A CURATED SELECTION OF GREAT CARDS
74. 1933 Goudey #92 Lou Gehrig (HOF) – SGC VG-EX 4
76. 1933 Goudey #181 Babe Ruth (HOF) – SGC VG 3
Charles Conlon took his source photo for Goudey #181 on the steps of New York’s home dugout in 1929. A serious, studious Babe Ruth relaxes with that famed heavy bat, perhaps waiting to step into the Yankees on-deck circle. The strong blue character outline, soft details across his uniform, and minty background all create a distinct and engaging portrait from a stardom that endures like few others in sport.
Bright and impressive key card from the 1933 Goudey set, featuring a Charles Conlon portrait of Gehrig batting in foul ground at Yankee Stadium. His striking pose and robin’s egg blue background leave a lasting impression on any collector lucky enough to hold one! This Goudey set contains so many important players that one can forget about the real visual impact of its top tier royalty, Lou included, until one’s in your hand.
Like many other #181 examples, centering for this SGC VG 3 is nudged eartward. Its technical score follows from balanced corner rounding and smudges on the reverse. A similar light mark along that Yankee jersey blends into the artstic shadowing for his pinstripes. This contemplative “Green Ruth” stands a cut above most Goudey on-field poses and offers a strong overall impression as one of the most recognizable of all prewar cards. While any Ruth attracts great interest, high-quality images like this one (deservedly) get the most! The size of Ruth’s bat throughout his career remains a key difference between that era and what we consider normal today. Modern hitters often use 32 ounce lumber, finished and tapered in various ways. The Babe reportedly used something in the neighborhood of 50 ounces in his youth, dropping back into the high 30s later. Some of his contemporaries were known to favor a weight range around 40. Modern students of the game continue to create and swing those prewar bats to better understand how it felt for those legends to play the game. Nothing brings us closer to Ruth himself than these prewar cards and the power of wood hitting horsehide! MINIMUM BID: $3,000 Extraordinary blue-tinted 1928 Exhibits image of Babe Ruth, the identical image used in a number of other Exhibit Ruth cards. Graded VG+ 3.5 by SGC, the card does show some pronounced wear at the corners and some edge chipping that renders the grade a bit generous, the blank back showing some mild but even toning. A highly prized card regardless of grade, this example presents quite well despite the wear. 77. 1928 Exhibits Babe Ruth (HOF) – SGC VG+ 3.5 MINIMUM BID: $2,500
This SGC VG-EX 4 follows from its excellent colors, amazing centering, and crisp registration. Just a small mark near his batting grip and slight corner rounding all around might ding its technical score. The reverse shows a partial wet ink transfer from the nameplate and banner of another Gehrig, as Goudey often stacked slightly damp sheets prior to cutting them for distribution. Sharp-eyed collectors will notice that Lou’s bio mentions he was “twice voted most valuable player in the American League.” That’s a neat bit of prognostication, since he won that second MVP three years later in 1936! Lou finished in the top three of AL MVP voting each year from 1930 through 1932, so perhaps one of those runner- up seasons mixed up Goudey’s card writer. This card will be no mistake for any collector fortunate enough to land it!
MINIMUM BID: $2,500
Gorgeous, high-grade early card of the Yankee Clipper, graded NM-MT 8 by PSA. Boasting strong centering and sharp corners and edges, the card is kept from an even higher holder by the slightest of corner touches. Though PSA has graded more than 1,700 examples of this card, just 15 have graded higher than this, as clean and sharp an example as we have handled. One of several outstanding cards of Joe DiMaggio featured in this auction. 75. 1939 Play Ball #26 Joe DiMaggio (HOF) – PSA NM/MT 8 MINIMUM BID: $5,000
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