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1981 Fleer "Flip the bird" variations......Take a look

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mchenrycards

Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
In an effort to jump start some conversations here on FCB I hope to write a weekly thread about some of the lesser known or more interesting cards or parts of this hobby that I have learned in 40+ years of collecting. My hope is that what I write is at least informative and at most entertaining to all of the readers here. I will not always write about expensive items or the hottest cards as modern is not my forte' but I hope I can shed some light on items that have brought me enjoyment over the years in this hobby we all seem to love. So, without any further delay, here is my first installment.......



1981 was a landmark year in the world of sports card collecting as the number of manufacturers of these cards tripled literally overnight. Topps had a strangle hold on this market since they purchased the floundering Bowman Company in the mid ‘50’s and survived an attack by the Fleer Corporation in 1963. Topps emerged as the leader in sports cards by default and enjoyed nearly two more decades without major competition to their business. That would all come to an end in 1981 as a lawsuit brought by the Fleer Company a few years earlier finally saw a judge break the monopoly that was the Topps Chewing Gum Company and allowed others to enter into this potentially lucrative sports cards market.

In the rush to put product on the shelves, both Fleer and Donruss produced card sets that were filled with errors and production issues that fueled a run on their first edition print run. Errors such as incorrect numbers on the back of cards, mislabeled sub titles, reverse negative pictures and probably the one error card that has most held it’s value, the “Craig” Nettles card with the first name printed with a capitol “C” on the back instead of the intended “G”. Perhaps some of the most overlooked and possibly unique cards are from the 1981 Fleer series and are not errors at all but what is commonly known as a production variation. There are six cards that appear to have what can only be described as a hand with a pointing finger (better known as “finger” errors) that has been drawn either on the front or back of the card. These cards are not easy to find but they can be found by those who know what they are looking for in common bins and many card shows.

When these cards first appeared many wrote them off as a common production error where lint or some other foreign material worked its way onto the printing plates and then transferred to the cards. A closer look at this error showed that the “hand” was the exact same shape on each card which would indicate they were purposely drawn on each printing plate which eliminated the foreign matter theory. The common theory is that a disgruntled printing facility employee was trying to slip one past the proof readers or was upset with a boss and decided to “flip the bird” to them in a subtle, yet impactful method. Either these hands were drawn on by a employee or somehow were a part of the production of these cards, well we may never know but these hand errors have proving to be a very interesting collectable.

There are six cards with this hand attached and each card will be found with either the drawing etched to the front or back of the card. While not very expensive, these production variations have been found to be an interesting subset to collectors in a set that has proven to be bland at best. These cards can be found on Ebay either graded or ungraded and are a great conversation starter among collectors. It will be up to you to decide if these were caused by an upset employee or just a simple, mechanical twist that caused a very realistic hand-like drawing to be placed randomly on six separate cards.

Taken from Keymancollectables.com, the following is the checklist for these cards that have the hand etched to them as well as the location where you can find this small drawing. I have also attached some front scans of two cards in my collection. While not very easy to find, next time you see a box of 1981 Fleer, dig in. You never know if you will find these odd variations hiding in plain sight among their corrected counterparts.

Card 114 Dave Lopes (Small hand on back)
Card 126 Ron Cey (Small hand on back)
Card 177 Rick Dempsey (Small hand on front)
Card 215 Bill Bonham (Small hand on back)
Card 251 Gary Matthews (Small hand on back)
Card 342 Britt Burns (Small hand on front)


 

mchenrycards

Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
Thanks for the replies guys. These cards do not draw a huge amount of attention because I think they are very much overlooked in the hobby. I have literally found most of the cards in my collection in commons bins at shows where dealers actually bring their commons and only paid a nickle or dime for them. Remember, some have this drawing on the front and some have it on the back. Keep a close eye out for them as they are easy to overlook.

I think they are a pretty cool conversation piece and since there are only six different cards known with this variation it is a very easily collectable sub set. I will probably be subbing all six that I have to one of the third party graders and display them together.
 

predatorkj

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
11,871
2
Argh...I hated these when I first learned of them! I actually do deals with a guy at a flea market who has tons of older cards. Usually I'll take home three to five monster boxes full of cards from various 70's or 80's sets and try to put together a complete run and then return the rest. Well two summers ago I took a monster box of this home and put like fifty cards shy of a set together. I go to make a checklist for the remainder and as I double checked the big Beckett book, I saw all the variations and the hands. The variations were cool and usually stuck out very clearly but I kept wondering what the hell the "small hand" thing was. So I went through the monster box again and I believe I found all but one. I'm still missing some of the other variations though but it was cool to find the hands once I knew what I was looking for. Quite a challenge. The bad part is I think finding the remainder of what I need will be hard because I just don't think people list stuff like this often.
 

Hawk8

Well-known member
Jul 13, 2013
8,376
229
Louisiana
Very cool, never knew this variation existed, probably because it is not on a Dawson, but I wish it was!
 

predatorkj

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
11,871
2
Just double checked my needs list for that set and damn...there are a slew of the variations I still need!
 

bcubs

Member
Apr 8, 2009
658
0
Springfield, IL
This is a great post. Something I always knew about and have in my set but never thought it would generate interest and conversation. Apparently I need to post more of my odd information I have gained since starting my collection in 1980.
 

ASTROBURN

Active member
Jun 23, 2011
4,576
0
Santa Cruz, CA
This is a great post. Something I always knew about and have in my set but never thought it would generate interest and conversation. Apparently I need to post more of my odd information I have gained since starting my collection in 1980.

Odd information is sometimes the best information. Just gotta put it out there. :)
 

rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
is there a scan of one on the back? I wonder where on the back they are found (and if in a consistent place on the back).

1981 was my first year collecting and 1981 Fleer was plentiful at the neighborhood convenience store so I think there is a good chance I may have one unless these were just in the very early releases of the product and maybe not released throughout.
 

mchenrycards

Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
Here is a back scan (not my scan..again, taken from Keymancollectables.com) and, going from memory here I believe the back drawings are all in the same spot on each card.
These were found in the first printing which makes them tougher to be found but they are certainly out there.

 

DeliciousBacon

Well-known member
Apr 23, 2011
3,444
94
Warwick, RI
I remember seeing the Beckett entries for these back in the 80's when I started collecting, and would memorize the Big Book, but never saw one until I started collecting again in 2008. Never knew what it meant, and that "Small Finger On Front" was such a weird and cryptic thing to see! Once I did see what it was, I wondered if Fleer was going to use that finger pointing gesture in a facts list on the back of the cards. It doesn't look much to me like a middle finger, so I don't buy the idea of the rogue printer etching into the plates.
 
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