From the Hobby Library: Fleer Was “Flying High” in 1993

Here’s another one from the Hobby Library, this time from the October 1993 issue of Sports Cards magazine.

“Flying High at Fleer,” written by Scott Kelnhofer, took a look inside Fleer as the company tried to remake itself following a rough 1991. The article covers the success of Fleer Ultra, the company’s acquisition of GameDay, its push into television advertising, and its efforts to rebuild relationships with hobby dealers.

There are some great contemporary nuggets throughout. Fleer said it had cut its dealer list from 18,000 names to 5,300, specifically trying to move away from people buying cases simply to speculate. The company also pushed back against the hobby’s obsession with limited production, arguing that growing demand was more important than artificially restricting supply.

Perhaps most interesting in hindsight is Fleer’s belief that there was still an enormous untapped audience for trading cards. Hobby relations director Ted Taylor estimated that only 15% of the population had spent $5 or more on trading cards during the previous year, leaving, in Fleer’s eyes, another 85% to pursue.

More than 30 years later, that tension between speculation, limited production, and growing the collector base still feels awfully familiar.

And there’s plenty more here about where Fleer thought the hobby was headed.

Here’s the complete article: