1933 R319 Goudey Uncut Sheet with Five Hall of Famers

Sold For:

Unsold

Year:

1933

Auction:

2018 Spring

Lot #:

967

Category:

Prewar Baseball - 1930s and 1940s Cards

Complete 24-card production sheet of 1933 Goudey "Big League" Chewing Gum cards (#195-213). This sheet includes five Hall of Famers: #194 Earl Averill, 197 Rick Ferrell, 202 Gabby Hartnett, 207 Mel Ott, and 211 Hack Wilson. The sheet also includes #204 Riggs Stephenson and #209 Adolpho Luque. The 1933 Goudey set is the first of all modern gum-card issues and the most important of all Goudey issues. Uncut sheets of Goudey cards are not only extremely rare, but are also among the most popular and sought-after of all baseball-card sheets. The improbability of their existence, their incredible rarity, and their extraordinary display value are all factors that contribute to the great desirability of Goudey sheets. All Goudey sheets originate from two sources: the files of Goudey (most but not all of which surfaced in the collecting world in 1969) and the William Gardiner Collection. The offered sheet originates directly from the files of Goudey as evidenced by a 1/8-inch wide tape stain on the left edge (related to storage in a large sample book as an official file copy sheet by Goudey). Many of the Goudey file sheets have undergone restoration over the years, and the removal of tape, as in this instance, would be considered very minor. The sheet is free of creasing or wrinkling and displays only light, even wear at the corners. Due to its size these minor flaws have no impact on the sheet's extremely impressive and extraordinary display value. The reverse of the sheet is perfectly clean and boldly printed. This is an incredible representation of one of the greatest treasures in the card-collecting world, an uncut sheet of 1933 Goudey gum cards featuring five Hall of Famers. Excellent condition. Dimensions: 14 x 11.5 inches. Opening Bid $5,000. Estimate (open).