I first discussed the 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken #616 FF Error card in an article about expensive baseball card printing errors that was focused on modern cards. In it, I wrote that “Fleer didn’t notice that the Bill Ripken card they released had an obscenity written on the bottom of the bat he was holding. It spelled out, “F**k FACE.” After the company became aware of the error, they released subsequent printings with the words obscured. First, they had a blob of what appeared to be White-Out, then a pen scribble, and finally a black square. Ripken admitted that he wrote the words on the bat to spot it easily as his batting practice bat. Ripken also believes that Fleer couldn’t have missed the error and suggested that they enhanced it to generate extra publicity.”
The 5 Bill Ripken #616 cards have the following populations and approximate prices:
- Black Box Over Error – Total Population of 3948 – PSA 8 for ~$18
- Black Scribble Over Error – Total Population of 1572 – PSA 8 for ~$30
- FF Error – Total Population of 15464 – PSA 8 for ~$70 (The card everyone seems to want these days)
- Scribbled Out in White – Total Population of 130 – PSA 8 for ~$500+ (A lot of Variance)
- Whited Out Vulgarity – Total Population of 163 – PSA 8 for ~$480
Now, if you want to pull a 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken #616 FF Error card from a pack, you need to buy a case or an authenticated box from a trusted source with the right provenance.
There is a 5-digit number printed on 1989 Fleer cases. The case you buy needs the right numbering on it, or the box needs to list the 5-digit number of the case it came from. In the picture that follows, 83422 is printed in black ink on the lower right side.
The first digit is the print year, 9 for 1989, and 8 for 1988. The next three numbers represent the day of the year. 001 is for January 1st, 004 would be January 4th, and so on. The last digit is either a location or a shift.
Digits before 90171, January 17th, 1989, have the Bill Ripken FF error inside. I’ve been reading that the error has been verified in cases up to 90191, but I haven’t seen that myself.
The next two pictures and the case above will have the FF error since their codes are under 90171.
This 1989 Fleer Wax Box, authenticated by the Baseball Card Exchange, came from a case with code 90122; therefore, it may have a FF error inside.
The next two pictures are of cases that will not have the FF error since their codes are above 90171.
If you pull a 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken #616 FF error from a pack, let me know in the comments.
Was there any error cards in factory sets and is there a way to know which ones ?
Hey Christopher. Unfortunately I really don’t know.
Is the card still worth money if I don’t have the box case, however the single card is
it is in a plastic case?
Allison, I don’t really understand your question. An ungraded FF error still has value, of course, if that’s what you mean.
Just pulled one tonight plus the randy Johnson blackout.
That’s awesome!
is there a way to tell which “cover up” card we could get from later cases/boxes, or is it totally random???
I don’t think there’s a way.
What was the date on the barcode of the boxes that the card came in like what month thanks
Not quite sure what you mean. Like I wrote, the 5 digit stamp is what you need to look at. Digits before 90171, January 17th, 1989, have the Bill Ripken FF error inside.
When I look on ebay, I see the highest sold case at $2,499 (accepted best offer so something lower than this) and case # was 90201. I see none sold that start with an 8. For folks “listing/not sold yet” they are asking $6,500 – $9,000 for the 2 cases I see starting with an 8. Any guess as what a reasonable price is for a case starting with an 8? I would assume at least $2k-$2.5K, but does anyone really pay anywhere close to $6,500? I would guess not, but if you were selling one would you go with the $2k-$2.5k or somewhere between $2.5k and $6.5k?
Howdy Roger – thanks for commenting. First, cases earlier than 90171 have the error, so throw those 17 days in with the cases starting with an 8. These days, BBCE wrapped FF error boxes go for a little under $200. Twenty boxes in a case, so 20*200 is 4000. So the floor price for a FF error case is a little under $4k. Plus, a bit of markup for an authentic case since they are getting rarer daily. $5k doesn’t sound unreasonable at today’s prices.
The White-Out error was the first correction on the Billy Ripken card and the rarest. There was a black-out with Sharpie scribbles, then a black-out with a rectangle which is the most common and least valuable version. The white-out being the first fix would’ve come right after 90171 and only lasted a little while. That 90201 case probably had the white-out error. Smart collector.
Thanks for the info!
Great info. Sorry for being naive on case numbers, but what are some of the case numbers after 90171 that might contain the white-out version? I’m guessing 90172 to 90201, but I’m not clear on that. I want to chase that card, so any response from you or others is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.
I’m not sure if anyone can say for certain how many case numbers had the white-out or how many cases per day Fleer could print to bet within the following month or so.
Someone is selling #91252 boxes here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/165846233089
I did pull out a Ripken F.F. card out of a case with code 90931. This case was sealed when I purchased it.
There was an article years ago stating that the cutoff date for a FF was 9017 as you said. I opened and sold a case of 9019 and everyone got a FF. I heard that 9020 has it too.
Interesting. Thanks for the intel!
