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Awesome night card, pt. 28

While leafing through my collection of 1982 Fleer to track down some cards for another trade, I couldn't help but notice two of the elements that define this problem child of a set.

The first is blurry photos. It's probably the first thing many collectors think of when '82 Fleer is mentioned -- that, or the cavalcade of errors.

The second thing is off-center photos. There are some beautiful disasters in that department. Hal McRae, Dickie Noles. A whole bunch of shots where apparently the sky is the protagonist in the photo. ("Step aside Mr. Brett, I just spotted the most incredible CLOUDS in my viewfinder!")

But the third notable aspect of 1982 Fleer is something near and dear to my heart: night cards. It's the reason why I have a soft spot for the set while virtually everyone else smirks at it. I didn't really realize until recently how many night shots exist in this set. It's not a lot, but considering the era, it may be the first set with more than a handful of night shots.

(Also another key aspect: a bunch of the card photos are taken in Dodger Stadium).

The card of the Royals' Willie Wilson up top is one of my night card favorites. I enjoy how the photo captures Wilson in mid-postgame comment while the blur of stadium lights blaze in the background. I also like cards that show players being interviewed, even if it is some TV dude doing the interview.

I have a few other '82 Fleer night cards to feature, including another one of my all-time favorites.

I never thought '82 Fleer was such a bad little set. It's not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.

Comments

Jeffrey Wolfe said…
I actually LOVE the '82 Fleer set in a campy sort of way because it was so bad. So bad they're good! And that Wilson card rocks!
madding said…
I think the early '80s Fleer and Donruss sets get a bad rap. I like that they're funky looking, flawed, and cheap. For the most part they were a more affordable alternative to Topps and finally introduced options to a baseball card market that sorely needed it.

I also like that Willie is being interviewed in the photo. You don't see that very often.
Dubbs said…
Yes, the '82 Fleer...not so great, but their simplicity is what sells em for me. Great card, by the way.
gcrl said…
yes, the 1982 fleer set is "the blurry set". still, a good checklist and those cool superstar specials (pete and re-pete, carlton & fisk) and joe sambito in dodger stadium.