This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/7/2009
The featured example of Babe Ruth's sensational 1933 Goudey red back has been graded NM+ 7.5 by SGC and reports just 4 like it with 3 higher on record at the Parsippany-based grading firm, with 0 examples in its class on record at PSA, with just 20 higher. In sum, 772 total examples have been submitted to the combined firms, putting the offered jewel within the top 3.62% of all known copies on record at the hobby's top two grading firms. Want more fun with statistics? Of the famous four Ruth issues from the '33 Goudey set, the so-called "Red Ruth" has statistically proven to be the 2nd toughest to find in any condition, but especially in top grades, falling just behind the celebrated "Yellow Ruth" in terms of total submissions and total examples graded NM+ 7.5 or better. Combining the submission pools from both SGC and PSA, we find a total of 726 yellow examples, 772 red, 874 green, and 983 full body poses. From these combined submission pools, only 22 yellow backs have ever surfaced at or above NM+ 7.5 (or 3.03%), with 28 red backs (or 3.26%), 45 green backs (or 5.15%), and 43 full body poses (or 4.37%). Cleary, both the yellow back and red back issues are significantly scarcer in top grades than the other two, but who ever knew that the yellow and red were so very closely comparable? For example, of the 22 finest yellow backs on record, 2 have been graded at the NM+ 7.5 level, 18 at the NM/MT 8 level, 0 at the NM/MT+ 8.5 level, and 2 masterpieces at the MINT 9 level with 0 higher. But of the 28 finest known red backs (including the offered specimen), 5 have been graded at the NM+ 7.5 level, 20 at the NM/MT 8 level, 3 at the NM/MT+ 8.5 level, and 0 at the MINT 9 or GEM MINT 10 levels. Maybe this isn't news to you, but I've always thought the case for the Yellow Ruth was at least a little stronger than these numbers suggest. As such, the offered specimen would make for an appropriately colossal Ruth acquisition in any collection. It showcases NM corners between NM/MT to MINT edges around a bold NM/MT obverse showing a few flecks of red print dust in the top border and an even less perceptible spattering of white print (or wear from stacking) left of Babe's head. Both of these imperfections are common for the issue, but uncommon in the fact that neither are very prevalent! The reverse is spectacularly clean and bold for the grade as well, displaying no real traces of the edge wear (and virtual paper loss) usually terraced into the back edges of '33 Goudeys. Even more impressive, however, has to be the accurate and sufficiently MINT centering on front, an extreme anomaly for the issue, producing a thick and fairly equidistant, bone-white border on all sides of the boldly impressed iconic image. Finally, and perhaps just as extraordinary as the MINT centering, the offered specimen boasts a noticeably candy-red hue, as opposed to the less desirable orange-red hue so common to the issue (see our PSA 6 for an example). Isn't time you finally stepped up to the plate for a significant Ruth collectible? And could there really be any better time than the present? Go ahead! You've earned it!