Minor League Cards of Future Stars

Ironically last summer, the final year of rookie card collecting as we knew it, several players who did not start the season on a major league roster established themselves as future stars during the second half of the season. Their minor league cards and autograph inserts, will likely become even more popular in coming years, are on fire.

Nineteen-year-old Felix Hernandez, reminiscent of Dwight Gooden propelling the Mets back to glory in the mid ’80s, quickly rose through the Mariners minor league system before dominating major league hitters over the last three months of the season. The flame-throwing right-hander’s first baseball card was issued when he was 17 years old, one year after signing a professional contract. The ‘03 Grandstand Everett Aquasox minor league card is selling for $38 with PSA-9 versions getting over $50.

Jeff Francoeur did not make his minor league debut until July 7, slugging a home run for his first major league hit and tallying 3 RBI. He quickly joined Albert Pujols as the only rookies to hit 10 home runs in their first 30 games. The former Georgia high school football star has developed a huge following in Atlanta. His ‘02 Upper Deck USA “Autograph” jumped from $100 to $250 at season’s end.

Zach Duke is the first of what could be many Pittsburgh Pirate prospects to excel in the majors. The 22-year-old left-hander was 6-0 in his first nine starts. His first autograph, the ‘04 Bowman’s Best, is approaching $100 on eBay, a $75 jump in two months.

Jon Papelbon, a collegiate closer and minor league starter, uses a 94 mph fastball and devastating splitter to bridge the gap between the Red Sox starting rotation and closer Mike Timlin at the end of last season before becoming the Red Sox closer in 2006. Resembling a young Roger Clemens in both stature and command, Papelbon has excelled as a starter and reliever over the second half of the season. His 2004 Just autograph, which could be had for $7 last July is now approaching $50.

Rare Joe DiMaggio/Marilyn Monroe Autographed Ball for Sale

A unique autographed baseball sporting the original signatures of Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio and his former wife, actress Marilyn Monroe, will be offered for sale by Heritage Auction Galleries later this month. The ball is from the estate of the late Associated Press photographer, Harry Harris, who obtained the signatures during the Yankees 1961 spring training in Florida when the Yankees slugger and Monroe were attempting to reconcile after their divorce.

The signatures are bold and clear and are located on the same panel of the ball. This is the only known baseball autographed by both DiMaggio and Monroe with her name as “Marilyn Monroe,” according to Heritage. The only other known baseball autographed by the celebrity couple – signed “Joe DiMaggio” and “Norma Jean DiMaggio” – sold for $50,000 in 1999.

Harris, who shot many famous photos, including President John F. Kennedy lying in state beneath a statue of President Abraham Lincoln, turned down a $5,000 offer to sell the ball 45 years ago. The unique DiMaggio/Monroe signature baseball carries a pre-auction estimate of $100,000.

Coco Crisp: Instant Attention Grabber

The name alone, Coco Crisp, is an attention grabber, but the Red Sox 26-year-old center fielder has multiple on- and off-the-field talents that have made him an instant hit with local baseball fans and card collectors.

Crisp is an athletically-gifted switch hitter with a tremendous work ethic. He hit .316 last year with the Cleveland Indians with 61 extra-base hits, including 16 home runs, in just his third season with 400 or more big league at bats. Crisp must adjust from batting second and playing left field last season to leading off and playing center field, where he has played in the past. The Red Sox expect him to develop as a leadoff spot with experience and his exceptional speed will be an asset in Fenway’s vast center field.

Originally drafted by St. Louis in the seventh round of the 1999 draft and named the Cardinals minor league player of the year in 2002, Crisp sports a Cardinals uniform on his 2001 Bowman DP rookie card (#BDP49). This true rookie jumped from $2 to $8 after an off-season acquisition sent Crisp from the small market Cleveland Indians to Boston. This highly sought-after card has since settled at $5. Johnny Damon, Crisp’s popular center field predecessor, saw a similar spike with his popular ‘93 SP rookie after leaving Oakland for Boston four years ago.

Crisp also has impressive off-the-field credentials. He is a rapper who writes his own songs and owns a music label. When he’s not developing his baseball or musical skills, he is developing various television projects. Talent runs abundant in his family. His sister is a figure skater and appeared in Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials as a child. His father, Loyce “Sugar” Crisp, was a professional boxer and his grandfather, Milton Newton, is in the Masters Hall of Fame for track and field.

Crisp has the talent and flair to succeed Johnny Damon, the center fielder and the celebrity. Constant comparisons to Damon will keep Crisp in the national spotlight, which will significantly impact his baseball cards.

The few Crisp autographed and memorabilia cards available are soaring in price. His ‘05 SPx “Autograph” is getting $30, while his ‘05 Ultimate Collection “Autograph”, limited to a production run of 25, is selling for $44. His 2006 Topps Bazooka “Blasts” game-used bat card can be had for $6. Now that Crisp is in the limelight, expect to see more game used cards to be released.

The History of Fleer Baseball Cards

The following is a brief history of Fleer Baseball cards in response to readers' inquiries aabout the now defunct company.

Fleer's company history dates back to 1849 when Frank H. Fleer began a bubble gum business. In 1923, Fleer released its first trading card series featuring 120 sports celebrities, including Babe Ruth, to help sell its gum.

Fleer first challenged the Topps baseball card monopoly in 1959 when it signed Ted Williams to an exclusive contract and issued the "Ted Williams" Baseball Card Set, chronicling the Red Sox great's Hall of Fame career. Fleer effectively broke the Topps dynasty in 1981 by securing a license to produce a major league baseball card set and opening the door for Donruss, Upper Deck, and other companies to issue baseball cards.

Fleer made its biggest hobby impact in the mid '80s. In 1984, Fleer was the only manufacturer to release a Roger Clemens card, which was featured in the 1984 Fleer Update Set. The set also included the first licensed card of Kirby Puckett. In 1986 Fleer revived the basketball industry by releasing the 1986-87 Fleer Basketball Set featuring Michael Jordan's rookie card.

Despite Fleer's rich tradition and tremendous impact on the hobby, the company will hardly be missed once the dust settles. The remaining high impact manufacturers -- Topps and Upper Deck -- continue to produce a wide variety of affordable base sets and costly high-end sets that satisfy the needs of most collectors. In fact, Upper Deck has purchased the Fleer brand name and the recently released the 2006 Fleer Baseball Set (Upper Deck style), which includes many of the same insert sets that made Fleer popular with set builders.

In a saturated market, it was inevitable that one of the key players would be dropped from the roster and that player turned out to be Fleer.