1933 R319 Goudey #181 Babe Ruth

Sold For:

$4,500

Year:

1933

Auction:

2016 Spring

Lot #:

809

Category:

Prewar Baseball - 1930s and 1940s Cards

Beautiful example of one of Babe Ruth’s most classic cards, #181 Ruth with green background from the 1933 Goudey series. The offered card is encapsulated as NM/MT 8 by SCD ("Sports Card Direct"), a now defunct grading company that we personally were never familiar with. It was purchased by our consignor many years ago for a price commensurate with what PSA-graded examples were commanding at the time. It is an extremely attractive example, perfectly bright and clean, both front and back, with very light, natural toning and sharp corners. The reverse is entirely clean and boldly printed in crisp, green ink. We reviewed this card with SGC in hopes that they might be able to cross it over into one of their holders, even if at a slightly lower grade. Unfortunately, they are of the opinion that the card shows slight evidence of trimming on at least one edge. The trimming is very subtle and is impossible to detect without a trained eye, but the card is minutely smaller (slightly less than 1/16-inch) in both directions. Despite this, the card does otherwise share all the qualities of a Near Mint example and represents a potentially extraordinary value for the collector who wants a stunning original 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth card at a far more affordable cost than numerically graded examples with a similar appearance would command. Reserve $500. Estimate (open).