Kohl’s is a popular chain store known for offering clothing, home goods, toys and more at affordable prices. While many customers may not associate Kohl’s with baseball cards, the retailer actually carries a decent selection of cards specifically during certain times of the year. Here is an overview of Kohl’s baseball card offerings, buying tips and more.

History of Baseball Cards at Kohl’s
Kohl’s began carrying baseball cards in the late 1990s as a way to draw in new customers, especially young families. At that time, the baseball card hobby was booming in popularity again thanks to stars like Ken Griffey Jr. and Mark McGwire smashing home run records. Kohl’s targeted this demand by stocking packs, boxes and sets around the traditional baseball card selling seasons of spring and summer.

Over the next two decades, Kohl’s baseball card selection evolved and expanded. During the early 2000s heyday of Derek Jeter, Kohl’s carried more vintage boxes and sets to appeal to collectors. In recent years, Kohl’s has embraced retro styling and put a focus on affordable Ripken, Mantle and Robinson reprints. Topps, Panini, Leaf and other top brands have partnered with Kohl’s to distribute exclusives only found in-store as well.

When to Find Baseball Cards at Kohl’s
The absolute best time to look for baseball cards at Kohl’s is during late winter/early spring and summer. This is when the upcoming MLB season gets baseball fever running high. Kohl’s stocks up extensively on the newest releases from all the major card companies in both rack packs and higher end products.

Specifically, keep an eye out in late February through May for the latest baseball cards to hit shelves in anticipation of Opening Day. From June through August, Kohl’s keeps the baseball fun going with summer promotions, multi-packs and value bundles to please kids and collectors alike. Autograph and memorabilia cards tend to appear more during these core baseball months at Kohl’s.

Outside of prime season, Kohl’s baseball selection dwindles but doesn’t disappear. Look for remaindered stock or classic sets through fall and holiday shopping seasons. Rack packs containing stars from years past often linger at discounted prices year-round. Additionally, Kohl’s puts fresh energy into basketball cards when MLB action ends for the season.

Pros and Cons of Shopping at Kohl’s

Pros:

Very affordable prices on many baseball cards, packs and boxes
Exclusive Kohl’s brands like Ripken Archives offers unique deals
Large assortment of major brands all in one convenient place
Finds vintage and heritage products mixed with modern releases
Reward points and coupons can save you even more money

Cons:

Stock depends on time of year – summer has best selection
Products may not be as fresh as hobby shop or online retailers
Higher-end vintage/memorabilia items are usually lacking
Not ideal for breakers/case break participants
Limited expertise on hand for grading/authentication questions

Overall, Kohl’s works well for casual collectors or gift seekers on a budget. die-hards may prefer a local card shop. But browsing the selection provides an affordable way to build sets or find a special vintage card during baseball season shopping trips. Rewards programs amplify already low prices further.

Tips for Maximizing Your Kohl’s Baseball Card Haul:

Shop during late winter/early summer for the biggest stock of new releases.
Combine a finds with other purchases to tap Kohl’s rewards/cash back offers.
Look through endcaps and clearance racks for deeply discounted year-old products.
Consider Kohl’s-exclusive brands and partnerships for unique deals.
Download the Kohl’s app for instant coupons before your visit.
Ask seasonal staff questions – they’re trained on current products.
Check if promo packs or mystery bundles offer better overall value.
Sign up for Kohl’s card for extra 30-day returns protection.

In summary, Kohl’s doesn’t have the selection level of specialty shops but offers baseball cards at prices unbeatable for casual collectors. By shopping strategically during peak season windows and utilizing money-saving perks, fans can find fun cards for themselves or as gifts without breaking the bank. Kohl’s consistent if not extensive stock has become a dependable source for baseball card needs.

Kohl’s is a department store chain located throughout most of the United States that is perhaps best known for its clothing offerings, but the store has also had a presence in the baseball card market over the years. While Kohl’s does not have a long history of producing exclusive baseball card sets like some other retailers, the company has periodically offered promotional baseball cards to customers both in-store and online.

