Doug Koval is a legendary name in the world of baseball cards. As the founder and CEO of Koval Baseball Cards, Koval has revolutionized the hobby and brought baseball card collecting to new heights over the past three decades.
Koval grew up in Michigan in the 1960s, falling in love with baseball at an early age. He began collecting cards as a young boy and was immediately drawn to the artwork, stats, and stories contained on each piece of cardboard. Koval spent hours organizing his collection and learning everything he could about his favorite players from the information on their cards.
This passion for the hobby never faded as Koval got older. After graduating from college in the late 1970s, he got a job in marketing but continued collecting in his spare time. Koval noticed that while the major companies like Topps and Fleer were putting out quality products, there was room in the market for smaller companies to take more creative risks and cater to niche audiences.
In 1988, Koval decided to take the plunge and launch his own baseball card company. He started Koval Baseball Cards out of his basement with just a few employees. Koval’s goal was to produce unique sets that focused on specific themes, players, or periods of baseball history rather than the same generic rookie cards and stars included in every release by the larger companies.
One of Koval’s first and most popular sets was 1990’s “Negro League Legends.” This was one of the first major releases to exclusively feature players from the Negro Leagues at a time when they were still relatively unknown to most collectors. Koval worked closely with historians to include never-before-seen photos and detailed biographies on the back of each card. The set was a huge success and helped bring more attention to the achievements of Black baseball pioneers.
Throughout the 1990s, Koval Baseball Cards continued putting out innovative sets each year that told new stories. Some focused on defunct teams, others on iconic ballparks, certain seasons, or regional minor league history. Koval also produced the first high-end inserts featuring serially numbered parallels and autographs well before they became commonplace in the industry. This helped grow a devoted customer base willing to pay a premium for Koval’s exclusive content.
While the major companies focused on mass production and mainstream appeal, Koval aimed small batches of each set right at the most avid collectors. He established Koval as the top brand for people wanting something unique to add to their collections, even if it cost a bit more. Koval’s model was high-risk but paid off by developing a loyal following passionate about preserving baseball’s rich history and supporting independent hobby businesses.
In the 2000s, Koval Baseball Cards had grown into a successful mid-sized operation. By this time, Koval had pioneered just about every innovative collecting trend like relic cards, autographed memorabilia cards, and detailed insert sets before anyone else. He also acquired the licenses to produce sets featuring defunct teams that no longer existed like the Cincinnati Red Stockings, Baltimore Orioles, and Brooklyn Dodgers/Superbas.
Koval published “The Koval Guide” annually, a must-have resource for collectors containing checklists and background on each release, stats, and the stories behind many of the players and sets over the years. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Koval continued to push the boundaries and tell new stories that expanded collectors’ knowledge about the history of America’s pastime.
In 2022, Koval Baseball Cards is celebrating its 35th anniversary as one of the longest-running independent baseball card companies. While the major brands have come and gone or been acquired over the decades, Koval has endured through Doug Koval’s passion, vision, and commitment to the hobby. Today, Koval sets are highly sought after and command premium prices in the secondary market. Original Koval cards from the 1990s routinely sell for 10x their original issue price or more.
Doug Koval has now semi-retired at 65 years old but still consults on new Koval releases. The company continues operating under new ownership but maintains the same dedication to quality, storytelling, and preservation of baseball’s rich history that Koval established. Doug Koval is without question one of the most influential people in the baseball card industry’s history for taking risks, thinking outside the box, and treating collectors like fans rather than just consumers. His passion created a legacy that will continue inspiring new collectors and historians for generations to come.
