In 2020, I was able to pickup this new addition to the FF collection. Something different. It's a regular 1989 Fleer Bill Ripken #616 with a very unique look.


4 cutoff corners, white eraser mark on the knob of the bat and someone wrote on it. Ugly, worthless card to many but it must have a story behind it. "Make it look professional" with an arrow pointing to a white mark that appears to have been made with an pencil eraser. The seller appeared to work for a company that sells off the remains from estates given to them from banks. I reached out and was told this card came from someone that worked for Fleer and had recently passed. They included the name Mustin. That name instantly rang a bell with me. Frank Mustin was the head of Fleer and passed away in 2018 at the age of 94. To help establish provenance, the seller sent a receipt that was included with the estate belongings. It shows Mustin's name, confirmed address and a list of services provided at the property. A generic 'handyman' type job - painting, yard work and cleanup. This card came from the estate of Frank Mustin. I'm not saying he wrote on it, however.


Frank Mustin was the grandson of Frank Fleer (the founder of Fleer in 1885). He joined the company in 1945 following his service in World War II. He ran the international branch of operations starting in 1947 and lead the entire company starting in 1985 when his brother Gilbert retired.


Frank Mustin (and his family) sold Fleer to an investment group led by Paul Mullan (formally of Donruss) in the summer of 1989. Shown below in this 1992 Fleer promotional card.


I've always wondered about the true story of the Whiteout version. This reaffirms my belief that Whiteouts (again, not the White Scribble) were all made post production - after the cards were printed and cut. At best, they were creations by those inside of Fleer. At worst, they are homemade fakes made to deceive collectors. Eraser marks, blobs, white tape, white lines etc. I believe these were either given out as redemption cards to those that sent in the FF version for replacement or to create a little buzz late in the production of 1989 Fleer and drive up demand. The White Scribble is the real 'Whiteout' version and all 'authenticated' 'Whiteout' cards should be considered post production creations. Just my opinion.


Which #616 version is underneath the white eraser mark from Mustin? I've confirmed it to be a Rounded edge Black Box. The giveaway was the print dot above Billy's right eye - only found on a few of these Black Box (Rounded, Straight White Line) cards.