The Set: Released in early October, the 1989-90 Fleer was the company’s fourth straight set. The previous three sets were 132 cards, but this one grew a bit to 168 cards. And the print run was kept somewhat limited, right before the explosion in quantity that would happen in the early ’90’s. The ’89-90 Fleer cards continued to be arranged by the team’s city and then alphabetically by last name, the second year in a row with this order. No factory sets were issued. A unique inclusion for 1989 were All-Star cards that featured regular-season teammates. And unique to the design were special designations on some cards where the left-hand corner would be flipped up such as statistical leader cards, like the Michael Jordan “Scoring Avg. Ldr.” and some rookies being labeled “Rookie Sensation.”
In addition to the usual biographical information and stat box on the back, a “Did You Know?” box was added on the bottom. A strange feature of this set are certain stats that were isolated and featured to the right. These are odd. They are labeled “per 48 minutes” instead of “per game,” which when taken literally, can be confusing. If a player didn’t play the whole time, would the “48 minutes” carry into the next game? Furthermore, the middle box says “Reb/Ast per 48 minutes.” Which one, or both? For a whole career or a particular season? The free throw percentage is nice to see featured, but these boxes don’t seem well thought out otherwise.
The Card: Definitely one of the best photos within the set! Jordan flying through the air for a dunk… But why the sudden darkening of the tophalf of the picture? This isn’t discussed very often, but it’s an unfortunate error. Fleer did so well with their Jordan photos. The rookie card is great. The 1990-91 straight-on dunk is amazing. This one really stands out if not for that dark line through the image. And good luck finding a well-centered version of this card!
The “Did You Know?” facts on the back show the beginnings of the Jordan we know today. He was the third pick in the draft…this is basically common knowledge. But the mention of his 1988 MVP was the first time he was awarded this honor. Put yourself back in time before we knew that the three seasons where he led the league in scoring would later become a total of ten. And although the average would be lowered a bit from 32.6, Jordan still retains the title of all-time scoring average leader, tied with Wilt Chamberlain.
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