2013 Fleer Retro College Greats of the Game
The Back Story
The Back Story
The Back Story
In 2013, Upper Deck (who previously acquired Fleer in 2005) was successfully granted a license with Major League Baseball Players Association and announced plans to release a Fleer Retro baseball set later in the year which would include a Fleer Greats of the Game subset. At the time, Upper Deck did not have an MLB license to use team l
In 2013, Upper Deck (who previously acquired Fleer in 2005) was successfully granted a license with Major League Baseball Players Association and announced plans to release a Fleer Retro baseball set later in the year which would include a Fleer Greats of the Game subset. At the time, Upper Deck did not have an MLB license to use team logos and names, but did have a license with The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC). Therefore, Upper Deck planned on producing the set by showcasing legendary players in their collegiate uniforms.
Upper Deck made the Announcement at the 2013 Las Vegas Industry Summit alongside baseball legend Frank Thomas. Thomas made himself available to pose for pictures and sign an oversized Fleer Greats of the Game 6 x 9 card for attendees to take home. The card has a numbered UDA hologram affixed to the card in the lower right corner and did have a matching certificate too. Many of these cards found themselves for sale on the secondary market.
Cancellation
The Back Story
The Back Story
Eventually the plans to release 2013 Fleer Retro were scrapped by Upper Deck. While there were many different theories speculated, one has to consider how tight of a leash MLB had on Upper Deck as an influencing factor, due to a settlement between the two parties years ago.
In 2010, MLB sued Upper Deck over alleged trademark infringem
Eventually the plans to release 2013 Fleer Retro were scrapped by Upper Deck. While there were many different theories speculated, one has to consider how tight of a leash MLB had on Upper Deck as an influencing factor, due to a settlement between the two parties years ago.
In 2010, MLB sued Upper Deck over alleged trademark infringement in which Upper Deck eventually settled out of court. Per the terms of the agreement, Upper Deck was barred from using, “MLB logos, uniforms, trade dress, or Club color combinations.” It also could not "airbrush, alter, or block MLB marks in future products" which were limitations that competitors Panini and Leaf even had the ability to do.
And it gets more interesting.
Upper Deck also was required to receive approval from MLB for the use of baseball jerseys, pants, jackets, caps, helmets or catcher’s equipment in future products featuring players." The conditions of the lawsuit made releasing any baseball product a significant challenge for Upper Deck.
Aftermath
The Back Story
Aftermath
To better illustrate what this set could have looked like, one could take a look at the 2013 Football Greats of the Game set released by Upper Deck that same year. This on-card autograph set had a great mix of legendary players such as Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, and Barry Sanders, as well as some recent draft picks. The set has remained
To better illustrate what this set could have looked like, one could take a look at the 2013 Football Greats of the Game set released by Upper Deck that same year. This on-card autograph set had a great mix of legendary players such as Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, and Barry Sanders, as well as some recent draft picks. The set has remained popular with collectors given it carried the legacy and standards of the first set well.
One could envision a set including Tony Gwynn, Will Clark, Buster Posey, and Barry Larkin being in their uniforms from their college playing days, with an assortment of picks from the 2013 MLB draft rounding out the set.