The 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken #616 is one of the most famous error cards in hobby history, known for the obscenity written on the knob of the bat (“F*CK FACE”).
Because Fleer caught the error midway through production and tried to “fix” it multiple times, there are several versions of this card. The value depends entirely on which version you have.
Current Market Value (January 2026)
Prices are estimates based on recent sales.
Version | Description | Raw (Ungraded) | Graded (PSA 9) | Graded (PSA 10) |
| The “FF” Error | The original. The words are clearly visible on the bat knob. | $60 – $90 | $160 – $200 | $850 – $1,100+ |
| Black Box | A black box covers the knob. This is the most common “fixed” version. | $2 – $5 | $15 – $25 | $40 – $60 |
| Black Scribble | The words are scribbled out with black ink (rounded edges). | $30 – $50 | $80 – $120 | $300+ |
| White Scribble | The words are scribbled out with white, looking like whiteout. | $80 – $120 | $250 – $350 | $2,500+ |
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How to Identify Your Version
The “FF” (Original Error): You can clearly read the profanity on the knob of the bat. This is the one most collectors want.
The Corrections: Once Fleer noticed the mistake, they stopped the presses and tried to cover it up.
Black Box: They placed a clean black box over the knob. (Very common).
Scribbles: Before they made the box, they hastily “scribbled” over the word on the printing plates. These are rarer than the Black Box version.
Whiteout: A rare version where the scribble is white or the area is airbrushed white.
The Story Behind the Card
For years, people thought this was a prank by a teammate or a disgruntled Fleer employee. However, Billy Ripken eventually admitted he did it himself.
He wrote the phrase on a specific bat he used only for batting practice so he could easily pick it out of a pile of teammates’ bats. He grabbed that bat by mistake for the photo shoot, and Fleer’s editors simply missed it before printing millions of copies.
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