1969 Fleer 3D Baseball Trophy Plaques Set

The late 1960's / early 1970's was a very productive time for Fleer in terms of the number of different baseball items they produced. One of the more unusual offerings was a set of plastic cards showing 23 MLB team's caps (all teams except the Expos) with the cap rising up off of the card to produce a 3D effect.



The plaques are slightly bigger than a standard card, measuring 3 inches x 3.75 inches. The backs are blank:


But the plaque comes with a card that can be attached to the back that has a small hole if you want to hang up the plaque, and a part of the card that folds out to be used as a stand. You can also write out your team's lineup:

The card has to be glued to the back of the plaque if you want to attach it as the directions indicate. The card has a 1968 copyright, but these were actually issued in 1969 as they include the 4 new expansion teams.

The plaques sold for $0.10 as seen on the front of the pack:


While the back of the pack showed that you can hang 'em up, stand 'em up, or trade 'em!


Here is a the top of the box:

And a look inside:


And finally, the front of the box:



Since you don't see these too often, I thought I'd post the teams for which I have been able to find pictures:

Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
California Angels - with the halo around the top of the cap

Chicago Cubs



Chicago White Sox:


Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals - note that the "KC" was originally planned to be Gold instead of White


Los Angeles Dodgers
Minnesota Twins

Montreal Expos - apparently does not exist.

New York Mets
New York Yankees
Oakland A's
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
San Diego Padres

San Francisco Giants
Seattle Pilots - just as with the Royals, this plaque has a color (and in this case also a design) that was never used as far as I know. Seattle did not have Orange in their uniforms, yet this trophy shows an Orange "S". Presumably these were created after the expansion teams were announced, but before final decisions were made on uniform colors and designs.

Washington Senators

It would be 16 years until Topps offered a 3D type set with players rising off of the card in 1985 (and then again in 1986):


As with any non-standard card size set, one of the challenges is storing and displaying these 3D cards (assuming you don't glue the backs on and hang them on your wall !). Since they don't really fit well into any of your typical storage items like a card holder or a 9 pocket sheet, and since they aren't flat, they aren't the easiest things to store. In spite of that, I think they are a very nice collectible, especially if you are just looking to have one for your favorite team.