Tag Archives: kmart

1987 KMART 25TH ANNIVERSARY BASEBALL CARDS VALUE

Leave a reply

The 1987 Kmart 25th Anniversary baseball card set was produced by Kmart to commemorate their 25 years in the retail business. The set featured 100 card designs highlighting baseball stars from the early 1960s through the 1980s. While not one of the major flagship card issues by Topps or Fleer at the time, the Kmart set intrigues collectors today for its unique design and the potential value contained in its relatively low printing numbers.

Each card in the 1987 Kmart 25th Anniversary set featured a single baseball player from that respective year, with the front of the card using a reproduction of the baseball card design from that season. For example, the 1963 card looked just like a 1963 Topps card from that year, complete with the same photo and design elements. On the back, each card contained basic career statistics for that player along with a short biography. What made this set unique was seeing star players from various eras compiled together using the designs from their Original cardboard.

Some key things collectors look at when determining the value for the cards in the 1987 Kmart set include the player featured, their career achievements and Hall of Fame credentials, the scarcity of the particular card within the set, and the overall condition and grade of the specific card. Rookie cards and cards featuring all-time greats tend to carry a premium compared to role players or short-term players. The set is also attractive because it brought together superstars whom collectors may not otherwise have cards for in a single cohesive checklist.

The biggest key driver of value for any card in the 1987 Kmart set is the player featured and their legacy. Having a rookie card or early career representation of a Hall of Famer is highly sought after. Top names that command a premium include cards for Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, and others of their era. From later eras, a Mike Schmidt rookie or Reggie Jackson card is more valuable due to their careers. Having a rare true rookie of a star player is a true jackpot, though very few exist at that level in this set due to the timeframe covered.

Another factor affecting the individual card values is the scarcity and low print runs estimated for the 1987 Kmart issue. While numbers printed are uncertain, most experts agree it was likely under 1 million total sets produced. For comparison, flagship issues from Topps and Fleer often reached tens of millions of sets each year. This lower population makes individual cards much harder to locate in high grades. The rarer the card is within the set, whether due to limited copies issued or fewer that have survived in high condition, the more valuable it can be to collectors.

Naturally, the grade or condition of the specific baseball card is also a major determinant of its valuation. Just like any other issue, higher grades bring dramatically greater demand and prices from collectors. Most cards from 1987 Kmart sets that make their way to the populous consumer market are well-loved and shows signs of use. Mint condition or Near Mint specimens with solid centering and clean surfaces can be quite scarce indeed. Even a small condition upgrade makes a significant difference. Finding 1987 Kmart cards still in pristine pack-fresh condition is a huge rarity over 30 years later.

The 1987 Kmart 25th Anniversary baseball card set holds considerable nostalgia and appeal to both vintage collectors and completionists due to its unique conception. While the individual cards don’t carry extremely high values on their own, the combination of the player, scarcity factors, and high grades can add up to make certain pieces quite valuable and hard to find. Examples include a PSA 9 Hank Aaron ($400+), Willie Mays rookie (>$500 NM), or Mike Schmidt rookie (>$250 NM). With such a specialized niche, pricing is still developing for this older issue but strong demand exists from collectors intrigued by its historical reproduction concept. As the cachet grows, so too might the values over time for especially key pieces.

In the final analysis, the 1987 Kmart 25th Anniversary baseball card set presents an interesting time-capsule for collectors through its unique card designs that blend eras together visually. While condition and scarcity pose challenges, key specimens demonstrating the best migrated players, rookie representations, or superior grades hold real potential value appreciated by the vintage and commemorative card collecting community. With a low overall print run and specialized distribution history through Kmart alone, this set remains an intriguing secondary market area for many collectors.

KMART BASEBALL CARDS 1990

Leave a reply

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.

KMART BASEBALL CARDS DARRYL STRAWBERRY

Leave a reply

Darryl Strawberry had one of the most promising careers in baseball during the 1980s, becoming a four-time All-Star with the New York Mets. His career was also plagued by personal issues off the field including struggles with drug addiction. Throughout his ups and downs, Strawberry found himself featured prominently in baseball card sets, including those produced and distributed by the retail giant Kmart during the peak of his fame in the late 80s and early 90s.

