In 1995, Kmart and Topps joined together for a special sports card release celebrating Kmart’s 20th anniversary. The limited series was titled “Topps Kmart 20th Anniversary” baseball cards and included several insert sets highlighting major league stars from the 1970s and 1980s. While not among the most valuable modern issues, the Topps Kmart 20th Anniversary cards remain a noteworthy part of 1990s baseball card history due to their retailer exclusivity and nostalgic throwback themes.
At the time of their release in 1995, Kmart was one of the largest retailers in the United States and had been in business for two decades. To commemorate the significant milestone, Kmart partnered with Topps, the dominant sports card manufacturer, to create a special baseball card collection exclusively available in Kmart stores. The base set included 312 total cards featuring current major leaguers from the 1995 season in the standard vertical format Topps had produced since the 1980s. What made the Topps Kmart cards particularly unique were the inclusion of several parallel insert sets paying homage to Kmart’s history in the baseball card hobby from the 1970s and 80s.
The most prominent insert sets in the Topps Kmart 20th Anniversary release were titled “Kmart Stars of the 70s,” “Kmart Stars of the 80s,” and “Kmart Rookie Stars.” Each insert set highlighted 20 significant baseball players from the respective decade who had found fame and success during Kmart’s initial years in business. The “Stars of the 70s” list included superstars like Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, and Tom Seaver wearing their vibrant polyester 1970s uniforms. Meanwhile, the “Stars of the 80s” paid tribute to sluggers like Mike Schmidt, George Brett, and Rickey Henderson sporting their retro 1980s on-field looks. Both parallel sets utilized reproduction imagery and designs to authentically capture the baseball card aesthetic and photography styles from each era.
Perhaps the most coveted cards in the entire Topps Kmart release were the “Kmart Rookie Stars” insert set focused on the rookie cards of Hall of Fame players like Reggie Jackson, Eddie Murray, and Cal Ripken Jr. Since rookie cards are considered the most valuable in any player’s career, recreating the designs of past stars’ first Bowman and Topps cards in the nostalgic Kmart parallel held significant collector appeal. For example, the Ripken rookie paid homage to his iconic 1981 Topps design that launched his eventual legacy as “Mr. October.” In total, 20 rookie cards from the 1970s and 80s were reimagined to highlight those who ascended to stardom early in their careers.
In addition to set lists inspired by Kmart’s history in retail, each card in the Topps Kmart 20th Anniversary release also prominently featured the anniversary logo along the bottom. Meanwhile, the standard 312-card base set utilized new photography and player details from the 1995 season. The cards remained in Topps’ contemporary design scheme rather than mimicking specific past years. Parallel short prints and autographs were also inserted throughout packs at various rarity levels to provide chase cards for advanced collectors. Production was kept fairly limited as the cards were only available at Kmart stores across North America during the product’s exclusive sales window.
While not considered among the most valuable modern sports card releases today, the Topps Kmart 20th Anniversary issue remains a noteworthy example of a high-profile retailer exclusive from the 1990s trading card boom era. Featuring current stars alongside nostalgic throwback designs to Kmart’s early prominence in the baseball card marketplace, the collection united two giants in the hobby to commemorate a significant company anniversary. The concept of parallel retro subsets drew on collector passions for heritage designs from the 1970s and 80s. And exclusivity at Kmart stores provided a unique acquisition experience distinct from standard hobby shop or box store availability of base Topps issues at the time. For these reasons of historic retailer crossover, tribute themes and limited availability, Topps Kmart baseball cards remain a special collectible over 25 years later.
