The Kay Bee Sporting Goods Company and their production of baseball cards was an important part of the early trading card industry in America. Founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan by brothers Harry Zalkind and Joseph Zalkind, Kay Bee began as a small shop selling various sporting goods items. It wasn’t long before the company ventured into producing collectible trading cards as a way to promote their business and the various sports they sold equipment for.
One of Kay Bee’s first efforts involving baseball cards came in 1920 with the release of a set featuring stars from the American League and National League. The 52-card set contained some of the biggest names in the game at the time like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Walter Johnson. What made the 1920 Kay Bee cards unique was their size. Measuring approximately 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches, they were significantly smaller than standard baseball cards of the era which were usually around 2 1/4 inches by 2 3/4 inches. Despite their petite dimensions, the cards featured colorful illustrated portraits of the players and were extremely popular with young collectors.
In the following years of the early 1920s, Kay Bee continued to issue baseball card sets on an annual basis. Their 1921, 1922, and 1923 sets each contained around 50 cards and followed a similar format to the original 1920 release by highlighting the top players from both major leagues. Production and distribution of the Kay Bee cards was done out of their Detroit headquarters. They could be found for sale individually or in wax-packet packs of 5 cards at Kay Bee stores and other hobby shops and drug stores around the country.
While other larger card companies like American Caramel were beginning to utilize color photographs on their baseball cards in the mid-1920s, Kay Bee stuck with illustrated drawings and paintings of the players for several more years. Their 1925 and 1926 sets maintained the traditional posed portraits style rather than switching to photo fronts. This helped Kay Bee cards retain their own unique identity during a time period when the baseball card market was becoming more competitive and saturated.
In 1927, Kay Bee took a step forward by issuing their first cards with actual photo images of major leaguers rather than illustrations. Featuring Players from that year’s American and National League champions, the 1927 New York Yankees and Pittsburgh Pirates, the 60-card set represented a milestone in Kay Bee’s evolution. While still retaining their trademark smaller dimensions, the photo fronts provided collectors a more realistic glimpse of the current baseball superstars.
During the late 1920s and 1930s, Kay Bee stayed committed to annual baseball card production but began experimenting more with different themes and concepts beyond just player portraits. Some examples included a 1929 series highlighting individual teams, a 1930 set focused on baseball’s oldest ballparks, and a 1933 release spotlighting various stars’ career accomplishments to that point. Kay Bee also tried including manager and owner cards for the first time in 1934.
Kay Bee’s smaller card dimensions remained a consistent trait through the 1930s. While most brands had standardized at the 2 1/4 inches by 2 3/4 inches size, Kay Bee cards stayed petty at about 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches. Collectors still greatly desired them for their colorful illustrations and early player images. In 1936, Kay Bee also became one of the first companies to significantly increase production numbers, issuing sets of 100 cards rather than the typical 50.
During World War II, the rising costs of paper, printing, and distribution made it difficult for many smaller card makers like Kay Bee to remain profitable. The company ceased operations in 1942 after issuing one final 60-card baseball set that year. It had been an impressive 26-year run for the pioneering Detroit company that helped popularize the baseball card collecting craze in America during the sport’s golden era.
While long forgotten compared to giants like Topps, Bowman, and Fleer that still dominate the modern market, Kay Bee left an indelible mark. They were trailblazers in the small card size that became their signature trait. Early photo sets like 1927 also proved innovative. Most importantly, Kay Bee significantly contributed to the growth of baseball card collecting as a beloved hobby in the first half of the 20th century. Though a relatively small independent brand for just over two decades, Kay Bee established themselves as an admired pioneer. Their charmingly nostalgic cards remain highly collectible pieces of history among vintage memorabilia enthusiasts today.
The Kay Bee Sporting Goods Company played an important founding role in the baseball card industry during its early 20th century years of operation between 1920 and 1942. Issuing annual sets and pioneering new concepts, Kay Bee helped spread cardboard nostalgia for the national pastime. While their name may not resonate as widely today, Kay Bee deserves recognition among the inaugural trailblazers responsible for cultivating baseball card collecting into an iconic American tradition.