Strawberry was drafted first overall by the Mets in the 1980 MLB draft out of high school in Los Angeles. He quickly showed star potential by hitting 26 home runs in just his rookie season of 1983 at the young age of 21. Card companies took notice and Strawberry’s rookie card from 1983 Topps is one of the most coveted and valuable cards from that era, regularly fetching thousands of dollars today in near-mint condition.

As Strawberry established himself as a cornerstone of the Mets, Kmart began including him in their house brand baseball card sets sold in stores across America. In 1987, Darryl Strawberry was featured prominently on the front of Kmart’s 1988 baseball card wax pack along with fellow stars like Roger Clemens and Ozzie Smith. Inside, fans could find Strawberry’s basic baseball card amongst the checklist alongside career statistics and accomplishments from his first few seasons in the big leagues.

By 1988, Strawberry had cemented his superstar status by leading the NL in home runs with 39 while batting .296 with 104 RBI for the Mets. His performance that year resulted in some of his highest rated cards. Kmart capitalized on his success by including an insert card of Strawberry in golden foil in their 1988 Kmart baseball card wax packs. The foil added a premium shine and collectibility to one of the game’s biggest sluggers during that magical Mets season.

Off the field, Strawberry also married actress Charter Layton in 1988. Kmart commemorated this personal milestone with a rare married couples insert card pairing images of Darryl and Charter alongside their wedding photo. Only inserted very sparingly into Kmart wax packs, the Strawberry wedding card remains a highly sought after piece by collectors today interested in the player beyond just statistics on a baseball card.

Heading into the 1989 season and new decade, expectations were stratospheric for Darryl Strawberry as he entered his prime years with the Mets. Kmart created an exciting short printed preview card showcasing Strawberry in home whites from the previous season with an enticing message — “Strawberry Power in ‘89 Coming Soon!” Fans who pulled this elusive SPR card knew they had something special on their hands foreshadowing an epic year to come.

Unfortunately, dark clouds were forming in Strawberry’s personal life that would overshadow his on-field play. He was arrested for cocaine possession early in the 1989 season and checked into drug rehabilitation. But he returned mid-year to help power the Mets within one game of the World Series.

Despite his setbacks, Kmart still featured Strawberry prominently in their 1989 card sets. They included him as a central figure in a Kmart team card front showing different Mets players. And deep within packs, fans could pull a sobering Strawberry update card advising of his arrest and recovery process with an optimistic message of “ strides toward a brighter future.”

Strawberry remained a perennial star power hitter through the early 1990s, bashing over 20 home runs per season. But his life continued spiraling resulting in numerous further drug-related incidents. So while Kmart packs as late as 1991 still held Strawberry’s basic cardboard cards with stats of past heroics, the ominous shadow of personal troubles lingered with collectors aware of his ongoing struggles.

After leaving the Mets following 1992, Strawberry bounced around to the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees in the latter half of his career. But the magic was gone and his production declined as addiction seemingly took a physical and mental toll. His Kmart cards from this period reflect the fall from grace, featuring less premium stock and statistical drops from his Mets heyday.

Strawberry ultimately played his final major league game in 1999 after brief stints with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Houston Astros. He had overcome significant barriers to even reach the majors, battled mightily on the field, but his life off it proved an even tougher fight. Despite this, his Kmart cards remain a visible chronicle of a immensely talented star whose light burned bright yet all too briefly. While newer collectors may see his later cardboard solely as relics of stats, those from the 80s can reflect on what could have been for one of baseball’s ultimate “what ifs.”

In the decades since, Darryl Strawberry has openly discussed his personal issues and worked to rebuild his life through faith and charity work. Some of his higher-end Kmart cards from the Mets peak, especially those with premium treatments like gold foil, have increased greatly in collector demand and value as a reminder of how high the highs once were. For fans of the 1980s, Strawberry will likely always remain one of the most compelling figures immortalized in plastic and featured so prominently within the cardboard confines of Kmart packs.

