In 1937, Goudey chose not to release a set at all.
So the 38 set was their first release since 1936.
Although the cartoonish quality of 1938 Goudey Baseball might appear to lessen the appeal of this 1930s release, the set is extremely respected in the hobby.
Much more then that of the black and white 36 set.
The unique deign and quality checklist guarantees that 1938 Goudey will remain a classic staple for several years to come.
1938 Goudey Baseball card fronts feature caricatures of some of the very best players of the time.
An artist-colored headshot image with a cartoon body drawn beneath serve as the main feature of the card.
Considered that the head is so much bigger than the body, the set was marketed as the “Directs” set and still goes by that name
In keeping with the back-to-basics technique, the card backs are nearly similar to the 1933 Goudey set.
Backs included the gamer’s name, card number, the traditional Goudey tag at the bottoms, and a player biography.
Hall of Famers in the set include Charlie Gehringer, Ernie Lombardi, Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, Bobby Doerr, Ducky Medwick, and Bob Feller.
Card Numbering
The 48 card set consists of 24 players.
Goudey made the decision to start numbering at #241.
Which #240 was the end of the 33 Goudey set.
Which is odd because 34 is more of an extension to the set then 38 Goudey is.
After all, following the 1933 set, Goudey created other sets from 1934 to 1938. All of those sets started with Card No. 1 and the 1938 set is the only one that chose up from a previous concern’s card numbers.
The very first 24 cards discuss a 288-card concern, while the last 24 indicate 312 cards in all.
Since there were no cards beyond # 288, Goudey apparently scrapped any prepare for additional series
Card No. 265 through No. 288 are thought about high number concerns and valued at slightly more than the earlier cards in the set.
Joe DiMaggio #250 & #274
The Yankee legend has his Rookie card in this set.
Joltin Joe won 3 MVPs and 9 World Series titles with the Yankees while still missing time for the War.
This is the most expensive card in the set and any HOF or Yankee collector will desire this card.
Bob Feller #264 & #278
To many, this is the go-to Bob Feller baseball card.
Many people consider Bob Feller’s 48 Bowman his rookie, but his first major US release came from the 38 Goudey series.
A big what if career, its possible Feller would have been a top 10 pitcher if not for his time in the service.
Ernie Lombardi #246
Lombardi had 3 different versions of card #246 in the set.
Goudey listed Lombardi playing for the Reds instead of the Red Sox
Because of this, they tried correcting the error a few ways.
Red Sox
Of the three cards, the Red Sox mistake is the most scarce and easily the most valuable of the group
This is the rarest version of the error. It was corrected pretty quickly.
It features Lombardi’s team as the Red Sox instead of reds.
Reds with Baseball
The most common Lombardi. Goudey had a baseball printed over the Sox.
This was it only shows Reds.
Reds
The 2nd rarest version
There weren’t many printed of the corrected final version.
1938 Goudey Checklist
Series 1
241 Charlie Gehringer
242 Ervin Fox
243 Joe Kuhel
244 Frank Demaree
245 Frank Pytlak
246 Ernie Lombardi
247 Joe Vosmick
248 Dick Bartell
249 Jimmy Foxx
250 Joe DiMaggio
251 Bump Hadley
252 Zeke Bonura
253 Hank Greenberg
254 Van Lingle Mungo
255 Julius Solters
256 Vernon Kennedy
257 Al Lopez
258 Bobby Doerr
259 Bill Werber
260 Rudy York
261 Rip Radcliff
262 Joe Ducky Medwick
263 Marvin Owen
264 Bob Feller
Series 2
265 Charlie Gehringer
266 Ervin Fox
267 Joe Kuhel
268 Frank Demaree
269 Frank Pytlak
270 Ernie Lombardi
271 Joe Vosmick
272 Dick Bartell
273 Jimmy Foxx
274 Joe DiMaggio
275 Bump Hadley
276 Zeke Bonura
277 Hank Greenberg
278 Van Lingle Mungo
279 Julius Solters
280 Vernon Kennedy
281 Al Lopez
282 Bobby Doerr
283 Bill Werber
284 Rudy York
285 Rip Radcliff
286 Joe Ducky Medwick
287 Marvin Owen
288 Bob Feller