I PULLED A FF CARD OUT OF A BOX ,AST NIGHT, THE BOXHAS BEEN SITTING ON MY SHELF FOR OVER 30 YEARS. IT WAS THE 2 ND TO LAST PACK IN THE BOX
That’s awesome. Glad to hear it!
Great info on the case codes. Do you have any info on individual boxes? I have an unopened wax box with a 8609-A code. Any info would be appreciated.
I don’t. I think the only indicator is the case code though.
Do you know the case number range where the ‘white scribble’ version can be found? Thank you.
Sorry Larry, I don’t think anyone knows that.
Cool, I sorta thought that, but wasn’t sure. I’ve Googled it to death and no luck. I pulled my first FF card last night as well as a Randy Johnson ‘blacked out’ Marlboro card. I enjoy your blog. Thank you for responding so quickly.
That’s so cool on the rip! Was it a box out of a known case?
Thank you! I was super stoked when I pulled the FF. Yes, it was from a case with code number 83482. Also got my first Griffey Jr. rookie card from this box.
I read several months ago that BOX #’;s 8607-A,8608-A,8609-A & 8610-A were the Box #s that came in those early cases. However I cannot find the site again. Anyone able to add or refute this info?
Just pulled 2 FF’s in back to back packs right at the end of my box. What a thrill! Got 2 Griffeys as well. Really interesting how many duplicates were in the box. So much fun!
That’s great to hear! From a known case number?
Hi, unfortunately I don’t know. The number above the barcode is 8612-B. Really enjoy this blog, so interesting. Thank you
What would be a good price on a sealed case #83562 89 Fleer?
Boxes that could have a FF error and a BBCE label indicating the case number go for around $200 these days. 20 boxes in a case. So a little over $4k I suppose.
John, other then ebay and card shows where is the best place to sell it? also have an 88 fleer sealed case
Vintage Wax and Packs is a good FB group for any unopened product.
John a guy on that site Vintage wax and packs offered me 1500 for my close case in question, I’m think he is low-balling me, right?
I think so
Hey everyone so I have a single box of 1989 fleer cards item 587.the box is a little beat up .but all in tact has some clear tape on it but all the packs are there and it’s all sealed up don’t know a case number .I got it just as sits tape and all about 10 years ago. Think I should open it or sell it?
any clue about numbers on cello boxes?
rack and cello cases were labeled same as wax cases. The numbers on the boxes (8608-A for example) mean nothing.
Is there any idea on what the serial number range might be on the Randy Johnson cards? That seems to be in the range of the Ripken in terms of value? Or am I off?
Sorry, haven’t got a clue.
Anyone know what the earliest case code was for that year’s run?
don’t have case number, but have multiple wax boxes with code # 8607-A. bought these in mass. as soon as they were avail. these boxes have the F.F. ripken but i haven’t found the johnson error. hope that helps
Can the F.F. card come in boxes of Wax packs, Cello packs, and Rack packs?
What is the oldest known print date/code?
I have four cases of 1989 Freer baseball… 1 wax case, number 91312, two cello cases, both numbered 90161, and one rack-pak case, numered 81361
Sorry… forgot to finish my question… any idea if the FF original came from cello and rack boxes? these have been my (climate controlled) basement since 1994. Time I did something with them…Thanks for any information provided!!
I’m not super sure about the cellos and racks – ive seen non-wax BBCE-wrapped boxes that Steve put a stamped case code on the label for. But the racks and cellos were packaged a bit later than wax and they “caught” the wax error early.
i’m thinking about cracking one of the cello boxes open, just to see what’s in there. They are headed to ebay, as im getting old… The numbers on the cello case fall under the key date. Any idea on their value? Love your site! Thanks for the reply!!
I’d be interested in purchasing
I just opened a rak pak case numbered 90231. There were no Ripkens at all. There were 5 Griffey Jr. and 4 Johnsons blacked out among others. Did they pull him for a brief period after the FF stopped? Just seems strange to not have even one in a case.
That’s interesting. I have no idea though.
Should my pack codes match the box code? I recently bought a box, box code 8607-A but when I open the packs the code on the inside of pack is 8613-A. Just wondering if this box was doctored up and I got ripped off? Any insight helps
Are there any indicators for sealed factory sets?
I don’t think so, but I’m not even sure the FF card was in factory sets.
Factory sets will have the corrected verson of the card, with the black box.
Just ripped 2 BBCE FASC wax boxes, one with case code 90231 and the other being 90271. Pulled a FF from the 90231 box, and a scribble from the 90271 box, so it is possible to pull a FF card in a box with a case code date after 1-16-1990.
Nice! Good to know!
Which scribble did you pull out of the 90271 case? White? Thanks, Ben
boxes ? is there an identifier on boxes that might hedge my chances at the FF ?
not to my knowledge, case code only.
I have a factory sealed case marked 90111. I see the FF error will be in this case but does anyone know which one based on the case number?
Just pulled a black box Ripken from a triple display pack of 42 cards and a team sticker. I have about 25 more of these unopened. I think I’ll let them sit another 10 yrs.
Cool, thanks for sharing!