ShareThisIt took 20 years, but it appears as if the mystery surrounding Billy Ripken's infamous 1989 Fleer error card has been solved -- thanks to the perpetrator himself.
In his Sports Biz blog, Darren Rovell reported the Ripken had finally come clean about the card with an obscenity on the bat handle that turned the hobby upside down when it hit the market 20 years ago. A card that should have been worth a few cents was suddenly selling for hundreds of dollars.
Ripken said he was the victim of a teammate's prank. Fleer couldn't understand how the card, No. 616, with "F--- Face'' on the knob Ripken's bat had made it past its those proof-reading safeguards.
Sales of overproduced 1989 Fleer cards skyrocketed. Fleer corrected the error any number of times (more on that later), which caused even more buzz.
The brother of Hall if Famer Cal Ripken Jr, Billy told Rovell how it all happened.
"I got a dozen bats in front of my locker during the 1988 season. I pulled the bats out, model R161, and noticed -- because of the grain patterns -- that they were too heavy. But I decided I'd use one of them, at the very least, for my batting practice bat,'' Rovell quoted Ripken as saying.
To be sure he wouldn't use the bat in a game, Ripken put the infamous words on the knob. Supposedly during a BP session at Fenway Park a photographer asked for a shot. Ripken said he didn't even consider that he had the naughty bat in his hand.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Even to this day, Billy Ripken says Fleer should shoulder most of the blame, telling Rovell: "I can't believe the people at Fleer couldn't catch that. I mean, they certainly have to have enough proofreaders to see it. I think not only did they see it, they enhanced it. That writing on that bat is way too clear. I don't write that neat. I think they knew that once they saw it, they could use the card to create an awful lot of stir."
Of course Fleer is long gone. Unless a former employee comes forth, we probably will never know what happened on that end.
There are about as many supposed versions of the card out there as there are Elvis sightings in any given month. Some estimate there are 20 or more versions.
Beckett's Almanac of Baseball Cards and The Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards from the editors of Sports Collectors Digest each list five. Apparently, a version with the knob of the bat "whited'' out is considered authentic and scarce by collectors. The Standard Catalog lists it at $250, while the Almanac has it at $120. This correction is not to be confused with another version where only the obscenity is scribbled over in white. Then there are versions with the inscription scribbled over in black. There's also a version with a neat black box over the words. The Standard Catalog says the black box version is worth but a dime, while Beckett is more generous, listing it at $5. The others list for a few dollars more, but nowhere near the value of the one with knob "whited'' out.
The next card in the set, No. 617, lists for 75 cents. It belongs to that other Ripken, Cal Jr., who has a spot in Cooperstown.
BABE NOTE: Fans chasing cards of Darren McFadden, Matt Ryan and Felix Jones should know that all three rookies along with Peyton Manning, Devin Hester and Adrian Petersen were part of a special set handed out to fans attending Pop Warner Super Bowl week at Disney World. The limited edition Donruss Pop Warner was handed out those attending the final games Dec. 12-13.
(Send card questions to Babe Waxpak, PO Box 492397, Redding, CA 96049-2397 or e-mail babewaxpak(at)charter.net. If possible, include card number, year and brand or a photocopy. Please do not send cards. For Babe Waxpak's blog, see www.scrippsnews.com/waxpak. Babe Waxpak is a feature of The Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
