1933 Goudey Baseball Cards
Product Details
1933 Goudey Baseball is one of the most popular vintage releases available and easily recognized thanks to a colorful and distinct design. Also helping its appeal, the 1933 set features multiple cards for Babe Ruth and nearly every single card in the set is an official rookie card.
In 1919, the Goudey Gum Company was founded by Enos Gordon Goudey. He opened his first factory in Boston, Massachusetts, eventually earning the title, "penny gum king of America." The up-and-coming business tycoon threw his hat into the baseball card arena with the debut of 1933 Goudey Baseball. Designated in the American Card Catalog as R319, the 239-card 1933 Goudey Baseball set was the first sports card product packaged with bubble gum in every pack.
The set measures 2-3/8" by 2-7/8" and is noted for its dramatic use of color and colorized photo images. Player likenesses are represented in both action photos and portraits. The color illustration of the depicted player provides a distinct contrast to the vivid color backgrounds of red, yellow, blue and green, lending itself to a highly aesthetic offering.
A majority of the cards within the 1933 Goudey Baseball set are adorned with a small, thin banner along the bottom border of the card. "Big League Chewing Gum" is the ad tagline found on most of the cards. The exception is with several of the cards printed later in the year. The only other accompanying text is the player's full name in a portion of the colored background towards the top of the card.
The Goudey card backs provide an anecdotal and biographical write-up along in green ink with further gum-related advertising. Printed on a total of 10 sheets, each containing 24 cards, those that were printed on sheets eight (cards #190-213), nine (cards #97-99, #128-129, #142, #214-231) and ten (cards #107-114, #121-127, #232-240) are missing the red banner on the card front.
1933 Goudey Baseball also includes one of the rarest and most elusive cards from a mainstream set to ever be produced. Showcasing a retired Napolean Lajoie (#106), the card is unique because it displays a 1934 card front while a 1933 back design. It is so rare that it is actually excluded from the set when being priced. The Nap Lajoie card brings the total 1933 Goudey set checklist to 240 cards. While it is not technically required for completion of the set, the pursuit of the Lajoie card has frustrated many high-end collecting purists through the years.
Relatively free of errors, there is only one corrected variation belonging to Jimmy Dykes (#6). The original card features the wrong age for Dykes and was fixed in a later printing. Loaded with Hall of Fame players, the set is anchored by Babe Ruth, who actually has a total of four cards in the set. Also, the first cards in the checklist were subjected to additional wear from collectors, especially Benny Bengough, who is card #1. Because of this, his card commands a premium.
In addition to the four Babe Ruth cards in 1933 Goudey Baseball, the Babe was featured in the 1933 and 1934 Goudey premium set. The four-card set, known as R309-1, checks in at 5-1/2" by 8-13/16" and the cards rarely surface.
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Key Cards
Key 1933 Goudey Baseball Cards
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#53 Babe Ruth
#144 Babe Ruth
#149 Babe Ruth
#181 Babe Ruth
#106 Nap Lajoie
#29,154 Jimmie Foxx (Same image for both)
#92 Lou Gehrig
#2 Dazzy Vance
#1 Benny Bengough
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