My 1990 Fleer Baseball Master Build (Almost 😄)

I just completed a raw set of 1990 Fleer Baseball — not only the full base set, but every Fleer-issued baseball insert and side set from that year.

The only pieces I intentionally left out were:

• The Glossy parallel

• The Canadian-printed base set

Both felt redundant to me. Same designs, same checklist — just a different finish or print run — and I wanted this project to be about the true variety Fleer produced in 1990, not just chasing duplicate versions of the same cards.

Cool Facts About 1990 Fleer Baseball

🔹 1. One of the largest single Fleer releases ever

The 1990 Fleer base set is 660 cards, making it one of the biggest flagship baseball sets Fleer ever.

🔹 2. Fleer went insert-crazy in 1990

They didn’t just release a base set — they created one of the earliest “insert-heavy” products:

• All-Stars

• Record Setters

• Rookie Sensations

• MVPs

• League Leaders

• Baseball’s Best

• Fleer Update

• Decade of Excellence

In 1990, collecting Fleer wasn’t just about 660 cards — it was a full ecosystem.

🔹 3. Final year before Fleer lost its original identity

1990 was the last time Fleer truly felt like classic Fleer before the hobby exploded into refractors, chromium, serial numbers, and premium tiers.

After this, everything changed.

🔹 4. The hobby remembers the junk wax… but misses the fun

Yes — this is junk-wax era cardboard.

But completing a 1990 Fleer master build today isn’t easy, cheap, or fast. It requires tracking dozens of overlooked subsets that most collectors forgot even existed.

And that’s what makes it special.

@aurelius81

Very thankful for aurelius81 donation cards helping us build our 1981–1995 Fleer baseball run. This is a project that my son and I are trying to complete. This is what the hobby should be all about—looking out for one another and sharing the love of collecting.

The sports card hobby thrives on trust. Most collectors are here for the love of the cards, the history, and the chase. But where passion and money intersect, scammers follow.

1. The Fake Slab Scammer

The scam:

Counterfeit grading slabs designed to look like PSA, BGS, or SGC. Often paired with real certification numbers stolen from legitimate cards.

Why it works:

Collectors trust the slab more than the card.

Protect yourself:

Always verify cert numbers and confirm the card image matches. Pay attention to slab weight, plastic clarity, and label fonts.

2. The Grade Pump Scammer

The scam:

Raw cards marketed as “easy PSA 10s” or “strong 9 at worst,” while flaws are hidden through lighting or camera angles.

Why it works:

Hope is a powerful motivator.

Protect yourself:

If there are no clear back photos or high-resolution images, assume there’s a reason.

3. The Card Doctor (Trim & Shine)

The scam:

Altering cards by trimming edges, polishing surfaces, or pressing creases — especially common with vintage.

Why it works:

Alterations can be subtle and difficult to spot.

Protect yourself:

Measure cards, compare edges to known examples, and beware of cards that look too perfect for their era.

4. The Bait-and-Switch Trader

The scam:

One card is shown, a different one is shipped. The seller stalls until return windows close.

Why it works:

Time pressure and confusion.

Protect yourself:

Save listing images and messages. Photograph received packages immediately.

5. The Shill Bidder

The scam:

Fake bidders inflate auction prices to create artificial value, often relisting after price discovery.

Why it works:

Collectors assume market demand equals legitimacy.

Protect yourself:

Watch bidder patterns and be cautious of repeated private auctions.

6. The Break Scammer

The scam:

Manipulated box breaks, withheld hits, resealed boxes, or pre-recorded footage presented as live.

Why it works:

Breaks rely heavily on trust.

Protect yourself:

Only break with operators who show sealed boxes, live openings, and clear hit lists.

7. The Return Abuse Scammer

The scam:

A buyer swaps your card with a worse copy or damaged version and files a return.

Why it works:

Platforms often side with buyers.

Protect yourself:

Photograph and record packing, including serial numbers and surface condition.

8. The Influencer Hype Scammer

The scam:

Artificially pumping players, sets, or slabs on social media while quietly selling inventory behind the scenes.

Why it works:

Followers mistake popularity for credibility.

Protect yourself:

Track on-field performance, not just hype cycles.

9. The Junk Slab Pusher

The scam:

Low-value or damaged cards encased in slabs to create an illusion of legitimacy and value.

Why it works:

New collectors equate slabs with worth.

Protect yourself:

Learn the difference between grading for protection and grading for value.

10. The Off-Platform Payment Scammer

The scam:

Pressuring buyers to use Venmo, Cash App, or Zelle to avoid platform fees — then disappearing.

Why it works:

Lower prices create urgency.

Protect yourself:

If there’s no buyer protection, there’s no deal.

