Lance Parrish Autographed 1988 Topps Kay-Bee Superstars of Baseball #22 Philadelphia Phillies Card

Add another terrific 1980s retail-exclusive oddball issue to a Lance Parrish collection with this 1988 Topps Kay-Bee Superstars of Baseball #22 card featuring Parrish with the Philadelphia Phillies, personally autographed by the eight-time Major League All-Star and 1984 World Series champion.

The 1988 Topps Kay-Bee Superstars of Baseball release was a special 33-card boxed set produced by Topps exclusively for Kay-Bee Toy Stores. Unlike Topps' standard pack-issued cards, collectors purchased the cards as a complete boxed set at Kay-Bee locations. The checklist was printed directly on the back panel of the original box.

Parrish is correctly cataloged as #22, with the set numbered alphabetically by player name. He falls between Dave Parker #21 and Kirby Puckett #23, while fellow Phillies Juan Samuel #26 and Mike Schmidt #27 also appear in the set.

The checklist is especially strong for such a small retail set. In addition to Parrish, Parker, Samuel and Schmidt, it includes Wade Boggs, Jose Canseco, Andre Dawson, Tony Gwynn, Don Mattingly, Mark McGwire, Paul Molitor, Dale Murphy, Kirby Puckett, Tim Raines, Cal Ripken Jr., Darryl Strawberry, Alan Trammell and Dave Winfield. Beckett notes that 10 of the 33 players are Hall of Famers.

The 1988 release continued Topps' multi-year relationship with Kay-Bee. Its design followed the same basic format as the previous Kay-Bee sets but switched to a distinctive green border, helping distinguish the 1988 cards from the surrounding years.

For a deep Parrish autograph run, the card provides another completely different 1988 issue alongside his regular Topps #95, Topps Big #45 and other nationally distributed releases. The Kay-Bee-exclusive distribution also gives it more of an oddball feel than Parrish's mainstream cards.

Parrish was entering his second and final season with Philadelphia when this card was issued. His 1988 campaign resulted in his eighth and final Major League All-Star selection, and importantly, his first as a National Leaguer after seven previous selections with Detroit in the American League.

Parrish ultimately completed a 19-year Major League career with 324 home runs and 1,070 RBI, earning eight All-Star selections, three Gold Gloves and six Silver Slugger Awards while also playing a key role on the 1984 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers.

Card Details:

• Player: Lance Parrish
• Team: Philadelphia Phillies
• Year: 1988
• Manufacturer: Topps
• Set: Kay-Bee Superstars of Baseball
• Card Number: #22
• Special 33-card boxed set
• Produced exclusively for Kay-Bee Toy Stores
• Retail-exclusive issue rather than a standard pack-issued Topps card
• Distinctive green-border design
• Checklist numbered alphabetically by player name
• Parrish appears between Dave Parker #21 and Kirby Puckett #23
• Phillies teammates Juan Samuel and Mike Schmidt also included in the set
• 1988 National League All-Star
• Eighth and final career All-Star selection
• Eight-time MLB All-Star
• Three-time Gold Glove Award winner
• Six-time Silver Slugger Award winner
• 1984 World Series Champion
• Personally autographed
• Condition: NM-MT or better

Authentication: Signature obtained through a private signing conducted by Under the Radar Sports Promotions and guaranteed to pass any third-party authentication service.

This is another particularly nice piece for the Parrish run because it comes from the era when Topps produced numerous retailer-specific boxed sets that are easily overlooked today. An excellent addition for collectors of Lance Parrish autographs, Philadelphia Phillies memorabilia, Kay-Bee baseball cards, Topps retail exclusives, 1980s oddball issues, or comprehensive signed player collections.