In the summer of 1987 my brother, Joe, and I were opening packs of Topps baseball cards. We were new to the world of sports cards.
I discovered hockey cards at the local Wayne’s IGA on a visit there with my mom. A wax pack of hockey cards would sell for 35 cents. One day I went into the store and discovered the price was not 50 cents a pack, as a youngster I recall going up to an employee and sharing the news of the price increase, he said he didn’t set the prices. I didn’t understand, yet learned to keep buying the packs, I would have to pay the increased price.
It wasn’t long and I would discover along with hockey cards the store sold baseball cards. I remember sitting on the couch in the living room watching the Minnesota Twins baseball game coming acrosss on the TV with someone what fuzzy receptions from the attend. Then it happened, a cubby short ball player for the Twins was up to bat, for some reason I noticed him batting and thought he is a good ball player, I would learn his name was Kirby Puckett. It didn’t take me too long to realize every boy in the city and for that fact the state of Minnesota knew who Kirby was. He was the most popular sport figure in the state and the best baseball player.
My brother Joe told me, I got a Kirby Puckett baseball card out of a pack of cards, he showed me, it was a 1987 Topps Kirby Puckett All Star card, the card had the wood grain boarders, I was a little jealous that he pulled a Kirby card before I did. I was determined I would get a Kirby card out of a pack of cards soon and kept buying packs and looking for one.
Fast forward to July 2022 and I recently got the mail at the house and opened a package with a 1985 Topps Kirby Puckett Rookie card, encased in a “slab” from BGS, Beckett Grading Service. It has their GEM MINT grade of 9.5 on the case. This is a tough card to get in GEM MINT grade I have found. While it is fun to get this nice grade of the card, the Kirby Puckett cards that mean the most to me, and it isn’t even close, is the 1987 Topps baseball cards of Kirby Puckett that my brother Joe and I pulled from baseball card packs. The cards are creased, corned worn out from being boxed and unboxed, sorted over and over. It was something we spent a lot of time doing.
We would ride out bikes from our country house into town, over a mile and half and end up at Wayne’s IGA to shell out the 40 to 50 cents a pack for the baseball cards. Then take them over behind IGA to the School yard and open the cards. Of course the first thing we did was find the piece of gum in the pack of cards.
1984
So it begins: 1984 Fleer Kirby Puckett Rookie
In 1984 baseball card producer Fleer released their Update set, featuring a rookie card of Kirby Puckett. It has become the chase card for Puckett collectors.
1985
1985 Kirby Puckett Rookies
In 1985 there were no shortage of rookie Kirby Puckett cards to choose from. Donruss, Fleer, O-Pee-Chee, Leaf, Topps and local business all contributed to the sought-after emerging young talent of Kirby Puckett.
1986
My first Kirby Puckett card
I was sitting in my parents RV in a grass parklot for the local Flea Market in Millie Lacs Lake, Minnesota, when one of my brothers came in through the door “dad bought us Kirby cards”. I got a 1986 Donruss Highlights Kirby Puckett card! YEAH! This card still holds a special memory and place in my collection!
1987
Wood grain 1987 Topps Kirby Puckett
The 1987 Topps baseball card release featuring wood grain boards around the card was the first year I really started to buy packs of baseball cards. It was an exciting time for a youngster to search wax packs and look to pull his favorite player.
1987 All Star
Joe’s first Kirby card
It was a 1987 Topps “wood grain” board Kirby Puckett baseball card that my brother Joe pulled out of a pack of baseball card. I was a little jealous he got one before I did. I was determined to open more baseball packs and get a Kirby Puckett card too!
1988
1988 Topps All Star
In the spring of 1988 baseball fans of the Minnesota Twins were still sky high after the Twins won the World Series in 1987. I bet my sister $10 the Twins would win the World Series again. I might have learned the hard way not to gamble, yet the Twins would win the World Series again in 1991 behind the heroics of Kirby Puckett.
1989
Upper Deck debut
Upper Deck entered the baseball card maket in 1989, the Ken Griffey Jr card they issued is the classic card of this generation. It was a big deal as Upper Deck packs of cards were $1.00 and Topps were still $0.50 so a youngster on a budget mostly purchased Topps.
1990
Sport Card Magazine
Kirby was featured in Sport Card Magazine in 1990. There was a baseball card insert you could remove and cut out the card.