The Explicit Baseball Card Edition

On Billy Ripken, hilarious anomalies, and failed cover-ups.

Colin here. Like many red blooded American kids, I had a baseball card collection. Here’s what I remember most from this phase of my life: The battle to find super rare cards (like the Michael Jordan one), and also, the product differentiation of the actual cards from brand to brand. I seem to remember Upper Deck feeling super premium—glossier and sharper than some of the other versions, like Fleer or Topps. 

But there’s one baseball card rarity that I’d forgotten, until I was recently reminded of it in a group chat. It’s both a hilarious and playful anomaly. 

In 1989, Fleer released a baseball card set that included Billy Ripken, an infielder for the Orioles and the younger brother of legend Cal Ripken Jr. At first glance, Billy's card appeared unremarkable—a standard shot of him holding a bat, staring directly into the camera.