1959 Fleer Ted Williams Baseball Cards

Product Details

Centered around one of the greatest ballplayers of all-time, 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Baseball pays homage to "The Splendid Splinter."

The 80-card set is largely affordable, but a few key cards can stretch the budget.

1959 Fleer Ted Williams Baseball Set Details

During the years before the hobby's boom era that began around 1980, it was rare for an entire set to be devoted to a single player. While there were a couple of sets featuring Babe Ruth produced during the 1920s and a Jackie Robinson set issued in loaves of bread in 1947, the practice was still a bit of an anomaly. In 1959, it was Ted Williams who would have a turn.

The Frank H. Fleer Company had been making bubble gum since the 1920s but only dabbled in card issues occasionally through the 1950s. Sitting on the sidelines as other companies battled it out over exclusive player rights, Fleer kept their focus on profits and the bottom line. In order to maintain and grow their market share, Fleer eventually realized they would have to throw their hat into the trading card ring. The company ended up making an aggressive pitch to one of the most popular players of the era. When they successfully negotiated an exclusive contract with Ted Williams, it understandably gave them a big boost.

Measuring a standard 2-1/2" by 3-1/2", the 80-card set displays a design similar in manner to that of other Fleer sets of the company's early years. A simple white border and a bat-ball design featuring Williams' name in the corner are exhibited on the front of the card. Most of the cards are laid out with a vertical orientation, although there are several oriented horizontally depending on the image used.

The 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Baseball card backs are dominated by a write-up explaining the picture shown on the front. Fleer's patented crown at the top of the card contains the card number, with the words "Baseball's Greatest Ted Williams" running alongside it.

Despite being on the downward slope of his career in 1959, Ted Williams was still one of the best and most popular players in the game. 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Baseball chronicles the exploits of "Teddy Ballgame," both on and off of the field. From being the last hitter to reach the .400 mark, earning two Triple Crown awards, and a host of milestone hits and highlight-reel plays, all are included in this cardboard biopic of Williams' life.

While the set is clearly centered around Ted Williams, many other notable subjects are paired on cards with the former great. This include fellow baseball players Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Eddie Collins, as well as football star Jim Thorpe and famed golfer Sam Snead. Coming as no surprise, the two cards that include Babe Ruth are especially popular with collectors.

Many of his activities away from baseball are noteworthy as well. His well-documented years of U.S. military service in the Marines over two wars is featured in 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Baseball. He is also in the Fishing Hall of Fame, are two cards show him pursuing that passion. Not just limited to his adult years, Williams is shown in his youth, while others feature hitting tips for young players.

Much to the dismay of set collectors, one card in 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Baseball can be tougher to locate. Card #68 is titled "Ted Signs for 1959" and features him signing his player contract for the season. However, it also included Red Sox GM Bucky Harris, who was still signed to an exclusive with Topps at the time. As a result, the card had to be pulled from production, pushing values up. Despite this relative scarcity, the card does not appear to be as rare as once thought.

Unfortunately, reprints of the elusive #68 card made their way into the hobby during the 1970s, but a skilled eye should be able to detect them due to the moire pattern on the suit coat and pinkish tint. Most of the fake cards are also stamped with a reproduction notice, but it's important to be certain that its authentic before spending a lot of money on one.

Sold in both six-card and eight-card wax packs, only the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Baseball packs containing six cards were packaged with gum. The eight-card packs were much less common, leading some vintage experts to speculate that they were either a result of a packaging error or an early test that slipped through the cracks and into distribution.

There are no known errors or variations in the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Baseball set. Obvious condition issues often include centering but the primary complaint is the traditional staining as a result of the gum with which the cards were packaged. The relatively small set size of 1959 Fleer Ted Williams Baseball makes it attractive to many vintage collectors and is a must for any Boston Red Sox or Ted Williams collector.