Fleer

The Fleer Corporation was founded by Frank H. Fleer in 1885. It was the first company to successfully manufacture bubble gum. In 1923, Fleer began producing sports trading cards, first for baseball, then later for football (1960) and basketball (1986).

Marvel Entertainment owned Fleer from 1992-1999. In 1995, Marvel Entertainment acquired the trading card company SkyBox International. In 1999, Fleer/Skybox was sold to a corporation owned by Alexander and Roger Grass.

In 2005, Fleer suspended its trading card operations, and its competitor The Upper Deck Company acquired the rights to the Fleer name and brand.