Editing Baseball card (section)

===1981–1994===
[[Fleer]] sued Topps in 1975 to break the company's monopoly on baseball cards and won, as in 1980, federal judge [[Clarence Charles Newcomer]] ended Topps Chewing Gum's exclusive right to sell baseball cards, allowing the Fleer Corporation to compete in the market.<ref name="sun-sentinel2005">Douglas Martin (August 28, 2005). [https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2005-08-28-0508270080-story.html "Clarence Newcomer, 82, Longtime Federal Judge,"] ''South Florida Sun Sentinel''.</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/01/business/gilbert-barclay-mustin-78-developed-fleer-baseball-cards.html |title=Gilbert Barclay Mustin, 78, Developed Fleer Baseball Cards |work=The New York Times |first=Nick |last=Ravo |date=August 1, 1999 |access-date=May 20, 2010}}</ref> In 1981, Fleer and [[Donruss]] issued baseball card sets, both with gum. An appeal of the Fleer lawsuit by Topps clarified that Topps' exclusive rights only applied to cards sold with gum.<ref>[http://business.enotes.com/company-histories/donruss-playoff-l-p/production-baseball-cards-begins-1981?print=1 International Directory of Company Histories | Donruss Playoff L.P. | Production of Baseball Cards Begins in 1981<!-- Bot generated title -->]{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> After the appeal, Fleer and Donruss continued to produce cards issued without gum; Fleer included team logo stickers with their card packs, while Donruss introduced "Hall of Fame Diamond Kings" puzzles and included three puzzle pieces in each pack. In 1992, Topps' gum and Fleer's logo stickers were discontinued, with Donruss discontinuing the puzzle piece inserts the following year.<ref name="ReferenceA">''2006 Beckett Almanac of Baseball Cards and Collectibles''</ref> With the issuance of a very popular and rare (compared to other sets at the time) set in 1984, Donruss began to take hold as one of the most popular card brands in competition with Topps. In particular, several rookie cards in the 1984 Donruss set are still considered the most desirable cards from that year of any brand (especially the [[Don Mattingly]] rookie card). Also in 1984, two monthly [[price guide]]s came on the scene. ''[[Tuff Stuff]]'' and ''[[Beckett Baseball Card Monthly]]'', published by Dr. [[James Beckett (statistician)|James Beckett]], attempted to track the approximate market value of several types of [[trading card]]s.

[[File:Greg Tubbs 1986 ProCards Greenville Braves.jpg|thumb|upright|A baseball card of [[Greg Tubbs]] from the 1986 ProCards Greenville Braves set]]
<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zillante |first1=Arthur |title=A Post-War Review of the Baseball Card Market |url=https://belkcollegeofbusiness.charlotte.edu/azillant/wp-content/uploads/sites/846/2016/11/zillante_post_war_review_baseball_cards.pdf |website=University of North Carolina at Charlotte |access-date=November 4, 2024}}</ref> More collectors entered the hobby during the 1980s. As a result, manufacturers such as [[Score Entertainment|Score]] (which later became [[Pinnacle Brands]]) and [[Upper Deck Company|Upper Deck]] entered the marketplace in 1988 and 1989 respectively. Upper Deck introduced several innovative production methods including tamper-proof foil packaging, hologram-style logos, and higher-quality card stock. This style of production allowed Upper Deck to charge a premium for its product, becoming the first mainstream baseball card product to have a suggested retail price of 99 cents per pack. In 1989, Upper Deck's first set included the [[Ken Griffey Jr.]] rookie card. Eighteen-year-old employee, Tom Geideman, selected the players for the inaugural 1989 set proposing Griffey, a minor leaguer at the time, for the coveted #1 spot.<ref name=sports.yahoo.com>{{cite news |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/news/what-the-iconic-1989-ken-griffey-jr-upper-deck-card-means-to-a-generation-of-fans-165805988.html |title=What the iconic 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck card means to a generation of fans |last=Passan |first=Jeff |date=22 July 2016 |work=Yahoo Sports |access-date=18 February 2024}}</ref> Griffey had yet to make his major league debut with the Seattle Mariners, so in order to create his rookie card, an image of him in his San Bernardino Spirits uniform was altered. The uniform was airbrushed royal blue, and the star on his hat was replaced with a yellow “S”.<ref name=vault.si.com>{{cite magazine |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/2009/08/24/the-last-iconic-baseball-card |title=The Last Iconic Baseball Card |last=Winn |first=Luke |date=24 August 2009 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref> The card became highly sought-after until Griffey's persistent injury troubles caused his performance level to decline.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> As of the summer of 2022, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) certified over 4,000 copies of the 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card were graded a 10, or Gem Mint status.<ref name=bleacherreport.com>{{cite magazine |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10047071-sports-cards-predicting-the-next-10-million-card-after-mickey-mantle-sale |title=Sports Cards: Predicting the Next $10 Million Card After Mickey Mantle Sale |last=Reuter |first=Joel |date=31 August 2022 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |access-date=13 February 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Bowman brand logo.png|thumb|upright|The Bowman brand name was reissued by Topps in 1989]]
The other major card companies followed suit and created card brands with higher [[price point]]s. [[Topps#Topps in the modern baseball card industry|Topps resurrected]] the [[Bowman Gum|Bowman]] brand name in 1989. Topps produced a Stadium Club issue in 1991. 1992 proved to be a breakthrough year as far as the price of baseball cards was concerned, with the previous 50-cents per pack price being replaced by higher price points, overall higher-grade cardboard stock, and the widespread introduction of limited edition "inserts" across all product lines. 1992 was the beginning of the collectors' chase for "gold foil," which was commonly stamped on the limited edition "insert" cards. Notable examples from 1992's "insert" craze include Donruss Diamond Kings, which included gold-foil accents for the first time ever, and Fleer's host of gold foil-accented "insert" cards, including All-Stars and Rookie Sensations. 1992 was also the first year that "parallel" cards were introduced. In 1992, Topps produced Topps Gold "insert" cards of each card in the standard base set. The "parallel" Topps Gold cards had the player's name and team stamped in a banner of "gold foil" on the card front. The "parallel" moniker became popular to describe these cards because each and every card in the standard base set had an accompanying "insert" variation. In 1993, the card companies stepped up the "premium" card genre with "super premium" card sets, with Fleer debuting its "Flair" set and Topps debuting its "Topps Finest" set. Topps Finest was the first set to utilize refractors, a technology that utilized a reflective foil technology that gave the card a shiny "rainbow" appearance that proved extremely popular among hobbyists. Other notable "premium" card sets from the 1990s are as follows: Donruss issued its [[Leaf Candy Company|Leaf]] brand in 1990; Fleer followed with Fleer Ultra sets in 1991; and Score issued Pinnacle brand cards in 1992.<ref name="ReferenceA" />