Question Pertaining to '33 Goudey

[BCauley]

Hello everyone. Quick question about '33 Goudey baseball here. I did look in the archive and searched here and google but couldn't find the answer so I hope someone here can help.

With the fronts of the cards, is there a reason why some have the stripe at the bottom with "Big League Chewing Gum" and others don't have that stripe at all? I'm sure I missed it somewhere but any help is appreciated. Thanks!

[brianp-beme]

If I remember correctly the 1933 Goudeys were issued on ten different sheets, and the three(?) sheets of the cards that were issued last (including the cards that depict the World Series participants that year) are the ones that do not have the red stripe with the advertising on front. The 1933 set is overall very attractive, but I have always been drawn to the non-stripe cards especially...they just seem more colorful, and some of my favorite cards, like the Paul Richards card, Gehringer, Charley Root and the Ott, are all the non-stripe variety.

Brian

[BCauley]

Thanks for the reply. Someone else has inquired about this and figured I'd help him out. It's something I've always wondered but just never went to find out. Again, thanks.

Bill

[milkit1]

I think it has something to do with how they were released as the majority of non striped ones are giants who won the series that year. They may have release one half of the set earlier than the other bu tha is just speculation .

[milkit1]

I prefer the striped ones though a lot of the non striped ones do have great artwork like the wall berger card. My have is larry benton.

[brianp-beme]

One of the early SCD guidebooks (around the 4th edition) had a great article written by Lew Lipset with photos of all the sheets of the Goudey issue. The probable release date of each sheet was indicated. It was interesting to see that the card numbers within the set were not issued sequentially, but each sheet would have a variety of card numbers, usually in clusters, probably to spur kid collectors to search for the missing numbers. And if I recall correctly, the Goudey company, for whatever reason, decided to alter the front design on the last three (?) sheets so that the cards no longer had the red strip. These last sheets filled in all the number 'holes' (except of course for the Lajoie card which was only issued after the fact and distributed to collector inquiries), which is why you will have non-red stripe cards with lower numbers.

Brian

[slantycouch]

Interesting. I'd love to read that article.

[terjung]

I'd like to read that article too!

[brianp-beme]

No copy of the Lew Lipset article, but here is some of the interesting info, condensed, that it contained (and it is in the Sport Americana Baseball Card Price Guide, ed. 4 published in 1982 by James Beckett and Dennis Eckes, not the SCD guide as I previously mentioned):

The 1933 Goudeys were issued on ten sheets of 24 cards, four high and six across. Although the article does not state the issue date of each sheet, it does mention that the first seven were all distributed by early July of 1933, based upon the recollections of an original collector. The eighth sheet was issued in middle of August, followed shortly by the ninth sheet. The final series, which consisted of players from that years World Series, the Giants and Senators, was in the stores by late October.
Here are the card numbers present on each sheet:

1st: 1-5, 25-35, 45-52
2nd: 6-24, 36-40
3rd: 41-44, 58-67, 75-79, 92-96
4th: 53-57, 68-74, 80-91
5th: 100-105, 115-120, 130-141
6th: 143-165 (two # 144's)
7th: 166-189
8th: 190-213 (no red advertising strip at bottom front)
9th: 97-99, 128-129, 142, 214-231 (no red strip)
10th: 107-114, 121-127, 232-240 (no red strip)

The 1st, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th sheet have cards arranged in numerical order on the sheet, while the other sheets the numbers skip. The #144 card of Babe Ruth in the sixth sheet was double printed, probably with the idea of creating a 'missing' card (#106, which was eventually printed in 1934 as Lajoie). The article has small black and white photos of each sheet, and lists the arrangement of the card numbers on the sheet beneath each photo. It also mentions whether each sheet has blue or red copyright circles on the front of the cards. Later in the guide book it has larger scale color photos of both the 1st sheet and advertising version of the 4th sheet which has a large red stripe along the bottom card row of the sheet indicating "New Pictures with Big League Chewing Gum Including Babe Ruth"
If you are interested in the 1933 Goudeys it is definitely worth tracking down a copy of this Price Guide just for the article.

Brian