This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/2/2022
It didn't take a great captain of industry to figure out that when the Goudey Gum Company introduced their 1933 baseball card set to a collectible-starved American public with a series the size of which hadn't been seen since the legendary T206 series, the chances of success would be greatly enhanced by including multiple cards of many Hall of Famers. After all, there were no written rules that said a set can only contain one card for each player, and let's face it, there was no bigger personality in all of American history that was adored by adults and children alike like "The Sultan of Swat." It didn't matter that "The Babe" was 38 years old and long past his prime; he was "The Babe!" And he was still performing at an incredible level, slamming 41 homers with a .341 batting average in just 437 official at-bats the previous season. Almost 90 years later that very Goudey set with its four Babe Ruth variations is considered one of the crowning achievements in the hobby, each of the Ruth cards having its own unique following, forever staging a debate for vintage card enthusiasts as to which is the best. Up for auction is one of the hobby's most iconic examples of the "full-body" Babe Ruth issue #144. While the other three Goudey issues of Ruth offer a tremendous close-up shot with red, green, and yellow background colors, card #144 is unique in presenting a full body image of the New York legend, supported by multiple colors that make it the most attractive of all in the eyes of many enthusiasts. The featured PSA 8 example boasts solid NM/MT or better features, highlighted by the image of the American icon in his signature follow-through and delivered concisely on the canvas with overwhelmingly vivid color that has lost absolutely no depth over time. The pleasing mix of blue, green, red, yellow, and brown pigments peacefully coexist in harmony, surrounded by a bright white border that advertises the magnificently accurate centering, very close to dead-on perfect. The endpoints are clearly impressive enough to motivate PSA into a NM/MT assessment, and you know with a card of this magnitude, the California grading company is going to be judicious with any advanced assessment. The reverse offers unusually bold print registration of the green text. Overall, this a top-notch example of one of the most famous Babe Ruth cards ever made!