The Set: With the Michael Jordan rookie card from this set being the primary landmark of the whole hobby, the 1986-87 Fleer design is burned into the minds of most collectors. But how many have noticed the similarities between that Fleer logo in the upper corner and the Dubble Bubble bubble gum design? It’s rarely discussed, but the design of this set is special because it connects with the history of Frank Fleer, who basically invented bubble gum. He was tinkering with a formula as early as 1919 and by 1928 was marketing Dubble Bubble. He was in the sports card market as early as 1923. The crown in the logo…the red, white and blue of the border (that frustrates us with the visible chipping!). Wonderful links to Dubble Bubble and Fleer’s other business.
The 1961 Fleer is an important early set in the hobby, but Fleer disappeared from the scene until this 1986-87 set 25 years later. In the meantime, Topps was the main producer of basketball cards until 1981-82, then Star stepped in for a brief period. The NBA was pressuring Star to leave their contract and Fleer made a bid to produce cards, so Star reluctantly passed the torch to Fleer who arrived back onto the scene with arguably the most important set in the hobby. The Star cards weren’t widely distributed, but this Fleer set was, and the print run wasn’t nearly as large as what would occur in the early 90’s, so relative scarcity was maintained. Many feel it marks the beginning of the modern era of basketball card collecting. Short and simple. 132 cards, alphabetized, plain white cardboard stock, action photo on front, stats on back…nothing fancy. But the rookie cards in this set are unbelievable! Michael Jordan, Danny Ainge, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Isaiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley… It’s important to note that there were earlier Star cards of many of these players, but the Star cards weren’t traditionally recognized as true rookies in the hobby. Although opinions about the Star cards are shifting as more knowledge becomes available, the 1986-87 Fleer cards still retain their status as rookie cards.
Believe it or not, this set wasn’t wildly popular when it first came out. It was the summer of 1989 when it gained recognition and became highly sought after. And today, the set is one of the few that retains its importance as a complete set. Collectors want all 132 and in the best condition possible. This is unlike the rest of the hobby where collectors typically search for high-grade individuals, or rare subsets. There’s a worthwhile article by Joe Orlando on PSA’s website that discusses these ideas called “Modern Masterpiece” and it is worth a read. Another item of trivia, card #55 Steve Johnson has a picture of David Greenwood.
The Card: The #1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is known for poor centering like many of the cards that were on the edge of the uncut sheets. The reverse of the #1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar looks as standard as can be, but there is a lot of history contained within. First, a reminder that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was 7′ 2″ tall. Imagine that skyhook… First the height, then the arm length, and the vertical jump. No wonder it was unstoppable! We can also see that he was with the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1969-70 season. He turned down a $1 million offer from the Harlem Globetrotters to begin his career at that point. That season, his 2,361 points led the league…amazing for a rookie! Then look at the next two seasons where we see 2,596 and 2,822 points. Yep, he led the league there too. Three years in a row!
Another interesting feature of this reverse is the blocks column…0 blocks from 1969-70 to 1972-73? Yeah right… This card is a reminder that blocks were not kept officially until the 1973-74 season, a really neat feature of this seemingly boring looking stat block.
This card is a reminder of how powerful this set is to the hobby. Imagine a set where the very first card is a star of the caliber of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Now imagine that the Abdul-Jabbar card is an afterthought! That’s how strong the 1986-87 Fleer set is…really an unbelievable situation.
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