(LOT 4)
1933 Goudey #181 Babe Ruth PSA 8 NM-MT
RUTH #181!!! Other than a few of his first Boston Red Sox issues, no card more effectively represents the Bambino than a 1933 Goudey Gum card. This Boston-based gum company transformed the card market by including ballplayers and gum in wax packs as opposed to their insertion within packets of candy and tobacco products. Goudey's choice to produce The Babe on four separate examples was monumental, and Ruth's #181 subject is presented here in an extraordinary PSA 8 NM-MT holder. Currently, only 2% of the nearly 1,350 PSA encapsulated copies have managed to achieve this assessment, with a fractional seven examples graded higher! It's hard to imagine any 89-year-old cardboard relic sustaining a majority of its factory-issued qualities, let alone one of America's most popular baseball icons. The Sultan of Swat's significance to baseball cannot be overemphasized as he helped revolutionize baseball at a point when our National Pastime desperately required a momentous boost. It's the general consensus amongst baseball historians that Babe Ruth saved the game during this dark period.

Vintage cards have experienced pricing phenomena, spearheaded by an SGC 9.5 GEM MINT 1952 Topps Mantle fetching a record $12.6 million in 2022! Prices for iconic cards are setting records, including another PSA 8 #181 Goudey Ruth securing $344k in August 2021. The #181 Goudey Ruth reveals a unique pose not offered on the other three Ruth Goudey subjects (#53, #144 & #149). In fact, this #181 image, to the best of our knowledge, is unique to the card industry and not used on a single other Babe Ruth cardboard issue. However, the most captivating concept for this offering is the seldom-seen 8 assessment that places the card as one of his most significant cardboard keepsakes. Virtually every aspect of this card is pack-fresh, starting with a brilliant Babe Ruth sitting/half body image depicting the finest possible clarity and robust hues. The unique Ruthian pose projects in seeming 3D due to a bold green background.

Atypical for this offering is the incredible centering, revealing only a microscopic favoritism towards the lower edge. This example exhibits wide upper and lower borders, with most Goudey Ruth's reflecting slightly thinner frames. Additional superlatives include pinpoint corners, immaculate surfaces, fine edging that exhibits a trace of negligible toning, and the flipside's bold green typography. We anticipate a feverish bidding war for this uncontested king of kings on one of his most coveted cardboard keepsakes.

MIN BID $50,000
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