The Fleer Corporation, founded by Frank H. Fleer in the mid-19th century, was the first company to successfully manufacture bubblegum. Bought out by comic-book empire Marvel in 1992, it is now a part of Upper Deck. Image File history File links Logo_fleer. ... A woman blowing bubblegum. ... Marvel or marvel can refer to: Marvel Comics, a comic book publishing company based in the United States of America. ... The Upper Deck Entertainment logo. ...

Fleer originally developed a bubblegum formulation called Blibber-Blubber in 1906. Unfortunately, while this gum was capable of being blown into bubbles, in other respects it was vastly inferior to regular chewing gum, and Blibber-Blubber was never marketed to the public. In 1928, Fleer employee Walter Diemer improved the Blibber-Blubber formulation to produce the first commercially successful bubblegum, Dubble Bubble. Its pink color set a tradition for nearly all bubble gums to follow. Blibber-Blubber was the first bubble gum formulation, developed in 1906 by Frank Fleer. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Chewing gum Chewing gum is a type of confectionery which is designed to be chewed, not swallowed. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Walter E. Diemer (8 January 1905—9 January 1998) was an accountant and inventor of bubble gum. ... Dubble Bubble is a brand of bubble gum invented in 1928 by Walter Diemer, an employee of Fleer. ...

Fleer became known as a maker of sports cards, and has also produced some non-sports trading cards. In 1995, Fleer acquired the trading card company SkyBox International and it closed its Philadelphia plant (where Dubble Bubble was made for 67 years). In 1998, 70-year-old Dubble Bubble was acquired by Canadian company Concord Confections; Concord, in turn, was acquired by Chicago-based Tootsie Roll Industries in 2004. Sports card is a generic term for a trading card with a sports-related subject, as opposed to non-sports trading cards. ... These are trading cards with any subject other than sports. ... SkyBox International Inc. ... Tootsie Roll Industries is a manufacturer of confectionery in the United States. ...

In late May 2005, news circulated that Fleer was suspending its trading card operations immediately. By early July, in a move similar to declaring bankruptcy, the company began to liquidate its assets to repay creditors. The move included the auction of the Fleer trade name, as well as other holdings. Competitor Upper Deck won the Fleer name, as well as their die cast toy business, at a price of $6.1 million. One negative aspect associated with Fleer's bankruptcy is that many sports card collectors now own redemption cards for autographs and memorabilia that may not be able to be redeemed; those fears were somewhat quenched in early 2006 when random memorabilia cards were mailed to the aforementioned collectors. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... The Upper Deck Entertainment logo. ...

Early attempts at sports cards

Well-established as a gum and candy company, Fleer followed some of its competitors into the business of selling sports cards. It began by signing baseball star Ted Williams to a contract in 1959 and sold an 80-card set oriented around highlights of his career. Fleer was unable to include other players because another company, Topps, had signed most active baseball players to exclusive contracts. A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II in St. ... Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002), nicknamed The Kid, the Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame and The Thumper, was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who played 19 seasons, twice interrupted by military service as a Marine Corps pilot, with the Boston Red Sox. ... A contract is a promise or an agreement that is enforced or recognized by the law. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Some Topps Baseball cards The Topps Company, Inc. ...

Williams was nearing the end of his career and retired after the 1960 season. However, Fleer continued to produce baseball cards by featuring Williams with other mostly retired players in a Baseball Greats series. One set was produced in 1960 and a second in 1961. The company did not produce new cards the next year, but continued selling the 1961 set while it focused on signing enough players to produce a set featuring active players in 1963. This 67-card set included a number of stars, including 1962 National League MVP Maury Wills (then holder of the modern record for stolen bases in a season), who had elected to sign with Fleer instead of Topps. Wills and Jimmy Piersall served as player representatives for Fleer, helping to bring others on board. However, Topps still held onto the rights of most players and the set was not particularly successful. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Maurice Morning Maury Wills (born October 2, 1932 in Washington, DC) is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and switch-hitting batter who played most prominently with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1959-66, 1969-72), and also with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1967-68) and Montreal Expos (1969). ... The all-time stolen base leader, Rickey Henderson, swipes third in 1985 In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate. ... James Anthony Piersall (born November 14, 1929 in Waterbury, Connecticut) is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball. ...

Meanwhile, Fleer took advantage of the emergence of the American Football League in 1960 to begin producing football cards. Fleer produced a set for the AFL while Topps cards covered the established National Football League. In 1961, each company produced cards featuring players from both leagues. The next year reverted to the status quo, with Fleer covering the AFL and Topps the NFL. In 1964, however, Philadelphia Gum secured the rights for NFL cards and Topps took over the AFL. AFL logo The American Football League (AFL) was a professional league of American football that operated from 1960 to 1969. ... The National Football League (NFL) is the largest professional American football league, consisting of thirty-two teams from American cities and regions. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... The Philadelphia Chewing Gum Company is an American candy, chewing gum, and confectionary company. ...

