are the ones with the most demand.

The most popular (and valuable) retail-chain boxed set today is the 1987 Fleer Baseball's Hottest Stars set. This 44-card issue was created exclusively for Revco Drug Stores, which was a large chain found mostly east of the Mississippi River. In typical fashion, this Fleer set features 44 cards, six baseball logo stickers, and comes sealed in a colorful retail box. A checklist of the players in the set appears right on the back of the box, which undoubtedly enticed Jose Canseco and Don Mattingly collectors of the day to grab a set or two.

Many of Baseball's hottest stars were indeed included in the set, including Hall of Fame standouts Mike Schmidt, Andre Dawson (NL MVP in 1987), George Brett and Rickey Henderson. Pete Rose even makes an appearance as first baseman/manager of the Reds. On the other hand, the inclusion of several players is questionable; Orioles outfielder Larry Sheets and Padres pitcher Eric Show are examples that were solid but average players. Numerous others were hometown favorites at best. But good, bad and ugly aside, there's one player in particular that makes this set the crown jewel of the entire boxed set genre... 

Pirates rookie Barry Bonds.

Fleer actually cheated a bit on their title of "Baseball's Hottest Stars," and added several promising rookies to the set. As always, several of these youngsters went on to have mediocre careers at best, while others achieved all-star status. Players featured in the set during their rookie-card year included Blue Jays pitcher Mark Eichhorn, Rangers outfielder Pete Incaviglia, Phillies pitcher Bruce Ruffin, Indians outfielder Cory Snyder, Dodgers outfielder Reggie Williams and Cardinals Pitcher Todd Worrell. Also featured during his rookie card year is Angels first baseman Wally Joyner, though Fleer got a jump on him the year before in their 1986 Baseball's Best boxed set.

Without a doubt, the aforementioned Barry Bonds would go on to become the most popular and collected player in the set. During the 2000-2005 MLB seasons, years after collectors had lost interest in most other boxed sets, the '87 Baseball's Hottest Stars set was selling in the $40 to $50 range. Today, the price has cooled considerably and the set sells in the $10 to $15 range on Ebay. Even so, this wonderful oddball issue remains the most celebrated set to emerge from a long bygone era of small, colorful, retailer-exclusive baseball card releases.

Random Fact: Revco, the drug store chain that originally sold these sets, was purchased by CVS in 1997. All Revco stores had either closed or were re-branded to CVS by the summer of 1998.

Click here to hunt for 1987 Fleer Hottest Stars Sets

1. Joaquin Andujar, A's

2. Harold Baines, White Sox

3. Kevin Bass, Astros

4. Don Baylor, Red Sox

5. Barry Bonds, Pirates

6. George Brett, Royals

7. Tom Brunansky, Twins

8. Brett Butler, Indians

9. Jose Canseco, A's

10. Roger Clemens, Red Sox

11. Ron Darling, Mets

12. Eric Davis, Reds

13. Andre Dawson, Expos

14. Doug DeCinces, Angels

15. Leon Durham, Cubs

16. Mark Eichhorn, Blue Jays

17. Scott Garrelts, Giants

18. Dwight Gooden, Mets

19. Dave Henderson, Red Sox

20. Rickey Henderson, Yankees

21. Keith Hernandez, Mets

22. Ted Higuera, Brewers

23. Bob Horner, Braves

24. Pete Incaviglia, Rangers

25. Wally Joyner, Angels

26. Mark Langston, Mariners

27. Don Mattingly, Yankees

28. Dale Murphy, Braves

29. Kirk McCaskill, Angels

30. Willie McGee, Cardinals

31. Dave Righetti, Yankees

32. Pete Rose, Reds

33. Bruce Ruffin, Phillies

34. Steve Sax, Dodgers

35. Mike Schmidt, Phillies

36. Larry Sheets, Orioles

37. Eric Show, Padres

38. Dave Smith, Astros

39. Cory Snyder, Indians

40. Frank Tanana, Tigers

41. Alan Trammell, Tigers

42. Reggie Williams, Dodgers

43. Mookie Wilson, Mets

44. Todd Worrell, Cardinals

1986 Fleer Baseball's Best Boxed Set

There's a good chance you wound up here on this blog because you found some baseball cards... In the group was a small box titled "Fleer 1986 Limited Edition Major League Baseball's Best," followed by "22 of the Best Sluggers and Pitchers." If that's the case, I've got some good news, and I've got some bad news.