One of the earliest Kohl’s baseball card promotions came in 2001, when the store partnered with Topps to offer packs of 2001 Topps baseball cards exclusively at Kohl’s locations. Customers could find 20-card value packs from the main 2001 Topps set mixed in with Kohl’s-branded packaging. While the cards inside were the standard Topps release, the purple and white Kohl’s branding on the outside of the packs served as an advertisement for the store. This type of exclusive packaging deal became a periodic occurrence at Kohl’s over the next several years.

In 2004, Kohl’s again partnered with Topps, this time to promote the 75th anniversary of the Goudey Gum Company sets which Topps had recently reprinted and released. Special Goudey packs were available at Kohl’s stores featuring cards from the 1933, 1934, and 1935 Goudey sets inside vintage-style green wrappers with Kohl’s logos. A mail-in coupon was also included to receive a special Kerry Wood “throwback” card made to resemble the classic Goudey designs.

For 2005, Kohl’s and Topps moved beyond just unique packaging and included actual Kohl’s-branded cards in series inspired by past tobacco era designs. A 99-card “Kohl’s Treasures” set recreated the look of the 1951 Bowman set right down to the yellow borders and action photos on a white background. Parallel “Kohl’s Treasures Masterpieces” cards were also available as super short prints featuring current stars. Additionally, Kohl’s offered exclusive “Precious Gems” packs containing reprints of rare 1910 to 1914 Cracker Jack cards with the company logo added.

One of the largest Kohl’s baseball card promotions came in 2006 when their partnership with Topps resulted in two insert sets being produced exclusively for the store. The “Kohl’s Crown Jewels” parallel insert set within 2006 Topps featured 65 short print parallels of top stars. Even rarer were the 8 parallel “Ruby” versions signed by the players themselves. That same year also saw the 95-card “Kohl’s Diamonds” retro-styled release that paid tribute to vintage designs like 1953 Topps. Both inserts featured the Kohl’s logo on the fronts and were available as bonus packs or by mail-in redemption.

In subsequent years, Kohl’s exclusives with Topps scaled back but still gave collectors chances to find rare bonus packs or promotional parallels at their local store locations. From 2009-2011, Kohl’s once again used unique packaging to house regular Topps series packs like Update and Opening Day. 2011 also saw a mail-in Kohl’s/Topps promotion where collectors could obtain special rookie parallels of Buster Posey or Jason Heyward.

For 2012, Topps produced a brand new Kohl’s exclusive insert set alongside its main Series 1 release called “Kohl’s Classics.” The 42-card retro-styled set paid tribute to the 1954 Topps design and included current stars framed within the yellow borders of that vintage era. Bonus packs were distributed at Kohl’s or available as redemptions for mail-in points from purchases at the store. The final Kohl’s/Topps partnership promotion came in 2016 when exclusive Opening Day packs wrapped in Kohl’s logo paper were distributed leading up to the start of the new baseball season.

While Kohl’s deals with Topps brought welcome exclusive cards and packs to collectors visiting the department store chain over the years, the company has also offered original baseball memorabilia products of its own design as well. In the late 2000s, Kohl’s sold framed and unframed sets of reproductions depicting iconic vintage cards from the T206 and 1951 Bowman sets. More recently in 2019, Kohl’s began producing higher-end memorabilia under the “Kohl’s Elite” brand that included signed baseballs, jersey relic cards, and autographs of current stars individually numbered to only 50 copies.

Whether through Topps insert sets, unique packaging variations, or in-house Kohl’s Elite memorabilia, the department store’s various baseball card promotions over the past two decades have been welcomed opportunities for collectors. The potential to find rare bonus packs or redemption cards exclusive to certain Kohl’s locations kept customers checking end caps and impulse buy aisles when shopping there. While partnerships with card manufacturers have been scaled back since 2016, Kohl’s still demonstrates interest in the hobby through occasional original memorabilia offerings showing there remains an audience for baseball collectibles among the retailer’s customer base.