Final Thoughts: Buy the Card, Not the Noise

Most collectors don’t lose money because they lack knowledge — they lose it because they trusted too quickly.

Awareness doesn’t kill the hobby. It strengthens it.

By calling out bad behavior and educating collectors, we protect:

• New hobbyists

• Long-term collectors

• The integrity of the market

A U.S. Congressman Has Raised Monopoly Concerns About PSA

For years, collectors have voiced concerns about the growing power of PSA in the hobby. Recently, those concerns reached Washington, D.C.

Congressman Pat Ryan (D-NY) formally asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Collectors Holdings, the parent company of PSA, over potential antitrust and monopoly behavior in the card grading industry.

Why does this matter? Because Collectors doesn’t just own PSA.

They also acquired SGC, and announced plans to acquire Beckett — three of the most recognizable grading brands in the hobby. According to Ryan, this consolidation could give Collectors control of well over 80% of the grading market.

What the Letter Warns About

In his letter to the FTC, Congressman Ryan raised several serious concerns:

• Elimination of Competition
  By purchasing rival grading companies instead of competing with them, Collectors may be removing meaningful alternatives for collectors.

• Barriers for New Graders
  With one company controlling most of the market, new grading companies face massive obstacles just to survive — let alone compete.

• Vertical Integration Risks
  Collectors doesn’t just grade cards. It also owns pricing tools, marketplaces, and data platforms. Ryan warned this creates conflicts of interest, where one company influences grading, pricing, and sales.

• Impact on Collectors & Small Businesses
  Fewer competitors can mean higher prices, longer wait times, less accountability, and fewer choices for collectors and local card shops.

Why This Is a Big Deal for the Hobby

This isn’t just online hobby drama anymore.

A sitting member of Congress believes the grading industry’s consolidation is serious enough to warrant federal scrutiny. That alone validates many long-standing concerns collectors have raised about grading dominance, market influence, and lack of transparency.

Importantly, the letter doesn’t accuse PSA of wrongdoing — but it does ask regulators to determine whether the company’s growth has crossed the line from market leader to market controller.

What Happens Next?

The FTC is not required to act, but the request puts official pressure on regulators to examine the grading industry more closely.

Regardless of the outcome, this marks a turning point:

the hobby’s biggest power structure is now being questioned at the federal level.

For collectors, this is about more than slabs and labels — it’s about choice, fairness, and trust in the systems that define card value.

The sports and trading card hobby just hit a seismic moment.

This week, PSA’s parent company — Collectors — announced it has acquired one of the hobby’s legacy grading services, Beckett Grading Services (BGS). That follows last year’s acquisition of Sportscard Guaranty (SGC). Along with PSA itself — already the dominant grader by volume — that means one corporate umbrella now controls three of the top grading services in the hobby.

Industry trackers estimate that PSA, SGC, and now BGS combine for roughly 79% of card grading share — with only CGC standing outside the Collectors family at major scale.

For many collectors, this feels less like “choice” and more like a grading monopoly in the making.

Why This Matters to You

Card grading isn’t just a service — it’s one of the biggest influences on card value. A PSA 10 can sell for many times what the same card graded elsewhere would fetch. That pricing power isn’t just perception — it’s been reflected across the market for years.

Now imagine one company having — or controlling — the grading world’s narrative:

• Deciding service fees (they’ve already been rising).

• Setting turnaround times.

• Driving which slabs are “most desirable”.

• Potentially sidelining competition under the guise of “brand independence”.

Even if Beckett and SGC keep their names and separate grading processes, their future as true competitors is suddenly uncertain — especially if pricing or service “choices” steer collectors back toward PSA slabs anyway.

A Wake-Up Call to the Community

Critics of PSA have long griped about:

• slow turnaround times

• nickel-and-dime fees

• artificial scarcity on service tiers

Now, with the grading landscape consolidating, those complaints carry more weight. But even PSA loyalists should ask: Is this good for the hobby long term? Do we want one organization calling the shots on the cards we all trade, value, and collect?

How We Can Push Back

If you’re uneasy about one company controlling the grading market, here are a few ways the hobby can fight back:

1. Support Alternative Graders: Sending more cards to companies like CGC, TAG, HGA, RCG, or others helps keep competition alive — and gives collectors choice.

2. Demand Transparency: Encouraging independent audit of grading practices and pricing can help ensure fairness across all graders.

3. Hobby-wide Standards: Collectors, dealers, and platforms could work toward agreed-upon grading benchmarks so slabs from different providers are more comparable.

4. Speak Up: Share your experiences with grading services. Community feedback matters — and the bigger voices get, the more these companies listen.

Your Thoughts?

Is this consolidation inevitable? Is it a monopoly, or just natural industry evolution?

Drop a comment — especially if you disagree — because this debate needs to be had by the whole hobby.