A New Look for 1991 Fleer

Longtime readers of Baseball Card Breakdown know I'm no stranger to getting weird with cardboard. My latest quirky venture is modifying 1991 Fleer base cards.

Yep, real 1991 Fleer cards but without the bold yellow! Utilizing a lengthy, solar-powered process, I've developed a method to modify '91 Fleer borders into a creamy color that's easier on the eyes. I think they look great! The yellow borders have a tendency to overpower the cards, but with a more neutral border, the design and photo take center stage. I call them "white border mods" for simplicity, but it's really more of an off-white tone where they end up, looking similar to the light border Pro-Vision cards from the factory set of '91 Fleer (and the basketball Pro-Visions that year).

I think of it like a fresh remix of an old classic, providing a new perspective on cards that are often regarded as just about as "junky" as junk wax gets. I ripped my share of Fleer packs as a young collector back in 1991, so the set's got some sentimental value for me. I know most collectors stick up their nose at '91 Fleer, but I'm hoping these mods might help folks find a new appreciation for the cards.

I made a bunch this year and brewed up a plan to do a "holiday surprise" mailing blast in time for Christmas. In past years, I've sent out special customs, or tree ornaments made from cards (LaMarr "Ho Ho" Hoyt one year, Benito "Santa"iago another), and one year was homemade rip cards with a mini magnet custom hiding within.

It wasn't easy, but I made it to my goal of finishing twenty-five '91 Fleer mods to mail out to hobby buds of mine, all with festive doodle overlays to kick them up for the holiday season. I hope people like them, but we'll see what kind of response they get. I'm sure the concept is not for everybody, but again, I think they're pretty cool.

I took photos of all 25 decked-out cards before mailing them, and plan to share those pix on the blog in a special Christmas Day post.

Sadly even with so many of them, I wasn't able to hit all my hobby buds. My apologies to those I left out. No Braves or Astros finished in time, nor Barry Larkin, Dan Gladden, Dave Winfield, or Mark McGwire... all which were earmarked for trader buddies but as luck would have it, those cards didn't complete the process in time. (It's often a crapshoot with these things.) Those will likely be done around springtime.

Here are a few more finished mods to check out:

And there you have it: 1991 Fleer white border mods!

I have a few extras I've now added to a section on my Trade Bait page, and should have more to add once some of the few that are currently in production eventually wrap up.

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!