Acquisitions
In 1992, Fleer was sold to the comic-book empire Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. for $265 million. Seven years later, Marvel sold Fleer-Skybox to a partnership formed by Alex Grass, the founder of Rite Aid Corp., and his son Roger. The Grass family retained ownership until 2005 when Upper Deck bought the rights to the name after it filed for bankruptcy.
In early 2005, Fleer announced that it would cease all productions of trading cards and file an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors, which is a State Court liquidation, similar to Chapter 7 bankruptcy. In July 2005, Upper Deck acquired the rights to the Fleer name and began producing Fleer-branded basketball, hockey, and football cards. The $6.1 million Upper Deck paid for the Fleer name was significantly less than the $25 million UD offered to buy out Fleer a year earlier.
In 2006, Upper Deck produced baseball sets under the names Fleer, Fleer Ultra, Fleer Tradition, Flair, Skybox Autographics, and Fleer Greats of the Game. The last Fleer-branded baseball cards appeared in 2007.
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