In 1989, Fleer released a controversial baseball card featuring Billy Ripken with “F*** Face” written on the knob of his bat. Now, 35 years later, a new Orioles player has a unique card in the 2024 Topps Series 2 Baseball set. The card features “Fun Face” written on the knob, reminiscent of Ripken’s iconic card. Although Holliday’s card may not have the same enduring legend as Ripken’s, it is still a great find for collectors.
Ripken first claimed that the “F*** Face” bat was a prank by his teammates. However, in 2008, he admitted to writing the phrase on the bat himself so that he could easily identify it during games. He explained that he needed to quickly find his bat in a room full of others, so he wrote “F***” Face on it as a unique identifier. Despite Fleer later releasing new Ripken cards with the phrase erased, the original “f*** face” card remains a highly sought-after piece of memorabilia.
In an interesting twist, Ripken shared that when he saw the photo on his wedding day in 1991, he received some of those cards and signed them for his groomsmen at his wedding that offseason. Even though the original card has become a collector’s item over time, fans of the Orioles and baseball history will be intrigued by Jackson Holliday’s card in the 2024 Topps Series 2 Baseball set, recalling the controversial but iconic Ripken card from three decades ago.
Overall, both Holliday and Ripken have unique and memorable baseball cards that will continue to capture fans’ attention for years to come.
