1933 Goudey set has stars, a missing card, and a U.S. spy

Posted on December 25, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	R319 Goudey
Year	1933
Size	2 3/8″ x 2 7/8″
Images	Color
Type	Candy/Gum
Number in Set	240

1933 Goudey Overview

The 1933 Goudey baseball card set, designated as R319 in the American Card Catalog, is one of the handful of issues considered among the most popular pre-war card sets by collectors.

The 240-card issue is an important one for many reasons. It is loaded with stars and Hall of Famers and is one of the most famous card sets of all time. The cards are nearly square in size, measuring 2 3/8″ wide x 2 7/8″ tall. Fronts include a colorful background and a color player image while backs include a biography of the player. The cards were mass produced and this set is the most plentiful of all of Goudey’s baseball card issues.

Part of what makes the set so special is its large amount of big names and Hall of Famers – some with more than one card. Babe Ruth, for example, has four cards in the set. Others, such as Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx (then spelled Jimmy by several manufacturers, including Goudey), Mel Ott, Rogers Hornsby, and Carl Hubbell, have two. Foxx’s cards are unique in that they differ only by their card number. The Ruth, Gehrig, and others with more than one card, all have different poses.

Aside from Nap Lajoie’s shortprinted card, the four Babe Ruth cards are the keys to the issue. All four are valuable and it’s difficult these days to find even half-decent low-grade cards under $1,000.

All four are valuable but not equally rare. Here’s more on the four Ruth cards. One of the cards is more common than the others as it was double printed. Instead of Card No. 106 (Nap Lajoie) being added to production sheets, a second Ruth #144 card was instead. This explains the large quantity of them compared to other Ruth cards and confirms its double printing.

A similar case is found with Gehrig’s cards. He has two in the set but No. 160 is much rarer.

There are plenty of big names in the set. Other Hall of Famers not already mentioned include Tris Speaker, Pie Traynor, Paul Waner, Lefty Gomez, Dizzy Dean, Charlie Gehringer, Joe Cronin, Eddie Collins, and a slew of others. Three big name players, Nap Lajoie, Collins, and Speaker, were already retired.

It isn’t all about the stars, though. One of the sets more important cards is of Moe Berg, a relative unknown as far as his playing career. Despite a long career, Berg was only an average player for the most part. The reason his card attracts so much attention is because of what he did later, serving as a U.S. spy during World War II. Another average player, Benny Bengough, has a card more sought after than commons, too, partially because it is the first one in the entire set.

Here’s a look at a bunch of the key cards other than the Babe Ruth cards, Lou Gehrig cards, and the Lajoie rarity.

The set is so popular that even some cards for common players can be treated like stars. Benny Bengough’s card is the first one in the set and his card is priced as if he was a Hall of Famer for the simple reason that he is the first player featured.

Nap Lajoie Card

One reason for the set’s popularity is the mysterious Nap Lajoie card.

The Lajoie card, No. 106 in the set, was not included in packs. Thus, collectors purchasing the cards and trying to assemble the set had no luck. Some wrote to the Goudey Company and in 1934, received the Lajoie card.

It isn’t clear why the card was not included in packs. Some have theorized that the company, in hopes of having collectors buy more packs to find the card, left it out on purpose. That was a popular strategy among other card manufacturers and is a plausible explanation.

Whatever the reason, it is one of the most iconic cards in the hobby. Even in low-grade condition, it is generally a five-figure card with values over $10,000. The card’s value stems from the fact that it is shortprinted and not many exist today. If it was a regular card like the others in the set, it would still hold value as Lajoie is a Hall of Famer. But there is no doubt it would be worth far less.

One interesting note is that among the damage typically found on these cards, a paper clip imprint is often present. That is because Goudey apparently mailed these cards to collectors with a paperclip, likely affixed to a letter of some sort.

Lajoie was an interesting choice to be included here. He had been retired for a long time and would have been about 60 years old by the time the card was printed. A more logical choice for a retired player would have been Ty Cobb, who had just stopped playing a few years earlier. But as I covered here, Cobb may not have been selected since he was also in Goudey’s 1933 Sport Kings set.

Alternate Card No. 106

At least one example of a card numbered 106 exists that many collectors have not heard of. A Leo Durocher card with the number 106 on the back was found.

The card was hand cut and likely not distributed. It is believed to have been a sample piece before the set was actually finalized. Only one of these cards is currently known to the hobby.

Jimmy Dykes Error/Correction

While 240 is the number typically associated with the amount of cards in the set, that’s not entirely true. Granted, you won’t find a No. 241 card in the issue but there actually 241 different cards.

Card No. 6 features Jimmy Dykes. Dykes is kind of an underappreciated player. He was a two-time all-star, a career .280 hitter, and won two World Series. He lasted in the majors for 22 years, playing with the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox. In his first World Series appearance in 1929 with the Athletics, he led the team with a .421 batting average, topping even Hall of Famers Mickey Cochrane (.400), Jimmie Foxx (.350), and Al Simmons (.300) in that category. Dykes is not a Hall of Famer by hardly anyone’s definition of the word but was a very good player.

Dykes is the only known player in the set to have a card with an error and also a correction. While other cards may have errors, Dykes’ card is unique in that Goudey corrected the mistake.

On some cards, he is incorrectly identified as being 26 years old. However, on others, his correct age of 36 is given.

Here’s more on the Dykes cards.

Watch for Autographs

Autographed 1933 Goudey cards have been collected heavily. Many authentic autographs from the set exist and, as a result, common autographed cards are not too expensive. However, some research in 2018 determined that some authenticated examples, as well as examples of T206 cards, were forgeries.

Collectors pursuing autographed Goudey cards should do so with caution as even authenticated examples may not be legit.

Reprints

Collectors seeking original 1933 Goudey cards should be aware the set has been since reprinted by Renata Galasso.

These reprint cards are typically easily identified with a different ‘feel’ of the card that is more modern. Backs of the reprint cards also indicate they are reprints. “Renata Galasso Reprint” text exists on the back between the “Goudey Gum Co.” and the “Boston” text.

Beware of cards that have been artificially aged. Many of these examples have been made to look ‘old’ and, most importantly, usually have some sort of wear in the area where the words ‘Renata Galasso Reprint” exist on the back, which is the bottom center of the card. In many cases, these cards will have paper loss or some sort of wear there to hide/remove that phrase.