But before I report the news, here's a brief history of these types of small baseball boxed sets that were sold in retail stores. In 1982, Topps and K-Mart partnered to release a 44-card boxed set in honor of K-Mart's 25th Anniversary. Initially snapped up by speculators at the time, Topps ran the presses overtime and eventually printed more sets than could ever be sold; because of overproduction, the K-Mart set can usually be found at the cost of a dollar or less today. It was about four years later, in 1985, when three more boxed sets showed up on retailer shelves... A 44-card "All-Time Home Run Kings" set was produced by Topps for Circle K, a 44-card "All-Time Record Holders" set was issued by Topps for Woolworth's, and a 44-card "Limited Edition Baseball Superstars" set was created by Fleer for several different retail chains. Dozens of similar boxed sets would be released from 1986 until 1990, with the final hurrah being the 1991 Topps/Toys R Us Baseball Rookies set. Collectors had shifted their focus to the premium card market by this point, and the era of small, co-branded, retail boxed sets had come to a perfunctory end. 

Here's the good news for owners of the 1986 Fleer Baseball's Best set... It's really a cool little issue that features most of the big stars of the day. Boggs, Brett, Clemens, Reggie, Ripken Jr., Rose and Seaver are just a few of the big names you'll find inside that colorful box. Another neat point that has been lost over time is how the set features four young prospects who are pictured before or during their rookie card year. Oakland slugger Jose Canseco is represented here during his rookie card year, while San Francisco first baseman Will Clark, California first baseman Wally Joyner and Texas pitcher Bobby Witt are all included a full year before their true rookie cards were printed. Though none of these four players will end up in the Hall of Fame anytime soon, each of them enjoyed solid success in the Majors for many years afterwards.

So, what is the value of a set like this? Well, that's kinda where the bad news comes in. Like the K-Mart set mentioned above, the presses rolled long and often on these cards. The demand for these kinds of boxed sets have never bounced back, and probably never will. These days you can grab a set off of eBay for two to four dollars, and a searcher can often find an example bundled in a lot with several other similar types of sets at bargain basement prices. 

And so goes the world of oddball card collecting. Collectors will always be interested in sets of all shapes and sizes, but the value always ultimately boils down to supply and demand. In the case of most sets printed during the 1980s, including all of these neat little boxed sets, today's supply exceeds today's demand by an awful lot.

Click here to find Fleer Baseball's Best Sets

1. Bert Blyleven, Minnesota Twins

2. Wade Boggs, Boston Red Sox

3. George Brett, Kansas City Royals

4. Tom Browning, Cincinnati Reds

5. Jose Canseco, Oakland A's

6. Will Clark, San Francisco Giants

7. Roger Clemens, Boston Red Sox

8. Alvin Davis, Seattle Mariners

9. Julio Franco, Cleveland Indians

10. Kirk Gibson, Detroit Tigers

11. Dwight Gooden, New York Mets

12. Goose Gossage, San Diego Padres

13. Pedro Guerrero, Los Angeles Dodgers

14. Ron Guidry, New York Yankees

15. Tony Gwynn, San Diego Padres

16. Orel Hershiser, Los Angeles Dodgers

17. Kent Hrbek, Minnesota Twins

18. Reggie Jackson, California Angels

19. Wally Joyner, California Angels

20. Charlie Leibrandt, Kansas City Royals

21. Don Mattingly, New York Yankees

22. Willie McGee, St. Louis Cardinals

23. Jack Morris, Detroit Tigers

24. Dale Murphy, Atlanta Braves

25. Eddie Murray, Baltimore Orioles

26. Jeff Reardon, Montreal Expos

27. Rick Reuschel, Pittsburgh Pirates

28. Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles

29. Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds

30. Nolan Ryan, Houston Astros

31. Bret Saberhagen, Kansas City Royals

32. Ryne Sandberg, Chicago Cubs

33. Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia Phillies

34. Tom Seaver, Chicago White Sox

35. Bryn Smith, Montreal Expos

36. Mario Soto, Cincinnati Reds

37. Dave Steib, Toronto Blue Jays

38. Darryl Strawberry, New York Mets

39. Rick Sutcliffe, Chicago Cubs

40. John Tudor, St. Louis Cardinals

41. Fernando Valenzuela, Los Angeles Dodgers

42. Bobby Witt, Texas Rangers

43. Mike Witt, California Angels

44. Robin Yount, Milwaukee Brewers