The 1990 Kmart baseball card set was one of the most popular of the late 80s and early 90s. Kmart released baseball card sets annually from 1988 through 1993 under the Sportflite brand name. The 1990 set in particular featured 660 total cards and was hugely popular among young baseball card collectors at the time.
The set captured all of the major stars and rookie players from the 1989 MLB season. Perhaps the biggest draw for collectors were the rookie cards of future Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr. and Chipper Jones, who both had breakout seasons in 1989. Griffey’s rookie card in particular remains one of the most iconic and valuable cards from the late 80s/early 90s era. While reprints have hurt the original’s value over the years, Griffey’s rookie maintained a high value among collectors well after the set was produced.
In addition to rookie stars, the set featured cards of all the biggest names in baseball at the time like Pete Rose, Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken Jr., Wade Boggs, Ozzie Smith and more. Each player’s card included their team logo, picture, name, position, batting and pitching stats from the previous season. Backs of the cards also provided a career stats summary and fun player facts. The classic blue border and simple yet clean design made the cards highly displayable and collectible.
Beyond just MLB players, the 1990 Sportflite set also included additional subsets that collectors found intriguing. For example, there was an entire “1989 Dream Team” subset highlighting the United States’ dominate performance at the 1989 Baseball World Cup. This included cards for managers, coaches and standout players from that successful international tournament run. There was also a “Manager’s Corner” subset highlighting famous skippers of the day like Tommy Lasorda and Whitey Herzog.
In terms of production numbers, the 1990 Kmart baseball card set had a mass production run which led to wide distribution and availability both through Kmart retail stores but also the secondary market for years after. While not quite the rarity of contemporary sets from wax pack-exclusive brands like Fleer and Topps, the ubiquity of Kmart also made completion of the 660-card checklist attainable for most collectors even with a modest budget. Having cards found in multiple packaging formats from wax packs to battery bundles to vending machines kept interest high.
The relatively affordable direct sales price from Kmart of around $1-2 per rack pack containing 12 cards also kept the hobby accessible. This was a major reason for the brand’s popularity competing against higher priced traditional options. Backs of the cards even advertised the Kmart phone number for mail order form submission for collectors looking to obtain missing numbers from the set. Overall distribution was massive nationwide through Kmart’s network of stores spanning 47 states at the time.
While production numbers were high overall, certain short prints and parallel issues within the set served to provide challenges for completionists. For example, only 50 copies of the Ken Griffey Jr. card were printed on grey card stock elsewhere random inserts. Finding these scarce parallel versions added excitement to the collecting experience. Several checklists and factory set configurations were also produced at differing price points containing subsets of the full 660 card roster in waxed boxes.
In the years since, the 1990 Kmart baseball card set has become a nostalgia item highly desired by those who collected them as kids in the late 80s/early 90s era. While common cards hold little monetary value, the complete set still retains appeal for both casual fans and invested collectors. Key cards like the fan favorite Griffey rookie along with stars like Jones, Frank Thomas and others continue to attract strong secondary market prices. For those who grew up with Kmart as an affordable entry point into the hobby, the 1990 set remains a fond memory of their childhood collecting experiences.
In the end, the 1990 Sportflite baseball card set produced by Kmart succeeded hugely due to its affordability, wide availability and capture of the hottest rookie stars and players of that era. Factors like subsets, parallel issues and distribution through Kmart’s vast store network kept interest high for completionists. While a mass produced mainstream set, it contains nostalgia and retains value for those who collected cards when Kmart reigned alongside Topps and Fleer as king of the sportscard aisle. The memories, checklist and iconic rookie cards including Griffey Jr. secure the 1990 Kmart set a memorable place in the history of late 80s/early 90s baseball card popularity.
