By the time 1985 Fleer baseball cards made their debut that spring, collectors pretty much knew what to expect from the company who put an end to Topps’ monopoly in 1980.
Namely, a solid design with solid photography, solid player selection, and even a solid numbering scheme.
While all of that “solid” might have spelled b-o-r-i-n-g to some collectors, it was also a comfort to know what was coming.
And, in 1985, Fleer added just a touch of flair with gray borders and colorful inner borders to complement team logos.
Add in a stellar crop of rookie cards and a slight scarcity relative to their competitors, and you had the makings of a long-lasting hobby classic that still has plenty of fans today.
Here, then, are the most valuable 1985 Fleer baseball cards in PSA 9 condition as ranked by recent auction sales.
1985 Fleer Roger Clemens (#155)
Clemens may never make it to the Hall of Fame (though he still might), but there was no denying his greatness on the mound during his playing days … before we even knew what “PED” meant.
This card has been a hobby staple now for more than 35 years, and top condition specimens still draw a lot of interest.
Expect to pay $70+ for a copy in PSA 9 condition.
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1985 Fleer Kirby Puckett (#286)
Kirby is sort of the anti-Roger — a sparkplug whose career was shortened by physical ailments, Puckett’s Hall of Fame case was no sure thing on paper.
But everybody in the game, including (maybe especially) fans, seemed to love the Twins superstar, and he was a key member of two Minnesota championships.
Puck’s Fleer rookie card has stood near the top of the 1985 heap since he broke out with a .328 batting average and 31 home runs the next season, and it’s still a favorite today.
Prices generally fall in the $50-60 range for slabbed mint copies.
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1985 Fleer Orel Hershiser (#371)
As amazing as Dwight Gooden’s 1985 season was, Hershiser’s wasn’t far behind, and it had the element of surprise going for it.
I mean, who could have expected a 19-3, 2.03 performance from a guy most fans had never really even heard of.
Heck, entering the season, Orel Hershiser may as well have been Tom Niedenfuer, another Dodger with rookie cards in the 1985 sets.
By the end of the summer, though, Bulldog was the mound hero for a division winner, and his RCs were hot hobby commodities. A Cy Young Award and World Series title in 1988 only solidified Hershiser’s status, and you could make a decent argument that he was better than some hurlers enshrined in Cooperstown.
All of that, plus some late-career heroics for the Cleveland Indians keep this first Fleer Hershiser card at around $40 in PSA 9.
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1985 Fleer Dwight Gooden (#82)
Gooden didn’t need any lead-in time at all in order to burn up the hobby — he just needed some actual baseball cards.
After an amazing Rookie of the Year campaign in 1984 that included a Major League-leading 276 strikeouts, Doc had collectors frothing at the mouth for a peek at his first cards. Those came in the form of Topps Traded and Fleer Update issues that fall, but we’d have to wait until the next spring to find Gooden in wax packs.
And, when Gooden uncorked a season for the ages in 1985 (24-4, 1.53 ERA, 268 strikeouts), the frenzy only intensified.
From the beginning of that new collecting season, the 1985 Topps Gooden was a hobby favorite, followed by the black-bordered Donruss.
All these years later, though, it’s Gooden’s Fleer rookie that usually finishes runner-up to Topps, value-wise.
Expect prices in the $35-40 range.
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1985 Fleer Eric Davis (#533)
Davis was just one of many young Reds prospects who had the Cincinnati faithful dreaming about big things as new manager Pete Rose instilled some hustle into a moribund club when he arrived from Montreal during the 1984 season.
There were so many young guys, in fact, that it was hard to know who were the real talents and who would end up as bench players or traded … until, that is, Davis got his first extended playing time in 1986.
That summer, Eric the Red hit 27 home runs, drove in 71, and stole an amazing 80 bases in just 132 games.
Then, he was even better in 1987 in fewer games — 37 HR, 100 RBI, 120 runs scored, 50 stolen bases in 129 appearances.
Predictably, collectors pounced on E.D.’s rookie cards and catapulted them toward the top of hobby hot lists.
And, though Davis’ fragile frame limited his on-field time over the years, and though he fell short of the otherworldly expectations we all draped upon his shoulders, he still maintains some cardboard swagger today.
This Fleer RC sells for around $35 in PSA 9 condition these days.
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1985 Fleer Don Mattingly (#133)
Mattingly entered the 1984 season as a virtual unknown even though he’d played parts of two seasons for the New York Yankees.
By the end of May, though, Mattingly was hitting nearly .340 and stood among the A.L. batting leaders, setting off an explosion of interest in his rookie cards.
The trends held — Donnie Baseball went down to the wire with teammate Dave Winfield for the A.L. batting crown, pulling out a .343-to-.340 victory at the very end of the season.
And then, in 1985, Mattingly showed that he was among the best players in the game — batting .324 with 35 home runs, 145 RBI, and 48 doubles, and adding a Gold Glove at first base for good measure.
It was enough to snag the American League MVP award and cement Mattingly as a hobby icon.
In fact, that 1984 Donruss Mattingly RC changed the way collectors looked at rookie cards and