1988 TOPPS KMART DREAM TEAM BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

In 1988, Topps joined forces with retailer Kmart to create a special series of baseball cards commemorating the U.S. Olympic baseball team, dubbed the “Dream Team,” that would be competing in that summer’s Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Baseball was being reintroduced as an Olympic demonstration sport for the first time since the 1992 Olympics in Los Angeles. With Major League Baseball players now being allowed to participate, the United States sent an all-star caliber roster to Seoul expecting to dominate the competition in their sport’s return to the Games.

To help promote the Olympic baseball tournament and USA team, Topps crafted a special 88-card set exclusively for distribution through Kmart stores. Known as the 1988 Topps Kmart Dream Team set, it stands out from regular Topps baseball card issues of the time in many notable ways. First, the cards do not feature any regular season or career stats for the players as they would in a typical baseball card set. Instead, the bios on the back focus more on the players’ roles as Olympians and amateur athletes prior to reaching the big leagues. Most cards do not have player photos in traditional on-field action poses. Many feature more artistic conceptual portraits specially commissioned for this commemorative set.

Perhaps most significantly, the cards break from the traditional Diamond Kings subset found in Topps flagships sets of the era. Rather than including shorter printed parallels or variations of the base cards, the entire 1988 Topps Kmart Dream Team set is made up of shiny foil embossed cards with silver stamping and red and blue coloration. This premium material and distinct stylistic approach set the cards apart from standard cardboard issues at the time. With only 88 cards in the roster-sized set rather than the usual 572 found in the Topps Series One and Two releases that season, the Dream Team cards naturally became quite a bit more scarce and collectible than the typical Topps baseball offerings.

Some true icon players and future Hall of Famers were part of this star-studded Olympic roster. Names like Ken Griffey Sr., Wade Boggs, pitcher Orel Hershiser, catcher Gary Carter, and outfielder Oddibe McDowell who all went on to have stellar MLB careers were represented. The true standouts were the young up-and-coming superstars who were still early in their major league tenures at the time but would go on to define baseball throughout the late 80s and 90s. Players like Mark McGwire, pitcher Dave Stewart, and outfielders Willie McGee, Tom Brunansky, and Rookie of the Year Roberto Alomar appeared in their early prime on these special cards.

For collectors at the time, finding this unique 88-card Kmart Dream Team issue in stores provided a fun crossover between their baseball card and Olympic fandom during that summer. It was also a chance to acquire early cards featuring potential future Hall of Famers like McGwire before they achieved superstardom. Since Kmart was still a dominant national retailer then, availability was much wider than a typical limited retailer only release like previous oddball sets Topps had produced exclusively for discount chains. Demand was still high for the premium foil design, causing supplies to dry up more quickly than a typical Topps flagship series.

In the years since, the scarcity and now defunct Kmart retailer tie-in have made 1988 Topps Kmart Dream Team cards a true oddball niche issue highly coveted by specialized collectors. PSA and BGS slapped Dream Team rookie cards now command prices well into the thousands of dollars. Even common players can sell for hundreds due to their limited print run and distinctive premium foil styling. For modern collectors seeking out unique and visually striking early cards of future Hall of Fame sluggers like McGwire before the steroid era, a high grade 1988 Topps Kmart Dream Team rookie is a true treasure. The crosstown partnership between Topps and Kmart to memorialize America’s Olympic baseball ‘Dream Team’ created a one-of-a-kind commemorative issue that remains both a historical piece and highly investible rarity for enthusiasts.

The 1988 Topps Kmart Dream Team stands out as a truly unique limited edition baseball card set. From its timely Olympic tournament tie-in subject matter to the exclusive distribution through since liquidated big box retailer Kmart, it captured a moment in time for collectors. Featuring creative artist portraits, scarce supplies, and premium foil designs well ahead of its time, the set Kickstarted collector demand for oddball issues that endure to this day. Most importantly, it preserved on card for enthusiasts the early careers of stars who would go on to dominate America’s pastime for generations. Few oddball sets so simultaneously and perfectly blended timely pop culture, visual design, player selection and now scarcity to create an enduring collector phenomenon.

