1933 Goudey Babe Ruth Cards: Overvalued Or Good Investment?

What Are Differences Between The Goudey Babe Ruth Cards?

As evidence of just how popular “The Babe” was at the time, the 1933 Goudey (R319) set actually features four cards of Babe Ruth (#53, #144, #149, #181).

Two of the cards are basically identical (#53, #149) with the only difference being the background color: card #53 has a yellow background and card #149 has a red background. 

1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53

Current Value (PSA 6 - Excellent Condition: $30,000

1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #149

Current Value (PSA 6 - Excellent Condition: $30,000

Card #144 (aka 'Full Body Ruth") uses the same illustration as the #53 and #149 cards yet shows Ruth in a full batting pose. 

1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #144

Current Value (PSA 6 - Excellent Condition: $30,000

The fourth Goudey Ruth card (#181) features Ruth in a serious pose, while holding his bat, likely getting ready to enter the batter's box.  This is my favorite Goudey Ruth card: the contrast of the green background and Ruth's detailed likeness make for a gorgeous baseball card.  Oh and maybe you noticed that Ruth's face is a part of our logo! 

1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #181

Current Value (PSA 6 - Excellent Condition: $30,000

Note that some of the backs of the 1933 Goudey Ruth cards do have different biographical text. Here's the back of card #53, which shares an identical back to card #149.

The text on the Ruth card #144 is completely different yet discusses some of the same facts in more detail--notably that the Red Sox paid 'less than $3000' for Ruth in 1914, but sold him for $125,000 six years later.

Card #181 also changes things up, again saying mostly all of the same facts, but in a different way.   The text for "George Herman (Babe) Ruth" is also larger on cards #144 and #181.  It should also be note that these Goudey cards were issued near the tail end of Ruth's playing career, so the four cards in a way are almost a sort of tribute. 

How Much Are The 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth Cards Worth?

From a value perspective, all of the Goudey Ruth cards carry significant value in high grade condition, but because of the scarcity, #53 (yellow background) is the most valuable Ruth card in the set. While there have been no recent PSA 9 sales of the #53 Ruth,  PSA estimates a value of $600K.

There have been more recent PSA 9 sales of the other three Ruth cards.  In January of 2019, a PSA 9 (Mint) of Ruth's #144 '"Full Body Ruth" sold at Heritage Auctions for $528,000.   At the same auction, the green background Ruth #181 sold for $456,000.  A bit of a surprise given that the #181 card is actually scarcer than the 'Full Body Ruth".

For collectors looking to buy a 1933 Goudey Ruth, the costs are all going to depend on the condition desired.  If willing to accept an altered card (graded as Auth by PSA) these can run anywhere from $1000 to $2000.  Poor (PSA 1) copies of Goudey Ruth cards range from $2000 to $2500 dependent on the card from the set.  

Whatever the grade, the #53 card (yellow background) will always sell at a premium versus the other cards in the set.  Based on our research, the #53 Goudey Ruth sells for an average premium of between 20% to 50% dependent on the grade. 

Are The Goudey Ruth Cards Overvalued Or A Good Investment?

As we've discussed, the Ruth Goudey cards can get quite expensive, dependent on the overall condition of the card.  Yet, I encourage all vintage collectors to consider Ruth's playing day cards as one of the better longer term investments in the hobby. 

Even as baseball as a sport has declined in popularity with today's generation, there are some baseball cards that should forever remain in high demand.  If there is one player that should continue to see an appreciation in value, it's Babe Ruth.  

And as for the Goudey Ruth cards, these cards are among the most iconic cards in the hobby.  The cards are not necessarily rare, but at a total population of around 2000 or less for each, these cards are still fairly scarce. 

I look at the astronomical rise of more modern cards (such as Jordan's rookie) with multiples more of an existing population, and the Goudey Ruth's still look like an underappreciated asset. 

My recommendation for anyone looking to buy the card: pick the Goudey Ruth that you like the best, determine a budget and then try to get the best deal possible.