1982 Red Lobster Chicago Cubs Baseball Card Set and Checklist

1982 Red Lobster Chicago Cubs Specs

Year: 1982

Title: Red Lobster Chicago Cubs

Size: 2 1/4″ by 3 1/2″

Number in Set: 28

1982 Red Lobster Chicago Cubs Overview

The Chicago Cubs and Red Lobster co-produced around 15k of these sets, which they used as a promotional giveaway on August 20, 1982, at Wrigley Field.

I’ve seen two dealers sell sealed sets that look like the example below.

1982 Red Lobster Chicago Cubs Sealed Set – Top

1982 Red Lobster Chicago Cubs Sealed Set – Bottom

The cards feature action shot photographs of the 25 players, plus manager Lee Elia with umpires and an opposing coach from the Cincinnati Reds (presumably exchanging lineups before the game), a posed photo of the coaching staff, and a team picture. The cards all have facsimile autographs on the front (other than the team card), along with the player’s number, name, and position.

The back of the cards have player statistics and a Red Lobster ad. The cards are unnumbered, though some collectors sequence the set by uniform number.

PSA has graded 317 of these cards, but 201 of those are Ryne Sandberg.

1982 Red Lobster Chicago Cubs Example

1982 Red Lobster Chicago Cubs Ryne Sandberg – Front

1982 Red Lobster Chicago Cubs Ryne Sandberg – Reverse

1982 Red Lobster Chicago Cubs Key Cards

The Ryne Sandberg is the most expensive card by a wide margin; On October 26, 2025, a PSA 10 sold on eBay for $1,775 (PSA 9s are ~$400 and PSA 8s are ~$100). This is considered his first Major League card and came out before the Donruss, Fleer, and Topps RCs.