Once upon a time, American Idol was the most important franchise in music. For a short time, that reach went beyond just songs and reality TV, though. The 2004 Fleer American Idol Season 3 trading cards are evidence of this. And it’s not just the fact the show spawned the set in the first place. Other signs can be found on the checklist.
The 2004 Fleer American Idol Season 3 base set has 89 cards, an odd number. That said, it features a ton of the show’s contests ranging from the auditions all the way through the finalists. Yes, that means a William Hung “rookie card” alongside of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson and season three winner Fantasia Barrio.
The first 41 cards in the base set have Silver (1:4 packs) and Gold (1:36) parallels.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered autographs lead the insert chase. While the vast majority of these have sunk into reality show contestant oblivion, there are a few that still hold up. On the contestant side, Hudson and Barrio are both solid options. Long-time judge, Randy Jackson, and host, Ryan Seacrest, also have autographs in the product, although both were redemptions.
Finalists are also featured on Reality Bits wardrobe cards. Like the base set, these all have Silver (/100) and Gold (/25) parallels.
2004 Fleer American Idol Season 3 hobby boxes have two autographs and two memorabilia cards.
The product has a pair of basic chase sets as well: Behind the Scenes and Idol Chatter.
This is the first of two seasonal sets of American Idol trading cards from Fleer. They also produced a trading card game. Over the course of the show’s run, Comic Images and Upper Deck also made sets.
2004 Fleer American Idol Season 3 Checklist
Click on links to shop for cards or check current market values on eBay.
Cards per pack: 5
Packs per box: 36
Shop for 2004 Fleer American Idol Season 3 boxes on eBay.
Base Set
89 cards.
1 Tiara Purifoy
2 John Stevens
3 Noel Roman
4 Jennifer Hudson
5 Matthew Rogers
6 Jasmine Trias
7 Susan Vulaca
8 Jesus Roman
9 Lisa Leuschner
10 Elizabeth LeTendre
11 La Toya London
12 Diana DeGarmo
13 Katie Webber
14 Charly Lowry
15 Leah LaBelle
16 George Huff
17 Kara Master
18 Camile Velasco
19 John Preator
20 Ashley Thomas
21 Jon Peter Lewis
22 Amy Adams
23 Jonah Moananu
24 Briana Ramirez-Rial
25 Matthew Metzger
26 Heather Piccinini
27 Marisa Joy
28 Erskine Walcott
29 Lisa Wilson
30 Eric Yoder
31 Marque Lynche
32 Fantasia Barrino
33 Alan Ritchson
34 Sonny Kapu
35 Michael Keown
36 Cassie LaBeau
37 Nicole Tieri
38 Jasmine Arteaga
39 Paula Abdul
40 Randy Jackson
41 Ryan Seacrest
42 William Hung
43 Danny Parker
44 Jonathan Rey
45 Tiffany Ballard
46 Jacqueline Roman
47 Sergey Shor
48 Tiara Purifoy
49 Kara Master
50 La Toya London
51 Marisa Joy
52 Jesus Roman
53 Briana Ramirez-Rial
54 John Stevens
55 Camile Velasco
56 Lisa Leuschner
57 Matthew Metzger
58 Noel Roman
59 John Preator
60 George Huff
61 Fantasia Barrino
62 Elizabeth LeTendre
63 Heather Piccinini
64 Katie Webber
65 Lisa Wilson
66 Susan Vulaca
67 Jonah Moananu
68 Jennifer Hudson
69 Ashley Thomas
70 Charly Lowry
71 Eric Yoder
72 Matthew Rogers
73 Jon Peter Lewis
74 Leah LaBelle
75 Marque Lynche
76 Diana DeGarmo
77 Erskine Walcott
78 Jasmine Trias
79 Amy Adams
80 American Idol Set
81 The Judges Table
82 The Red Room
83 Monitoring the Action
84 The Performance Stage
85 Authorized Personnel Only
86 The Control Room
87 Stage Left
88 Randy’s Spot
89 The Sign
Gold Parallel
41 cards, 1:36 packs.
Cover #1-41 only.
Silver Parallel
41 cards, 1:4 packs.
Cover #1-41 only.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered Autographs
14 cards, combined with wardrobe card 1:18 packs.
Jackson and Seacrest distributed via redemption.
SSD-AA Amy Adams
SSD-CV Camile Velasco
SSD-DD Diana DeGarmo
SSD-FB Fantasia Barrino
SSD-GH George Huff
SSD-JH Jennifer Hudson
SSD-JL Jon Peter Lewis
SSD-JS John Stevens
SSD-JT Jasmine Trias
SSD-LL La Toya London
SSD-LL2 Leah LaBelle
SSD-MR Matthew Rogers
SSD-RJ Randy Jackson
SSD-RS Ryan Seacrest
Reality Bits Wardrobe Cards
12 cards, combined with autographs 1:18 packs.
RB-AA Amy Adams
RB-CV Camile Velasco
RB-DD Diana DeGarmo
RB-FB Fantasia Barrino
RB-GH George Huff
RB-JH Jennifer Hudson
RB-JL Jon Peter Lewis
RB-JS John Stevens
RB-JT Jasmine Trias
RB-LL La Toya London
RB-LL2 Leah LaBelle
RB-MR Matthew Rogers
Reality Bits Gold Parallel
12 cards. /25
Reality Bits Silver Parallel
12 cards. /100
Behind the Scenes
15 cards, 1:4 packs.
1 Paula’s Dressing Room
2 Randy and Ryan in Hawaii
3 Ryan in a Sea of “Idol” Fans
4 Paula Enjoys the Hawaiian Sun
5 Vocal Instruction from Debra Byrd
6 Group One Watches Britney Spears Television Performance
7 The American Idol Band Warms Up
8 Randy Greets the Studio Audience
9 Tension Begins to Mount Amongst Group Two
10 The American Idol Shuttle Van
11 Pregame Before Taping Begins
12 Group One Castoffs Share Their Disappointment
13 Matthew Rogers Hammin’ It Up in the Red Room
14 Kara Master Applies Her Makeup
15 Randy Consoles Briana After Her Performance
Idol Chatter
32 cards, 1:6 packs.
1 Tiara Purifoy
2 John Stevens
3 Noel Roman
4 Jennifer Hudson
5 Matthew Rogers
6 Jasmine Trias
7 Susan Vulaca
8 Jesus Roman
9 Lisa Leuschner
10 Elizabeth LeTendre
11 La Toya London
12 Diana DeGarmo
13 Katie Webber
14 Charly Lowry
15 Lean LaBelle
16 George Huff
17 Kara Master
18 Camile Velasco
19 John Preator
20 Ashley Thomas
21 Jon Peter Lewis
22 Amy Adams
23 Jonah Moananu
24 Briana Ramirez-Rial
25 Matthew Metzger
26 Heather Piccinini
27 Marisa Joy
28 Erskine Walcott
29 Lisa Wilson
30 Eric Yoder
31 Marque Lynche
32 Fantasia Barrino
