One of the first articles I wrote for PostWarCards 1.0 was about the Ted Signs For 1959 card. With new information surfacing in recent years and a PSA 9 appearing in Huggins & Scott’s summer auction, it felt like the right time to revisit, update, and republish the piece. Enjoy!
Introduction & Background
The Frank H. Fleer Corporation was aiming to break into the sports card market to boost its bubble gum sales. With Bowman out and Topps holding the exclusive MLB license, Fleer went a different route—a single-player set. In the late 1950s, few players could carry a set on their own, but Ted Williams was one of them. So Fleer signed him to an exclusive deal in January 1959.
Here’s the contract Ted signed with Fleer.
Mastro offered it for sale in their December 2004 catalog, along with a few wire service photos (featured in Newsletter #22). Here’s how they described the lot:
This one-of-a-kind pair of typewritten, onionskin paper sheets, here offered, are the industry’s invaluable records of the conception and construction of a hobby classic: the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams set. Each 8-1/2’’ x 11’’ page illuminates a portion of the interplay and terms-building that led to the series’ genesis, and each is a fascinating component of card-making history. Accompanying the documents are eight official wire service photographs (black-and-white, all measuring approximately 8″ x 10% and grading about EX to EX/MT with standard ublication faults), six of which were actually used as the design basis for individual cards within the 1959 Fleer card set. The items include: 12/29/1958 Letter to Ted Williams, from his agent, Fred Corcoran, discussing features of the pending Fleer agreement. Signed “Ted Williams” at lower margin in blue ballpoint (grading “9-10”). The letter presents as EX/MT. 1/2/1959 Executed Contract, between Williams and Fleer, signed “Ted Williams” in blue ballpoint (“9-10”) and completed with amendments in the handwriting of the Williams and Fleer representatives. EX condition with standard filing folds and edge sues. Wire Service Photos (8) All have appropriate backstamping, captions and handwritten editorial notes. Including: 1946 Tagging the Plate the illustration seen on 1959 Fleer #53); 4/15/1947 Portrait w/Sunglasses; 6/25/1947 Williams’ 1946 MVP Award (card #32); 6/16/1950 Ted Convalescing (#41); 6/21/1950 Williams w/Ruth and “Keen Eyes” (dual-layout photo, card #’s 2 and 24); 5/2/1952 Ted Hangs Up Uniform (card #44); and 11/12/53 Mustering Out. LOA from James Spence & Steve Grad/PSA DNA.
The 1959 Fleer Ted Williams set includes 80 cards that chronicle his life and career, but card #68, Ted Signs for 1959, has a unique backstory. It shows Williams signing his contract with Red Sox GM Bucky Harris—who happened to be under contract with Topps. As a result, Fleer pulled the card early in production. Its scarcity has made the set far more popular today than it was when first released.
Card #68’s Design
Card #68 shows Ted signing his $125,000 contract, with the caption “Jan. 23, 1959 – Ted Signs for 1959” at the bottom. The reverse simply explains the scene pictured on the front.
In November 2014, RMY Auctions sold the original photo used for the card for $187.75. They described it as follows:
1959 Photograph of Ted Williams signing his Red Sox contract for the next season. Photograph is the one used to make the iconic 1959 Fleer “Ted Signs of ’59” card which is prized by collectors today! This is the only original example of this photograph we have ever seen for sale. Condition is quite nice overall with a pinhole and some remnants of editorial enhancements. Back has a paper caption and press stamp from the Associated Press.
You can see that Fleer airbrushed the background from the original photo.
The card has appeared on a few uncut sheets over the years. In spring 2015, REA sold a 20-card uncut sheet featuring #68 Ted Signs for $1,200.
Here’s another version cut from a full sheet. You can spot card #68 at the bottom right of the front and the bottom left of the reverse in the images below.
Card #68’s Value
An authenticated copy of this card isn’t cheap. PSA’s Price Guide lists a 7 at $700+ compared to $15 for a common, 8s at $1,250+ versus $25 for commons, and 9s at $4,500+ compared to $90 for common cards.
However, auction prices for card #68 have dipped a bit recently.
Card #68 Reprints and Fakes
Because of its value, reprints and fakes of the card exist, often stamped “SAMPLE COPY” in red on the back. A 2009 article in Sports Collectors Digest explains:
At the Fifth Annual Midwest Sports Collectors Convention in Troy, Mich., a fella walked into the room with a reported 300 of the No. 68 “Ted Signs” cards.
The Fleers … were offered in 50-count bricks to several different dealers at the show, and the debate was on.
Ultimately, the folks from “Fleers” were even contacted in trying to determine the authenticity of the cards, but Irv Lerner, a veteran dealer even then and still today 35 years later, ended up blowing the whistle on the scam and laboring furiously to get the word out in the hobby for collectors to be aware of the fakes. Many of them wound up with a “counterfeit” prominently stamped on the back and made their way into the hobby in that fashion.
Sports Collectors Digest
Most forgeries are easy to spot. Look for a moiré pattern on the suit and a pinker tone to the card as key giveaways.
Card #68 Acquisition Path in 1959
How did collectors complete the 80-card set? Simple—they requested the missing card directly from Fleer. Topps Archives shared a Fleer letter confirming the card’s removal due to “possible legal overtones.” Fleer offered to send multiple copies to anyone who asked.
Card #68 in Wax Packs?
Many collectors wonder if card #68 was ever found in wax packs. The twist is that both 8-card and 6-card wax packs existed. PSA has graded 145 complete packs—six with the 8-card label, 113 as 6-card variations, and 26 with no designation.
Therefore, many collectors believe Fleer included card #68 in the scarce 8-card pack variant, likely a test issue or part of an early production run because, notably, no known stories exist of anyone pulling card #68 from a 6-card pack.
On the other hand, it’s possible Fleer was experimenting with packaging and distribution and found that emphasizing “BUBBLE GUM” on the front of the wrapper—offering 6 cards for 5 cents—was more appealing to kids than the gumless 8-card-for-5-cents “test.”
Given the earlier letter about legal concerns and the card’s absence from the market, many lean toward Ted Signs never being inserted into packs. However, I think jasoncards via SABR’s Baseball Cards Research Committee nailed it in his piece titled A Ted Williams mini-mystery…solved? where he noticed that there are a handful of card 68s with wax stains on them! So, I think it’s safe to lean towards card #68, Ted Signs, having made it into the eight-card packs. Though Fleer could have wrapped and then unwrapped them before shipping boxes to candy stores…
Wrap Up
With card #68 pulled from distribution, Ted Williams’ lasting popularity, and the wrapper variations, this card remains one of the hobby’s most unique post-war curiosities. Its story continues to fascinate collectors and reminds us how much history can be packed into a single card.
Happy collecting, and if you have any further insight, please let me know.
P.S.: For a popular card like 1959 Fleer Ted Williams #68, PSA’s Population Report can be misleading. With 1,198 graded, it’s the most common card in the set, but that’s due to high demand and widespread authentication efforts against fakes (many ungraded copies are probably counterfeit). Many collectors focus solely on #68, often ignoring the rest of the set. Personally, it’s the only card in the set I’d consider buying. So it’s no surprise #68 tops the Population Report numbers.
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