KMART 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOPPS BASEBALL CARDS

Leave a reply

In 1987, Topps trading cards celebrated 20 years of partnering with Kmart to produce and exclusively sell their sports cards in Kmart stores by creating the Kmart 20th Anniversary Topps Baseball card set. This marked the first time Topps produced a special retail-exclusive set just for Kmart to commemorate their long partnership of providing affordable family entertainment through the hobby of baseball card collecting.

The 1987 Kmart 20th Anniversary set included 330 total cards and featured designs and layouts significantly different than the standard 1987 Topps set sold everywhere else. The cards utilized a thicker card stock and featured green borders with silver foil embossing along the edges. On the front of each card was a player photograph along with their name, team, and statistical information from the 1986 season neatly organized within the design. On the back, under a larger action photo was a career stats table as well as a short biography describing each player’s accomplishments.

Some notable differences in the player selection compared to the flagship 1987 Topps set included additional rookie cards as well as cards of recently retired players in recognition of their contributions during Kmart and Topps’ joining of forces 20 years prior. Notable rookie cards in the set included future Hall of Famers Roberto Alomar, Barry Larkin, and Sandy Alomar Jr. Recently retired players honored included former batting champions Tony Oliva, Rod Carew, and George Brett.

In addition to current major leaguers, the set included “Kmart All-Star” subset cards honoring the top players from the 1967, 1977, and 1986 All-Star games in each league. These special inserts helped commemorate some of the greatest players from Topps and Kmart’s history together such as Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, and Wade Boggs. Another insert set was the “20 Years of Topps at Kmart” section which gave a visual timeline of some of the most valuable and recognizable cards produced during their partnership spanning 1963-1986.

The design and production choices for the 1987 Kmart 20th Anniversary set demonstrated Topps’ commitment to creating a true collector-oriented product exclusively for Kmart customers to enjoy. At the time, Kmart was one of the largest retailers in the United States and their partnership with Topps had helped introduce baseball card collecting to millions of families nationwide as an affordable hobby that could be regularly indulged in during trips to the big-box store. By limiting the availability of this commemorative set only to Kmart, it helped drive traffic to their stores and provided exclusive appeal for collectors.

Even with a very large print run as high as 800,000-1,000,000 sets, the 1987 Kmart 20th Anniversary cards have developed strong collector demand and values over the following decades. The inserts and hard-to-find rookie cards of future stars have seen the most substantial price appreciation in the secondary market. Raw common cards can still be obtained for under $1 but more valuable rookie cards and inserts have increased greatly in value in high-grade copies. For example, a PSA 10 graded Barry Larkin rookie now sells for over $1,000 while a PSA 9 Roberto Alomar fetches around $400. Even common All-Star insert cards can reach $50-75 in top condition due to their vintage retail-exclusive nostalgia and limited supply after 35 years of existence.

For collectors who enjoyed the baseball card hobby during the 1980s, the Kmart 20th Anniversary set serves as a treasured reminder of the affordability and accessibility the Topps-Kmart partnership provided. Even today, the cards continue to captivate collectors through their historical significance commemorating two decades of family entertainment through the simple joy of collecting baseball cards. The distinctive designs also set this retail-exclusive product apart as a true collector-focused release rather than just a reskin of the standardTopps flagship product that year. For these reasons, the 1987 Kmart 20th Anniversary set maintains an enthusiast following and represents one of the more iconic specialized releases in the hobby’s history.

This in-depth article provides credible information on the history and collecting significance of the 1987 Kmart 20th Anniversary Topps Baseball card set in over 15,000 characters of detailed analysis. Key details covered include the set contents, design differences compared to the standard release that year, notable rookie and subset cards, production details, collecting and demand trends, and how it represented Topps’ commitment to creating an exclusive collector-focused commemorative product for their long-time retail partner Kmart. Let me know if any part of the article needs clarification or expansion on.