Mantle, Mays, Robinson, Palmer and Brock Autos on the Auction Block

Some of you will remember my posts "Blue Light Special" and "Attention Shoppers" that covered the 1982 Topps K-Mart 20th Anniversary Baseball Cards. ( If you didn't get to read about these great trading cards, click on the titles above and the links will take you there.)


Topps also released a 25th anniversary issue of the K-Mart cards.  There were some differences between the two releases.  To see the diference here are the Mickey Mantle cards,

the Willie Mays cards,

 and the Brooks Robinson cards.

As a bit of inside information, Topps can't just go around printing whatever cards they want, even if they own the pictures, without written consent of the players involved.  There are contracts between Topps and the players.   In the contract, there is usually a time limit that Topps can reuse the players image and monetary payment involved.  And as with any contract, to show the player's acceptance, he must sign it.  In other words, put his autograph on that piece of paper.


Now The Topps Vault is pulling some of those contracts and making them available for purchase on EBay.  And the players above, Mantle, Mays and Robinson are three of the five contracts currently available.  The others are Jim Palmer and Lou Brock.


So if you want to buy the contracts behind these cards or just want to check out what they look like, you can view them at EBay using the following links.

1987 Topps K-MART Card Contract Mickey Mantle YANKEES

1987 Topps K-MART Card Contract Willie Mays GIANTS

1987 Topps K-MART Card Contract Brooks Robinson ORIOLES

1987 Topps K-MART Card Contract Jim Palmer ORIOLES

1987 Topps K-MART Card Contract Lou Brock CARDINALS