1979 Fleer Grand Slam Hi-Gloss Baseball Stickers

Fleer produced a 3rd version of the Grand Slam Hi-Gloss Baseball Stickers in 1979 which is almost identical to the 1978 set with just a few exceptions.


Once again each team has 2 stickers with a team logo sticker with the city name and a cap monogram / team name sticker.

The stickers continue with the 3 color and 2 color border variations that were found in 1977 & 1978 series, and again there is no change in terms of which teams have 3 colors vs. those which have 2.

The same stickers that had the "World Series Photo Puzzle On Back" once again have this designation.

Since the Yankees beat the Dodgers again in the World Series, even the same World Champs and NL Champs stickers appear for a second straight year.

The main difference between the 1978 & 1979 sets is the puzzle back. Whereas the 1978 puzzle was vertical, and had a white/red/white/blue border with a photo taken at Dodger Stadium, the 1979 set has a puzzle with horizontal picture backs, and has a red/white/blue border. The other difference is that the photo in the 1979 set is from Yankee stadium.

Here is a partial view of the puzzle backs:


Only 2 teams underwent changes from the 1978 set to the 1979 set:


All the other stickers in the set look identical between the two years.

The one other difference between 1978 & 1979 is the wrapper. After 2 years of yellow wrappers with team logos on the front, Fleer put a picture of a player that looks an awful lot like Reggie Jackson on the front. From the pinstripes to the NY batting helmet to the glasses, it looks like Fleer was trying to get as close to portraying Reggie as possible, even though they have him batting right handed (when in fact he batted left):


Its even more apparent when you look at the box which includes a Dodger pitcher, playing up the fact that there is a World Series puzzle on the back of the cards:


1979 was the last year for the "Grand Slam" stickers. The 1980 set would have a much different look which I'll cover next time.

UPDATE 04/2010:

Fleer Sticker Project contributor Troy has provided a review from an April, 1979 issue of Sports Collectors Digest (SCD) covering the 1979 Fleer Baseball Stickers set, including an in depth look at the various puzzle back variations: