Kmart was once one of the largest discount retailers in the United States, known for its blue light specials and membership in Sealtest dairy products. Beyond selling household goods at affordable prices, Kmart also had a collecting card program from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s that became popular with baseball card enthusiasts.
The Kmart baseball card program began in 1986 as a value set inserted in Kmart Sunday newspaper advertisements. These early Kmart cards featured current major leaguers and were essentially a house brand version of mainstream trading cards from companies like Topps and Donruss that were sold in packs at convenience stores and supermarkets. The Kmart cards provided an alternative that was more widely available straight from the Sunday ads.
Many collectors enjoyed putting together the affordable and easy to find Kmart sets over the years. The cards had basic front and back design layouts with a photo on the front and stats and career highlights on the back. While lacking premium extras found in higher end sets, Kmart cards captured the nostalgia of the players and era they represented in an accessible way. From 1986 to 1990, Kmart released new 88-96 card baseball sets each year available by clipping coupons from the sales papers.
In 1991, Kmart’s baseball card offerings expanded with the introduction of factory sets in proper plastic packaging rather than as newspaper inserts. Kmart also released multi-player packs that year, giving collectors a randomized experience akin to traditional trading card packs. The move to traditional cardboard packaging established Kmart more firmly in the broader baseball card market beyond just casual newspaper enthusiasts. Sets from 1991-1994 ranged from 132 to 144 cards each and included stars of the day like Kirby Puckett, Barry Bonds, and Greg Maddux among the photography.
Along with the regular season card releases, Kmart also produced specialty subsets highlighting postseason performances and award winners. In 1991, they issued a 32-card World Series Winner’s subset featuring the Minnesota Twins. A 1992 31-card All-Star Standouts subset and 1994 25-card Cy Young Award Winners subset demonstrated Kmart’s flexibility in commemorating various aspects of the game. Ex-Major leaguers and managers even received the Kmart treatment through smaller retired player and manager card subsets over the years.
Beyond the photography and stats on the cardboard, Kmart distinguished themselves within the enthusiast community through creative hobby-related extras included along with the standard card fare. In 1992, Kmart issued pinback buttons in factory set packs featuring favorite players. Collector binders were also occasionally inserted so fans could properly store and organize their growing Kmart collections in addition to other brands. Throughout the 1990s, Kmart featured baseball-related trading card checklists, fun facts, and wish lists in their Sunday sales papers engaging both casual fans and serious collectors alike.
While not seen as premium collectibles compared to higher end releases, Kmart cards today remain nostalgically appealing to those who enjoyed following the discount retailer’s affordable take on the baseball card craze. Sets from the early 1990s in particular are still attainable for the casual collector looking to build representations of classic players and teams from that era. Beyond just penny pinching, Kmart took collectors seriously through innovative extras, specialized inserts, and accessibility that made their take on the traditional baseball card both familiar yet unique. As one of America’s most recognizable chains, Kmart helped keep interest in the hobby thriving among fans of all dedication levels nationwide during their 15 year run chronicling the national pastime.
While discount retail struggles led to Kmart’s ultimate demise in the early 2000s, their accessible baseball card program of the late 80s through mid-90s is remembered fondly by many. By delivering current cardboard and fun ballpark souvenirs straight to collectors’ mailboxes and doorsteps via their ubiquitous sales papers, Kmart brought the joys of the hobby to audiences far beyond the corner store in an affordable, innovative way. Even if not prized premium collectibles themselves, today’s Kmart card fans appreciate them as a unique time capsule representing an iconic American brand’s unique take on chronicling the national pastime throughout the late 20th century in small but memorable part.
