(LOT 262)
1933 Goudey #181 Babe Ruth PSA 5 EX
MID-GRADE GOUDEY RUTH!!!... No baseball player, past or present, commands the unequivocal respect and admiration of George Herman "Babe" Ruth, justifying why cardboard keepsakes issued during his majestic playing days are widely sought-after within the collecting community. The Sultan of Swat's significance to the game itself cannot be over emphasized, with his mighty home runs revolutionizing baseball directly after the Black-Sox scandal, truly a significant time when the game desperately required a momentous boost. Other than a few of his early Boston Red Sox issues, no card could more effectively represent the incomparable Bambino than a 1933 Goudey Gum card. This prestigious gum company transformed the card market by inserting baseball players and gum in wax packs as opposed to manufacturers packaging cards with their candy and tobacco products.
Unquestionably, Goudey chose the right player to produce four separate subjects, and subject #181 is presented here in a stellar PSA EX 5 holder. Babe's classic "sitting with bat" pose emanates the finest possible clarity and contrast, portraying a sparkling array of rich hues, especially within his stoic facial expression. A brilliant green background literally brings Ruth's image to life, and the relatively clean obverse side surface has miraculously eluded any glaring blemishes. The final compliment is a super clean verso revealing the desirable Ruth bio, with the technical assessment primarily due to even corner wear consistent with the grade, and the illustration exhibiting heavy favoritism towards the left edge. The past several years has seen an exponential rise in the prices of Goudey Ruth's for all grades, with another 5 EX #181 example achieving a $60K record setting price in a Memory Lane October 2021 auction. No post-1920 "Ruthian" cardboard memento carries the unparalleled prestige of his mainstream Goudey subjects, with this strong mid-grade #181 representation of baseball's greatest all-time player certainly retaining many of its original factory issued qualities!
MIN BID $5,000
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