Card of the Day: David Ortiz 1998 Fleer Tradition #285

How To Spot A Fake Albert Pujols 2001 Fleer Tradition #451 Rookie Card

Albert Pujols is a definite first ballot Hall of Famer.  No doubt about it.  His rookie cards though have cooled off quite a bit since their heyday.  If you purchased some of his rookie cards at their height with the sole intention of turning a profit, you’re probably not too happy right now.  That’s what happens.

When Albert Pujols was all the rage, it created the perfect opportunity for counterfeiters to do their thing.  His 2001 Fleer Tradition #451 rookie card became a major target.  If you’re in the market for one, I highly recommend buying it in person.  That way you can inspect it better.

• Many counterfeits are actually made up of two different cards.  The front is printed on glossy stock, and the back is printed on natural cardboard stock.  The two are then glued together forming the “card”.  Once the two halves are glued together, the card is much thicker than your standard 2001 Fleer Tradition card.  It weighs a lot more too – 3.05 grams.
• Print quality – counterfeits have a very distinct print dot pattern.  Take a good look at his statistics on the back.  On an authentic card, items like the statistics should be printed in solid black ink, no dots.  The dotted print pattern carries throughout the entire card.  Both on the front and back.  Because of this, counterfeits tend to have fuzzy photos.

Card of the Day: Rod Barajas 2005 Fleer Tradition #188

Q&A – Fleer Tradition vs. Fleer Tradition

Question:  Hi Sports Card Info!  Great site!  I need some help.  Could you please tell me where this Ken Griffey, Jr. 1999 Fleer Tradition card is from?  It looks just like the base, but the card numbering is different?  It doesn’t match up with anything on the checklist.  Have I stumbled across a rare find?  Is there only six copies of this card?  Thanks.

Answer:  Good question.  That specific card and five others did not come out of the typical 1999 Fleer Tradition baseball set.  Spectra Star, a division of Toy Biz which was owned by Marvel at the time, made a series of six baseball card themed kid’s toy kites.  The kites resemble base cards from 1999 Fleer Tradition.  Each kite came packaged with an accompanying card.  You’re correct.  The only difference between the regular cards and the ones included with the kites is the card numbering.  Kites of Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey, Jr., Greg Maddux, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, and Mark McGwire were made.  Many of these kites were sold.  The “3 OF 6” refers to Ken Griffey, Jr. being #3 in the set of six.  It has nothing to do with the amount of copies printed.

Card of the Day: Randy Moss 1998 Fleer Tradition #237

Card of the Day: Rod Smart 2004 Fleer Tradition #278

Card of the Day: Randy Johnson 1999 Fleer Tradition Millennium #36