In 1982, Kmart celebrated their 20th anniversary by partnering with sportscard manufacturer Topps to produce a special baseball card set exclusively for Kmart stores. The 1982 Kmart 20th Anniversary Baseball Card set represented a unique commemorative release celebrating both Kmart’s milestone and America’s favorite pastime.
Kmart had grown into one of the largest retail chains in the United States by 1982, operating over 2,000 stores across the country. Seeking a novel promotional item to mark their 20th year in business, Kmart approached Topps about producing a collector’s set of baseball cards that could only be obtained at Kmart. Topps had been the dominant manufacturer of modern baseball cards since the 1950s, so a partnership with them gave the Kmart set instant collector interest and credibility.
The 1982 Kmart set consists of 132 total cards issued in wax packs similar to the mainstream Topps flagship set released that same year. The cards featured current major league players and included the standard front-facing player photograph on a white background with career and team statistics on the back. What distinguished the Kmart cards was the inclusion of the retailer’s logo in the bottom banner along with “1982 Kmart 20th Anniversary” printed prominently on the front.
Player selection for the 1982 Kmart set was largely drawn from the larger Topps roster that season, aiming to feature some of baseball’s biggest names to appeal to collectors. Stars of the day like Mike Schmidt, Dave Winfield, and Nolan Ryan all received cards, as did notable young talents like Cal Ripken Jr., Wade Boggs, and Kirby Puckett. The set also included rookie cards for future Hall of Famers like Rickey Henderson and Ryne Sandberg in their early career phases.
Beyond current stars, the 1982 Kmart set paid homage to baseball history with ‘Topps Greats’ style tribute cards honoring legends Hank Aaron, Sandy Koufax, and Bob Gibson among others. These throwback cards featuring career highlights helped give the set additional nostalgic appeal beyond just chronicling the current season. Hall of Fame managers Sparky Anderson and Dick Williams also received manager cards in the set.
Packs containing 8-12 of the randomly inserted 132 total cards sold exclusively at Kmart locations for $1 per pack, a standard price point for basic sports card packages in the early 1980s. While quantities printed were substantial given Kmart’s vast store network, the limited retail availability and one-year only production run gave the 1982 Kmart cards added covetability for completeness collectors. Shortly after their initial retail run, the set emerged as a popular secondary market commodity for enthusiasts seeking to fill out their Kmart collections.
Perhaps because they were not part of the “official” annual Topps MLB release, mint and near-mint samples of 1982 Kmart cards have maintained strong collector demand and values relative to other early 1980s series over the decades. Stars and rookie cards in top grades regularly sell for $10-25 each or more in online auctions, with the Rikcy Henderson and Ryne Sandberg rookies among the most valuable individual cards in the set when preserved in high condition. Complete 132-card factory sets have been known to trade hands for $500-1000 for avid set builders looking to check the unique Kmart issue off their want lists.
While not quite as iconic or trophy-worthy as some other seminal vintage release, the 1982 Kmart 20th Anniversary Baseball Card set holds an interesting footnote in the history of both Kmart and the boom in sports card collecting in the 1970s-80s era. For a limited time promotion tied to a major retailer, it managed to attract ongoing interest from the collecting community. For fans of the era and the players featured, tracking down a 1982 Kmart pack or piece of the set remains a fun blast from the past some 40 years later. The novel collaboration between Kmart and Topps resulted in cards that stay relevant as a reminder of the long-running popularity of America’s favorite pastime.
