Babe Ruth

A legendary offering, this Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey #144 is one of the key cards in arguably the most popular set ever created. Heritage Auctions put it eloquently: “The 1933 Goudey was an uncommon luxury for young baseball fans in a country still held tightly in the grip of the Great Depression…Presented is the card that every boy coveted during those challenging times, one of four variations celebrating the man who had launched his apocryphal “Called Shot” a year earlier.” Graded an SGC 8.

The 1933 Goudey set is considered by many as the “most significant set of the bubble gum era, one that set the bar for quality that many feel went unchallenged until the 1952 Topps edition, another landmark first effort.”
The 240-card series of baseball gum cards by Boston-based Goudey Gum was the first major promotion of the 1930’s, and the opening salvo of the “bubble gum era” of trading cards that would hold sway for a half century to come.
Presented here is a Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey #144 SGC 8, a key card in one of the most popular sets ever created.
According to VintageCardPrices.com, Babe Ruth 1933 Goudey #144 PSA 8 sold for $288,000 in February 2021.
According to OldSportsCards.com, “The four 1933 Goudey Ruth cards are some of the most beloved baseball cards in the entire hobby. The set itself is iconic for being the first of all the modern gum card issues. And you’ll be hard-pressed to find a set of baseball cards more beautiful than these.”
The set features four different versions of the Ruth cards - #'s 53, 144, 149 and 181. #144, the featured asset, is the only 1933 Goudey card to depict Ruth from head to toe. For this reason and its vibrant colors, this card is widely regarded as the most popular of the four 1933 Goudeys.
#144 was double printed; as a result, there are more of these in circulation than other Goudey cards. The reverse side of the card references Ruth’s school experience as a youth in Baltimore as well as the vast difference in money that the Yankees and Red Sox paid for his services.
Heritage Auction describes this 1933 Goudey Ruth asset eloquently: “The 1933 Goudey was an uncommon luxury for young baseball fans in a country still held tightly in the grip of the Great Depression, a factor that limits the modern supply nearly as much as the eight decades that have passed since. Presented is the card that every boy coveted during those challenging times, one of four variations celebrating the man who had launched his apocryphal “Called Shot” a year earlier.”
The consignor is retaining $20,000 of equity in the offering.