1926 W511 Strip Card Set

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Keys For Collectors

• The American Card Catalog describes the set as “Aviators—Movies—Western Photos,” most of it is filled with movie cards.
• The key to the W511 set for baseball collectors is a Babe Ruth card, the only one in the set.
• There are four known variations of the Ruth Card in terms of numbering on the front – one unnumbered, and variations with #1, #52, and #71 (Source: PSA)
• Aside from numbering variations on the Ruth, there are also color variations—one in black and white, one with blue duotone, and one in red/maroon.
• There is only one other sports card in the set: that of boxer Jack Dempsey
• PSA has graded a total of 58 Babe Ruth cards from the set across all numbering and color variations
• Note PSA used to categorize these cards as “1924 W-UNC,” so you might occasionally see a Ruth with that designation on the flip, however it is now known as a W511 card.

W511 Babe Ruth Cards – A Look At All The Number and Color Variations

As noted above, the Ruth card from the W511 set has several numbering and color variations. Here are the variations that I’ve been able to identify. Note that, as with most other strip cards from the era, the print quality and consistency in color are horrendous. For example, some blues are lighter than other blue duotone issues. Just take a look at the big difference in ‘maroon duotone’; printing technology was very raw at the time.

W511 Ruth – #1 Black and White

W511 Ruth – #71 – Maroon Duotone

W511 Ruth – No Number, Maroon Duotone

W511 Ruth – #1 Blue

W511 Ruth #52 – Blue Duotone

W511 Ruth – #71 Blue Duotone

If you have a W511 Ruth variation that isn’t shown here, please feel free to let me know at chris@allvintagecards.com

W511 Cards for Sale on eBay