Thursday, October 22, 2009

1933 Goudey Baseball Cards

The 1933 Goudey Baseball Card Set is recognized as the first important gum release.  America was deep in the depression in 1933 and kids did not have many pennies to spend.  For a product to get that penny, there had to be value.  The Goudey Gum Company of Boston launched its revolutionary “Big League Gum” product.

The 1933 Goudey Baseball Cards were printed on thick cardboard stock, with bright colorful pictures and came with a nice big slab of gum.  They were a great improvement over the smaller, thinner cardboard tobacco and candy cards that preceded them.  It is important to remember that 1933 Goudey cards were the first color portraits of these stars that most people ever saw.

The Goudey Gum Company tried hard to give the customers what they wanted.  The greatest stars of the game had multiple cards.  There are 4 different 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth cards and #144 Ruth was double printed.  The 1933 Goudey Baseball card set also has three cards of Joe Cronin and two cards each of Jimmy Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Carl Hubbell and Mel Ott.

Dean's Cards has a great selection of 1933 Goudey baseball cards.  If you can not afford the original Goudey cards, please check out the 1933 Goudey Baseball Card Reprint set.


9 comments:

  1. I have questions about grading. I own 110 1933 Goudey cards given to me by my uncle in 1970. It includes Ruth #144,#149,Gehrig #92, Ott, Hornsby Dean etc..None are bent,36 out of 110 have some pencil writing on the back of them which I haven,t touched.I would guess the grading would run the full gamut from 1-8+. I also own 25 0f the Goudey 1938 Heads Up R32318 collection including Dimaggio #250 and 18 0f the 25 1936 R322 Goudey. Who would be best for grading these cards? I,ve done research and am still unsure whether to go with PSA,Beckett,etc. I would appreciate any feedback. The cards have remained in a safety deposit box in quality card holders for almost 40 years.I have 4 duplicates which I might consider selling. I also have cards I collected as a kid including many 1971? Topps including Clemente #650? which he signed for me.To access value without grading is ludicrous but most grading companies want a ballpark estimate by me to determine the cost of grading and the difference say between a 3 and a 7 can be exponential.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have a #181 Gaudy Babe Ruth.The print on the back is in black.Is there any chance that it is real or has any value?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like them all, but Gehrig is great!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The 1933 Goudeys originals all had green print on the backs. There is a 1933 Goudey Canadian Issue, but it has green backs. Even the reprint sets that we have feature green letters on the back.

    The Goudey Ruth cards have been reprinted by themselves before, so it looks like you have a reprint. So sorry.

    ReplyDelete
  5. If a card has writing on the back, the highest grade that it can probably receive is a 2. PSA would be the place to go to get vintage cards graded, BUT PLEASE BE CAREFUL. Beckett seems to specialize more on the new cards.

    Most people that submit cards for the first time are shocked (and often very mad) when they see what grades the cards receive and the high cost. It also takes weeks to get your cards back and they seem to charge a fortune for shipping and insurance, but that is another story.

    In my opinion, having a card graded rarely increases its value. Sometimes professional grading will even lower a card's value – I often feel that it does not cover the cost. Where grading may help is if a card has a huge value or is in perfect condition. These cards make up a very small percentage of the overall population. We generally do not pay any more for graded cards. The value depends on the card itself.

    I have talked to dozens of guys over the years, that were convinced that grading the cards was going to net them more money, only to be very disappointed by the experience. They were sure that their cards would grade a 6 or 7, only to receive grades of 2 or 3! Some paid thousands of dollars for that privilege. Most people generally lose money when it is all said and done.

    If you do decide to submit cards, here are a few tips: Keep the stated value of each card below $500. PSA charges more when you get above this amount. Also, the insurance goes up. Start with just a couple cards. Keep your investment cost low. If you are satisfied with the experience, you can always send more cards. I do not recommend getting your 1971 cards graded unless they are 1) stars, 2) show no wear at all AND 3) are perfectly centered.

    In conclusion, Dean's Cards buys and sells both graded and ungraded cards, so it really does not matter to us. My advice is to be careful and start slow. I have talked to too many guys over the years that were shocked by the experience. You also may want to check out our Graded Cards Page and look at some of the cards that received lower grades.

    Hope this helps. If you have anymore questions, please feel free to contact me directly at dean@deanscards.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. keep the articles coming ,will be ordering more cards the first part of november as I just got back to work

    ReplyDelete
  7. I also have 1933 Goudey cards with black ink on the back. #188 Hornsby, #35 Simmons, #49 Frisch. Another anomaly is that the white border, around the picture on the front, is wider on these cards than what I see on cards with green backs.
    Also, The black text on the back is identical to the green text, but the blank space border is wider so it looks shrunk a bit.
    Any new info on the authenticity of these cards?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the inquiry. Unfortunately, I have some bad news for you. The cards are not authentic. On the 1933 Goudey cards, the back text was green. They were never released in black. Sorry to share the bad news!

      Delete
  8. I have a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth that I believe may be a World Wide Gum Canadian Goudey....
    The reason I believe this is because several local experts,some graders at Beckett and PSA have all looked at it and it passes all the tests but they all had the same comment...card stock does not look quite right.
    It has all the correct coloring, measurements,alignments...it has the correct scroll marks on the edges from cutting. BUT, it does allow some light through when held up to a bright light....
    Was there a difference with the Canadian stock compared to the Goudey American card stock? It has not been labeled a counterfeit or forgery - but has not been authenticated at this point.... any thoughts?????

    ReplyDelete