Fleer

The plaintiff that reopened the market.

Fleer's 1980 antitrust win broke the Topps monopoly and set up the junk-wax era. The 1989 Fleer Baseball set is the anchor of the entire brand's junk-wax legacy, home of the Billy Ripken FF error, its correction variants, the Randy Johnson Marlboro billboard, and one of Griffey Jr.'s three major rookies. Fleer's design language of the era leaned pastel and geometric; the 1989 grey-and-red pinstripes are the most recognizable look of the decade.