The 1932 sanella margarine Ruth...
 

Why so underrated?

I don't think it's any more "common" than the goudey.

And in fairness to the card itself, the image is actually a pretty striking card in good condition, when the colors are really vibrant.

So, why do people disregard it so much? Simply because it's in German? Or because it's not a "baseball" card set? Some other combination of factors?

I guess I've never really understood why that single Ruth card is so devalued by comparison to everything from the period.

it used to sell for $1500-$2000 20 years ago... when it was actually considered rare.

eBay brought thousands of them out of German attics, and they are easily removed from the album, supply and demand will keep it low forever now.

the exception is the Astra backed cards, they are rare!

Oversized, non-mainstream and if I didn't know better I would swear they are still printing them.

BTW, I like the card but I understand the lack of perceived value.

I know there was a huge influx of them, but even with the increased supply, there still aren't more of them than the goudeys... I dunno, guess it just seems like a card poised for a comeback, once the systemic oversupply wears off.

I like the card and own a couple myself. For the prices they go for you can't beat grabbing a period Ruth with a nice image like he just homered!

It seems like there are more Goudeys especially when you combined all 4 different cards from the set and the WWG canadian versions. I would still rather have a Goudey any day but I do think the Sanella gets almost no respect. My advice would be to pick one up if you don't own one already. Very nice image.

I actually already have 2, a 7.5 and an 8

I bought them both, hoping one day the value would spike, thinking I'd keep the 8 and trade out the 7.5 for something.

Just seems illogical that the one specific card would be the only period piece with such a radically different value than it's peer cards.

Especially when you consider the vast majority of these "pre-war" Ruths actually lived and survived through the real war. The story behind each one of them surviving seems almost surreal.

from what I've heard, ebay and the internet has had a lot to do with it. I think their popularity in Germany was probably nothing compared to US and before the internet auctions not a whole lot found a way over to the states.

So the supply in the US was very low back in the day but overseas people were sitting on quite a few untouched cards. The internet and ebay really changed that and many more found there way over here. Since you went from such percieved scarcity to a big "surplus" (relatively speaking) the value went down a lot.

Even with all that, I would expect a slow gradual increase in price over the years, but it does have a lot to do with collector perception which also needs to become more favorable over time. In my opinion it should as it really is a nice looking card.

i really don't think they're printing them over there , it's just that a lot found their way into the market in a relatively small amount of time. I think over the years they'll gradually gain more respect as less come from overseas in auctions and maybe a price revaluation will occurr then. But then again, maybe not?

It's kind of similar to what happened to the Tiger Woods Sports Illustrated for Kids "Rookie' card.

Early on it was his only real card from 1996 and was seen as being very scarce as many had been thrown out or wrecked by kids.

The value skyrocketed with a couple going for tens of thousands for high graded cards. Then slowly more and more found there way into the market as people heard of its "value" and people searched their piles of old magazines, which were previously looked at as worthless.

Then the value really dropped and is still very low compared to what it once was. I don't follow the sales prices that close, but I would think a slow gradual increase in price for that card could happen too as it still is a fairly scarce card of maybe the best golfer ever.

I think the fact that most of them are in mint condition also affects the value.

Recipe for Babe on the cheap
 

Larger than normal card size
Plentiful supply
Low Demand
Not from a baseball-centric set
Not made in North America
Most found in top condition

The recipe for low prices...but it is Babe Ruth and an attractive image. So appreciate the fact that you can get it so cheaply, and enjoy the card for what it is, and not worry about its value.

Brian

17 listed on ebay right now, avg. grade = 6.2
No perceived rarity or condition rarity, plentiful supply

Nice card but IMO not going anywhere value-wise anytime soon
If prices were to spike again, how many more would come out of the woodwork?

Look at the good side, you don't have to pay an arm/leg to get a legitimate prewar Ruth card

I used to own 1...I bought a complete sanella set from germany...and if you've held one in your hands...calling it a card is a stretch! They are paper thin and I believe were meant to be wet and stuck in an album almost like a stamp. Also they kinda look like watercolors...kinda wierd cartoony which I don't really like.

I know some, astra and certain back types, are considered scarce...but personally I don't like this "card" very much and it is very common and I agree that it will most likely never have value approaching most ruth cards.

For some reason I group this sanella with the shonen postcard...which I do still own...but I prefer the shonen for its colors and image. They're both seemingly common and inexpensive...and period...and from other countries!

I think much of it as what Brian has mentioned. Also, the image is not unique or particularly noteworthy. You can't really see Babe's face. The Goudey's are very popular and expensive because they are part of a very popular set (e.g. one of the Big "3" with T206 and 52 Topps). Therefore, if you're a set collector, you need these cards also. You only collect the Sanella's if you want a Ruth, but there are plenty of others with better images and that are rarer. Sanellas are still a good option if you want a nice affordable Ruth that you can get in good condition.

Methinks
 

There is a doode in Germany who owns a bucket load of these bad boys

i can say that they are easy to find... i went to eBay Germany and picked up 4 complete books for under $250.. and that was only 3 months ago.

All I can say is they must eat a ton of margarine in Germany! If these were distributed one card per margarine purchase you wouldn't think there would be that many complete sets. Maybe you could send in for the entire set from the company and get the album to put them in.

I'd guess they were issued as complete sets with the book they were pasted into...

re: Sanella Ruth
 

In VCBC issue #9 Dennis Purdy wrote about Alan Hager and in that article was mention of the Sanella Ruth card. Great article. The market was manipulated by Hager to believe there were very few Sanella cards available, even though there was plenty. Once the truth came out, prices really really dropped.

Echo Patrick--
 

I was surprised it took a dozen posts to point out what Patrick did:
The Sanella is hardly a card at all, while Goudey is your definition of thick cardboard--
Don't get me wrong; I like the Sanella, and I still have one, my first Ruth.
But the paper stock, more than the overabundance of them or the German text, is the reason I don't value it as much.

I agree, though: it is a great image of Ruth.

Doug