Babe Ruth "Goudey" #181 Baseball Card, circa 1933

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Babe Ruth "Goudey" #181 Baseball Card, circa 1933

About the Item

One of the most sought after baseball cards by both baseball card collectors and baseball and sports memorabelia collectors, the Goudey #181 Babe Ruth baseball card is one of only a few portrait (non action) cards of, unquestionably, the most famous player ever to play our national pastime. Forever synonymous with being a home run king and the most prolific hitter in the game, his 714 career home runs and 60 home runs in 1927, were records that stood the test of time for 35 and 40 years respectively. This card was produced following the year he most famously pointed to the center field seats during the third game of the 1932 World Series against the Chicago Cubs as if to predict that he was going to hit a home run. He proceeded to hit a mammoth home run in that area on the very next pitch. Recognized by some as the most famous home run in history, it is part of baseball and Babe Ruth folklore forever more. It capped a season where he hit 41 home runs, followed by 34 home runs in 1933; very respectable for a 38 year old baseball player. The Goudey Gum Company opened for business in 1919 in Massachussettes. They released the series of 240 cards in 1933 under the name "Big League Chewing Gum" set (see card). It consisted of active major league baseball players, #181 being George Herman Ruth. The cards came with a stick of gum as an added bonus. The cards were printed on ten 24 card sheets of light cardboard and cut, thus the disparity of border sizes and evenness from one card to the other. When cut, the card was 2 7/8" high by 2 3/8" wide. Unlike all of the other players, Babe Ruth had multiple cards produced (four) in this set, of which only this one (#181) was a bust shot. Consequently, it is the most sought after card in the series. It pictures Babe Ruth with bat in hand against a green background. On the back of the card is a short biography of the man with his vital statistics; 6' 2" tall, weight 210 pounds, birth date February 7, 1894. The card is professionally framed under UV glass in a fruit wood frame, with a cream matte and preservation backing and mounting corner tabs. The image of Babe Ruth to the left is the actual card, while the image to the right (the biography) is a facsimile or image of the back of this card. The card is in excellent all original condition with no tears or bends and four very square corners. There are no blemishes or pencil marks on the card. The margins (borders) are well centered. The card has excellent color. Overall dimensions (including the frame) are 8 1/2" high x 10 1/2" wide.

Creator:
Goudey Gum Company (Manufacturer)
Dimensions:
Height: 8.5 in (21.59 cm)Width: 1.13 in (2.88 cm)Depth: 10.5 in (26.67 cm)
Style:
Sporting Art (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Paper
Place of Origin:
United States
Period:
1930-1939
Date of Manufacture:
1933
Condition:
Seller Location:
Incline Village, NV
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU97325375663