Legal battles

This left Fleer with no product in either baseball or football. The company now turned its efforts to supporting an administrative complaint filed against Topps by the Federal Trade Commission. The complaint focused on the baseball card market, alleging that Topps was engaging in unfair competition through its aggregation of exclusive contracts. A hearing examiner ruled against Topps in 1965, but the Commission reversed this decision on appeal. The Commission concluded that because the contracts only covered the sale of cards with gum, competition was still possible by selling cards with other small, low-cost products. However, Fleer chose not to pursue such options and instead sold its remaining player contracts to Topps for $395,000 in 1966. The decision gave Topps an effective monopoly of the baseball card market. FTC headquarters, Washington, D.C. The Federal Trade Commission (or FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act. ... Topps Baseball cards from the 50s, 60s and 70s A baseball card is a small card printed on heavy paper stock, featuring one or more baseball players. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... It has been suggested that coercive monopoly be merged into this article or section. ...

In 1968, Fleer was approached by the Major League Baseball Players Association, a recently organized players' union, about obtaining a group license to produce cards. The MLBPA was in a dispute with Topps over player contracts, and offered Fleer the exclusive rights to market cards of most players starting in 1973, when many of Topps's contracts would expire. Since this was so far in the future, Fleer declined the proposal. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... The Major League Baseball Players Association (or MLBPA) is the union of professional major-league baseball players. ... The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... It has been suggested that Licensing (strategic alliance) be merged into this article or section. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Fleer returned to the union in September 1974 with a proposal to sell 5-by-7-inch satin patches of players, somewhat larger than normal baseball cards. By now, the MLBPA had settled its differences with Topps and reached an agreement that gave Topps a right of first refusal on such offers. Topps passed on the opportunity, indicating that it did not think the product would be successful. The union, also fearing that it would cut into existing royalties from Topps sales, then rejected the proposal. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... Right of first refusal is the right to make an offer before offers from others are considered. ...

In April 1975, Fleer asked for Topps to waive its exclusive rights and allow Fleer to produce stickers, stamps, or other small items featuring active baseball players. Topps refused, and Fleer then sued both Topps and the MLBPA to break the Topps monopoly. After several years of litigation, the court ordered the union to offer group licenses for baseball cards to companies other than Topps. Fleer and another company, Donruss, were thus allowed to begin making cards in 1981. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Donruss is a U.S. brand of bubble gum and trading card. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Fleer produced two benchmark trading cards in the 1980s. In 1984, Fleer was the only major trading card manufacturer to release a Roger Clemens card; they included the then-Boston Red Sox prospect in their 1984 Fleer Baseball Update Set. The 1984 update set also included the first licensed card of future MLB Hall Of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett. In 1986 Fleer helped resurrect the basketball card industry by releasing the 1986-1987 Fleer Basketball set which included the Rookie Cards of Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. The 1997 Flair Showcase set included the first one-of-one cards for any major sport, a spate of masterpiece parallels to the more common Row 2, Row 1 and Row 0 parallel sets. William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962 in Dayton, Ohio), nicknamed The Rocket, is one of the preeminent Major League baseball pitchers of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest pitchers of all time[1]. He has won seven Cy Young awards... Major league affiliations American League (1901-present) East Division (1969-present) Major league titles World Series titles (6) 2004 â€¢ 1918 â€¢ 1916 â€¢ 1915 1912 â€¢ 1903 AL Pennants (11) 2004 â€¢ 1986 â€¢ 1975 â€¢ 1967 1946 â€¢ 1918 â€¢ 1916 â€¢ 1915 1912 â€¢ 1904 â€¢ 1903 East Division titles (5) 1995 â€¢ 1990 â€¢ 1988 â€¢ 1986 1975 Wild card berths... Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was a center fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the Minnesota Twins from 1984 to 1995. ... Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American former basketball player, and is considered by many to be the greatest of all time. ... Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963 in Leeds, Alabama) is a former American basketball power forward. ...

In early 2005, Fleer announced that it would cease all productions of trading cards and file for bankruptcy. In late 2005 Upper Deck began producing basketball and football cards under its acquired Fleer name. Many popular Fleer sets (like "Ultra"), have continued without skipping a year or dramatically changing their design. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A trading card (or collectible card) is a small card which is intended for trading and collecting. ... The Upper Deck Entertainment logo. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005 For other uses, see Basketball (disambiguation). ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ...