The 1933 Goudey baseball card set was the most essential set issued during the 1930’s, and likewise rather a leap of faith. As the printing presses were starting to produce these cards, the United States was in the worst part of The Great Depression. Issuing any new item was challenging.
The set is among the “Big 3” traditional baseball card sets, along with the T206 and 1952 Topps sets.
Today, cards in good condition command a premium, especially those validated and graded by respected third-party graders.
Not only featuring an iconic design, the 33 goudey set was the first cards to feature bubble gum in each pack. This tradition of having Gum with sports cards continued all the way through 1991 with Goudey passing off the torch to Topps.
The set features Baseball legends Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, Jimmie Foxx, and Mel Ott.
It also has a ton of hall of famers littered throughout it.
In fact, about 25% of the cards are that of a hall of famer.
And the set features one of the “Big Three” Cards of the hobby, the Nap Lajoie. Which is among the rarest baseball cards from a mainstream set.
The 33 Goudey set can also be considered a living set like today as there were multiple print runs.
There were cards printed after the World Series similar to that of a topps traded or series 3 set.
Here are some additional facts about the cards:
- The set features minor leaguers
- The cards are in a smaller design then the modern day ones
- There are multiple designs
- There is a canadian version of the cards
- The cards were issued out of order
1933 Goudey Napoleon Lajoie
Nap Lajoie was retired when this card was produced. But it still doesn’t take away from how well he did in the league.
In 1901 he won the Triple Crown
He had a career .338 batting average
And accumulated 3200 hits
Along with over 100 WAR.
He was a superstar.
What makes this card special is that it technically didn’t exist in 1933.
See collectors complained to Goudey about a lack of card #106.
The set had printed out #144 Babe ruth twice instead of having card #106.
And in 1934 Goudey decided to print out #106 Napoleon Lajoie and send it to those who complained about the missing card.
Because many of the Lajoie cards were sent out with paper clips in the mail, lots of examples still reveal paper clip imprints.
The 1933 Goudey #106 Napoleon Lajoie is referred to as one of the “Big 3” baseball cards in addition to 2 cards from the T206 set portraying Honus Wagner and Eddie Plank.
1933 Goudey Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth is the most famous player of all time. Considered the best & a Yankee legend, having any Ruth card is a great idea.
For the 1933 Goudey release, Babe Ruth has a total of 4 cards.
With #144 being the most common as it was double printed.
And #53 being printed the least amount of times.
The Yellow Ruth is the most desirable
Every one of them is desirable though, and if you can pick it up, you should.
The goudey Ruth’s are expensive, but a piece of American History.
1933 Goudey Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig is almost as famous as Ruth.
While playing with Ruth, Gehrig made a lasting impact on the game.
He was named the Iron Horse as he always played in games and never took time off.
He had the consecutive game record until Cal Ripkin Jr broke it.
The two different 1933 Goudey Lou Gehrig cards, #92 and #160 both feature the same design.
With both having the same print run, the values are about the same.
1933 Goudey Moe Berg
Moe Berg was a spy for the US during World War 2 who ended up receiving the presidential medal of freedom.
It’s the only card to be featured at the CIA
Due to his legendary status outside of the game of baseball, this card has a large collector audience.
How to tell if a 1933 goudey is a reprint
Looks brand new
This should be a red flag right away. The card is over 90 years old. The few great copies are already graded by PSA.
Roughly 13 percent of all those cards graded are PSA 7 or much better without any qualifiers.
White Underneath
If there are scratches on the card or rounded corners, look for whitening. If it’s white, the card was printed on a newer cardboard.
Coffee Smell
Forgers will use coffee grounds to artificially age a card. If a card smells like coffee, it’s most likely fake.
Paper Loss on back of reprint section
Look at some of the reprint cards where they are marked. If there is paper loss in this section, chances are it’s fake.
1933 Goudey Checklist
1 Benny Bengough RC
2 Dazzy Vance RC
3 Hughie Critz RC
4 Heinie Schuble RC
5 Babe Herman RC
6 Jimmie Dykes RC Error
6 Jimmie Dykes RC Corrected
7 Ted Lyons RC
8 Roy Johnson RC
9 Dave Harris RC
10 Glenn Myatt RC
11 Billy Rogell RC
12 George Pipgras RC
13 Lafayette Thompson RC
14 Henry Johnson RC
15 Vic Sorrell RC
16 George Blaeholder RC
17 Watty Clark RC
18 Muddy Ruel RC
19 Bill Dickey RC
20 Bill Terry RC
21 Phil Collins RC
22 Pie Traynor RC
23 Kiki Cuyler RC
24 Horace Ford RC
25 Paul Waner RC
26 Bill Cissell RC
27 Sarge Connally RC
28 Dick Bartell RC
29 Jimmie Foxx RC
30 Shanty Hogan RC
31 Tony Lazzeri RC
32 Bud Clancy RC
33 Red Kress RC
34 Bob O’Farrell RC
35 Al Simmons RC
36 Tommy Thevenow RC
37 Jimmie Wilson RC
38 Fred Brickell RC
39 Mark Koenig RC
40 Taylor Douthit RC
41 Gus Mancuso RC
42 Eddie Collins RC
43 Lew Fonseca RC
44 Jim Bottomley RC
45 Larry Benton RC
46 Ethan Allen RC
47 Heinie Manush RC
48 Marty McManus RC
49 Frankie Frisch RC
50 Ed Brandt RC
51 Charlie Grimm RC
52 Andy Cohen RC
53 Babe Ruth RC
54 Ray Kremer RC
55 Pat Malone RC
56 Red Ruffing RC
57 Earl Clark RC
58 Lefty O’Doul RC
59 Bing Miller RC
60 Waite Hoyt RC
61 Max Bishop RC
62 Pepper Martin RC
63 Joe Cronin RC
64 Burleigh Grimes RC
65 Milton Gaston RC
66 George Grantham RC
67 Guy Bush RC
68 Hod Lisenbee RC
69 Randy Moore RC
70 Pete Scott RC
71 Bobby Burke RC
72 Ownie Carroll RC
73 Jesse Haines RC
74 Eppa Rixey RC
75 Willie Kamm RC
76 Mickey Cochrane RC
77 Adam Comorosky RC
78 Jack Quinn RC
79 Red Faber RC
80 Clyde Manion RC
81 Sam Jones RC
82 Dib Williams RC
83 Pete Jablonski RC
84 Glenn Spencer RC
85 Heinie Sand RC
86 Phil Todt RC
87 Frank O’Rourke RC
88 Russell Rollings RC
89 Tris Speaker
90 Jess Petty RC
91 Tom Zachary RC
92 Lou Gehrig RC
93 John Welch RC
94 Bill Walker RC
95 Alvin Crowder RC
96 Willis Hudlin RC
97 Joe Morrisey RC
98 Wally Berger RC
99 Tony Cuccinello RC
100 George Uhle RC
101 Richard Coffman RC
102 Travis Jackson RC
103 Earle Combs RC
104 Fred Marberry RC
105 Bernie Friberg RC
106 Nap Lajoie SP
107 Heinie Manush RC
108 Joe Kuhel RC
109 Joe Cronin RC
110 Goose Goslin RC
111 Monte Weaver RC
112 Fred Schulte RC
113 Ossie Bluege RC
114 Luke Sewell RC
115 Cliff Heathcote RC
116 Eddie Morgan RC
117 Rabbit Maranville RC
118 Val Picinich RC
119 Rogers Hornsby RC
120 Carl Reynolds RC
121 Lefty Stewart RC
122 Alvin Crowder RC
123 Jack Russell RC
124 Earl Whitehill RC
125 Bill Terry RC
126 Jo-Jo Moore RC
127 Mel Ott RC
128 Chuck Klein RC
129 Hal Schumacher RC
130 Freddie Fitzsimmons RC
131 Fred Frankhouse RC
132 Jim Elliott RC
133 Fred Lindstrom RC
134 Sam Rice RC
135 Woody English RC
136 Flint Rhem RC
137 Red Lucas RC
138 Herb Pennock RC
139 Ben Cantwell RC
140 Bump Hadley RC
141 Ray Benge RC
142 Paul Richards RC
143 Glenn Wright RC
144 Babe Ruth RC
145 Rube Walberg RC
146 Lefty Stewart RC
147 Leo Durocher RC
148 Eddie Farrell RC
149 Babe Ruth RC
150 Ray Kolp RC
151 Jake Flowers RC
152 Zack Taylor RC
153 Buddy Myer RC
154 Jimmie Foxx RC
155 Joe Judge RC
156 Danny Macfayden RC
157 Sammy Byrd RC
158 Moe Berg RC
159 Ossie Bluege RC
160 Lou Gehrig RC
161 Al Spohrer RC
162 Leo Magnum RC
163 Luke Sewell RC
164 Lloyd Waner RC
165 Joe Sewell RC
166 Sam West RC
167 Jack Russell RC
168 Goose Goslin RC
169 Tommy Thomas RC
170 Harry McGurdy RC
171 Charlie Jamieson RC
172 Pinky Hargrave RC
173 Roscoe Holm RC
174 Curly Ogden RC
175 Dan Howley MG RC
176 John Ogden RC
177 Walter French RC
178 Jackie Warner RC
179 Fred Leach RC
180 Eddie Moore RC
181 Babe Ruth RC
182 Andy High RC
183 Rube Walberg RC
184 Charlie Berry RC
185 Bob Smith RC
186 Johnny Schulte RC
187 Heinie Manush RC
188 Rogers Hornsby RC
189 Joe Cronin RC
190 Fred Schulte RC
191 Ben Chapman RC
192 Walter Brown RC
193 Lyn Lary RC
194 Earl Averill RC
195 Evar Swanson RC
196 Roy Mahaffey RC
197 Rick Ferrell RC
198 Jack Burns RC
199 Tommy Bridges RC
200 Bill Hallahan RC
201 Ernie Orsatti RC
202 Gabby Hartnett RC
203 Lon Warneke RC
204 Riggs Stephenson RC
205 Heinie Manush RC
206 Gus Suhr RC
207 Mel Ott RC
208 Bernie James RC
209 Dolf Luque RC
210 Virgil Davis RC
211 Hack Wilson RC
212 Billy Urbanski RC
213 Sparky Adams RC
214 Buddy Kerr RC
215 Russ Van Atta RC
216 Vernon Gomez RC
217 Frankie Crosetti RC
218 Wes Ferrell RC
219 Mule Haas RC
220 Lefty Grove RC
221 Dale Alexander RC
222 Charlie Gehringer RC
223 Dizzy Dean RC
224 Frank Demaree RC
225 Billy Jurges RC
226 Charlie Root RC
227 Billy Herman RC
228 Tony Piet RC
229 Arky Vaughan RC
230 Carl Hubbell RC
231 Jo-Jo Moore RC
232 Lefty O’Doul RC
233 Johnny Vergez RC
234 Carl Hubbell RC
235 Freddie Fitzsimmons RC
236 George Davis RC
237 Gus Mancuso RC
238 Hughie Critz RC
239 Leroy Parmalee RC
240 Hal Schumacher RC
