Pre-War Baseball Cards (1909–1947)
1933 Goudey #53 Babe Ruth
Goudey produced four Ruth cards in 1933 (#53, #144, #149, #181). The red-background #53 is the most iconic. PSA 9 examples are pop-12 or below depending on revision; this one cleared the high estimate.
- Sale price
- $800K
- USD · hammer + buyer's premium
- Sale date
- August 15, 2024
- Venue
- Heritage Auctions
- Authentication
- PSA 9 (Mint)
Provenance
Private East-Coast collection, consigned 2024 with full chain-of-custody documentation back to 1989.
Condition
Saturated red background, four sharp corners, slight off-centering top-to-bottom.
Editorial note
Goudey produced four Ruth cards in 1933 (#53, #144, #149, #181). The red-background #53 is the most iconic. PSA 9 examples are pop-12 or below depending on revision; this one cleared the high estimate.
Sources cited
Heritage Auctions catalog 50057
auction house
PSA Set Registry — 1933 Goudey
grading service
Reported figures reflect publicly-cited hammer + buyer's premium as of source date. May differ slightly from auction-house internal records. Educational reference, not appraisal.
Comparable comps
Similar items in the Field Index.
Curated by the editors as relevant comparable sales — same category, same era, or same authentication tier. Useful for triangulating value when no single comp answers the question.
1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle
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