This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/19/2016
He was 38 years old, no longer leading the American League in home runs and just a few short steps from retirement, but Babe Ruth's .301 batting average, 34 home runs and 104 RBI still placed him among the best in the business, even if it wasn't the complete dominance of the game that fans had experienced for well over a decade. So it was no great coincidence that the Goudey Gum Company, looking to increase their presence in the market, released their inaugural baseball card set with a quartet of cards featuring "The Sultan of Swat." His 652 lifetime home runs and over 2,000 RBI while also posting a .349 batting average entering the 1933 season, along with a 93-46 career record from his pitching days, ensured that promoting The Babe was still Goudey's greatest chance for success. As the 1933 Goudey set has increased in popularity over time, the four issues of Ruth have taken on an iconic status within the hobby, each claiming the title of "favorite" with a segment of vintage card collectors. But while the yellow Ruth (#53), full-body Ruth (#144) and green Ruth (#181) have all seen at least one straight grade of MINT or higher as determined by PSA, the featured card of Babe Ruth's fantastic Goudey card #149, the illustrious red Ruth, is the one and only example from PSA that reads MINT on the flip. Of course, the positioning of Ruth's iconic image has resulted in the PSA qualifier, but as the only one ever graded by PSA, without a unqualified example on record, the significance of this beauty otherwise meeting the standards of MINT specifications without peer cannot be overstated. And measuring it against PSA's centering standards for a straight PSA 9, it barely misses the mark. First off, any collector with even a modicum of appreciation will invariably be drawn to the central image, a vast ocean of red coloring that envelopes the baseball legend and provides a synergistic contrast to the brilliant whiteness of Babe's jersey. But what really stands out, what makes this the finest example in existence, is the nearly flawless delivery of the endpoints, each concisely justifying PSA's faith in placing this example apart from all others on the population report. The reverse, possessing the requisite light red "bleed through" shadow from the strong saturation of the front, is a clean white canvas with factory-fresh green print. If you're a world-class collector that demands the very finest, there simply is no stronger known example!