1961 Fleer Baseball Greats Card # 4 Cap Anson - Chicago White Stockings (VG/EX)

1960-1969 Baseball Cards

Few time periods in the history of the hobby garner as much interest as 1960s baseball cards. Packed with Hall of Fame players and valuable rookie cards, these products are a set collector’s dream. Ungraded commons are still very reasonable and can be readily found at card shows and online, while high-graded stars command prices that push deep into the thousands. This decade was mostly dominated by Topps but a few popular Fleer products were released early in the 1960s that included a roster of retired players, including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb.

Part of what makes 1960s baseball cards so special is the impressive lineup of players that filled the checklists. Established stars are joined by the new rookie class, which includes top players like Pete Rose, Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson, Tom Seaver, Johnny Bench, Rod Carew, Carl Yastrzemski, and Lou Brock.

1961 Fleer Baseball Greats of the Game Trading Cards

1961 Fleer Baseball Greats features a checklist filled with retired greats. Boasting a strong design and plenty of Hall of Fame names, including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb, this is one of the better values of the era.

Product Details

1961 Fleer Baseball Greats marks the second straight attempt by Fleer to offer a set exclusively filled with former players. Like the the 1960 release, the '61 set was not well received by collectors upon release. However, the updated design and larger checklist has made 1961 Fleer Baseball more popular over the years.

The 1961 Fleer Baseball set features players from multiple eras of professional baseball. In order to keep from violating Topps' exclusive player contracts, all the featured subjects are retired. Also like the previous year's set, there are several pictures that showcase subjects wearing street clothes or in Old Timer's Day uniforms.

Issued in two series over consecutive years, 1961 Fleer Baseball contains cards #1-88, while the 1962 set covers cards # 89 -154. Each series begins with a checklist card showing multiple players on the front, and both series have subjects arranged in alphabetical order. Technically a 1961-62 set, most collectors still refer to it as a 1961 product. The first series is more common than the second release, so there is a slight premium for the high-number cards.

The 1961 Fleer Baseball card fronts feature a vertical orientation and a patriotic, flag-like design. Cards display a line of five blue stars on either side of the player's image and a series of four red stripes across the bottom. A blue pennant at the bottom contains the name of the player, manager or executive. Compared to the 1960 release, the 1961 cards are much more visually appealing.

1961 Fleer Baseball card backs utilize a horizontal layout and feature a trophy with the card number inside. More info is available via a basic biography and career write-up. A complete line of career statistics is also provided.

Ted Williams, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth anchor the 1961 Fleer Baseball set. Other key cards in the release include the multi-player combo cards of Home Run Baker, Ty Cobb and Zach Wheat, as well as George Sisler and Pie Traynor. Both cards are also checklists for their respective series.

1961 Fleer Baseball cards were originally sold in five-cent packs and were packaged with two bonus inserts. Not numbered and fairly simple, each packs yields a logo decal for every team at the time and a pennant sticker that celebrates past World Series champions, from 1913 to 1960. The pennants inlcude both teams for the specific World Series year referenced, as well as the champion and the series win-loss result.

As with the 1960 set, the 1961 Fleer Baseball Greats card set has grown in popularity over the years. Loaded with Hall of Fame players from the vintage era, collectors have warmed to the affordable set. Common condition issues of the release include centering and edge wear, which is most noticeable on the card's reverse.

How We Grade:

Gem Mint (GMT): (10.0) A flawless card. To be in Gem Mint condition, a card’s borders must have a ratio of 50/50 side to side and top to bottom. 

Mint (MT): (9.0-9.5) A perfect card. Well-centered with parallel borders which appear equal to the naked eye. Four sharp, square corners. No creases, edge dents, surface scratches, paper flaws, loss of luster, yellowing or fading, regardless of age. No imperfectly printed cards – out of register, badly cut or ink flawed – or card stained by contact with gum, wax or other substances can be considered truly Mint, even if new out of the pack. Generally, to be considered in Mint condition, a card’s borders must exist in a ratio of 60/40 side to side and top to bottom. 

Near Mint/Mint (NM/MT): (8.0-8.5) A super high-end card that appears Mint 9 at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may exhibit a very slight wax stain on reverse, slight fraying at one or two corners, or a minor printing imperfection. Centering must be app. 65/35 to 70/30 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse. 

Near Mint (NM): (7.0-7.5) A nearly perfect card at first glance, but upon closer inspection, may have slight surface wear, slight fraying on some corners, slightly out-of-register picture focus, a minor printing blemish or slight wax stain on reverse. Centering must be 70/30 to 75/25 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

Excellent/Near Mint (EX/NM): (6.0-6.5) Card may have visible surface wear or a printing defect. A very light scratch. Corners may have slightly graduated fraying. Picture focus may be slightly out-of-register. Card may have minor wax stain on reverse, may have very slight nothing on edges. Centering must be 80/20 or better on the front and 90/10 or better on the reverse.

Excellent (EX): (5.0-5.5) Corners are still fairly sharp with only moderate wear. Card borders may be off center as much as 85/15. No creases. May have very minor gum, wax or product stains, front or back. Surfaces may show slight loss of luster from rubbing across other cards. Dark bordered cards may have one or two small nicks.

Very Good/Excellent (VG/EX): (4.0-4.5) Shows obvious handling, but still looks nice. Corners may be rounded or have minor creases. No major creases, tape marks or extraneous markings or writing. Surfaces does exhibit loss of luster, but the printing is intact. May have paper wrinkles. May show major gum, wax or other packaging stains. All four borders visible, though the ratio may be as poor as 95/5. Exhibits honest wear. 

Very Good (VG): (3.0-3.5) A well-worn card, but exhibits no intentional damage or abuse. May be “Mis-cut or Off-Center” with no border visible. May have major or multiple creases, however, creases are not so deep as to show the underlying paper. This card is completely readable, has not been written on, and has no tape marks or holes. Corner rounding may extend well beyond the border. 

Good (GD) (2.0-2.5) Shows excessive wear, along with damage or abuse. Will show all the wear characteristics of a Very Good card, along with such damage as thumb tack holes in or near margins, evidence of having been taped or pasted, perhaps small tears around the edges or creases so heavily as to break the cardboard. Backs may show minor added pen or pencil writing or be missing small bits of paper. Still basically a complete card. 

Poor (P): (1.0-1.5) A card that has been tortured to death. Corners or other areas may be torn off. Card may have been trimmed, show holes from a paper punch or have been used for BB gun practice. Front may have extraneous pen or pencil writing, or other defacement. Major portions of front or back design may be missing. Not a pretty sight. 

We believe that all our listings are 100% Original and Authentic unless otherwise noted. They are all covered by a 30 Day Money Back Guarantee, if for whatever reason you are not happy with your purchase we will exchange it, replace it, discount it or you can return it for a full refund.

Standard/Combined 1st Class Shipping via USPS is $3.95 for the first card and $0.15 for each additional card, with a max. of (40) items per invoice. Subject to change as postal rates continue to increase. Estimated delivery is 3-5 days. Subject to change as postal delivery schedules continue to increase. Please see shipping tab for current postage rates. All cards will ship in penny sleeves, top loaders, team bag & bubble wrap envelopes.

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