• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched CSG,CGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Ronald Acuna Jr. Cards
      • Shohei Ohtani Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Editor's Blog / Editor’s Blog: William Gardiner’s Amazing Goudey Sheets at Auction

Editor’s Blog: William Gardiner’s Amazing Goudey Sheets at Auction

April 22, 2015 By Rich Mueller

Thankfully, young William Gardiner of Boston, MA did not believe in discarding items from his childhood.  A young lad in the 1930s, Gardiner never could have imagined the sheets of sports and non-sports trading cards he received upon a trip to a local manufacturer could be so valuable decades later.  He knew they were worth saving, though.

Having a connection to Goudey at a time when it was the prominent maker of gum cards in the 1930s led to a teenaged William acquiring around three dozen uncut production sheets of 24 cards including several baseball issues. He saved them for more than 35 years before bringing them the attention of what was a small but growing sports collecting hobby.  Two of Gardiner’s 1933 Goudey baseball card sheets are featured in the current Robert Edward Auctions’ catalog.  One (shown below) includes three Babe Ruth cards and a Lou Gehrig and bidding is already into six figures.

Goudey 1933 uncut sheet

Even as a youngster, Gardiner kept his sheet hoard in outstanding shape and they remained so through the years.  In 1974, a young Rob Lifson—who later founded REA– attended the District Center 65 show in New York, which was one of the first large organized card shows of the era.  Gardiner, who was believed to be in his 50s at the time, made the trip from Massachusetts and brought with him a few pristine uncut Goudey sheets.

His intention was to place the sheets in the show’s auction, reserved for the better items, with a starting bid of $200 each. At the time, $200 was more money than most considered spending on baseball cards of any sort. Although those in attendance (including some of the most notable collectors involved in the hobby at the time) were in awe of the sheets, none of them wanted to fork over that much, and the few sheets Gardiner brought with him went unsold.

Lifson, however, obtained Gardiner’s contact information and kept in touch with him for several years. Fortuitously, Gardiner moved from Massachusetts to suburban Philadelphia, just a few blocks from Lifson’s home, and in the mid-1970s, Gardiner sold some of the sheets from his impressive stash to the young collector who had an unusual appreciation for vintage cards.

By the late 1970s, Gardiner had sold all of his sheets—by this time about 20-25 Goudey Gum issues including two sheets with three Ruths, the better of which is in the current REA catalog.  There were also a few 1934 Goudey sheets, including at least one with a 1933 Lajoie on it and others that had remained pristine for decades.

Today all of the finest baseball Goudey sheets originate from this small but extraordinary collection. Many are in private hands and they have grown tremendously in value as collectors and investors appreciate their scarcity.

A few uncut Goudey sheets originated directly with the company but those typically contain tape stains or other wear associated with utilization by the company as it created what became the 20th century’s first major gum card sets issued in ‘wax packs’.

1933 Goudey uncut sheet

Goudey-1933-sheet-back

In all, REA has five Goudey sheets in its current auction, two from the Gardiner collection.  There is also a sheet from Goudey’s files and two World Wide Gum sheets produced by Goudey for distribution in Canada.  In addition to the remarkable ‘Triple Ruth’, the second Gardiner piece is known as the ‘World Series sheet’ because it features 12 players from each of the two teams participating in the 1933 World Series (the Senators and the Giants). This was the last series of cards produced by Goudey in 1933 and released in time to capitalize on the country’s fascination with what was happening on the diamond.

Gardiner, by the way, was also an avid autograph collector. As a youth (likely 12 or 13 years of age), he won a contest to attend the World Series, obtaining field access and bringing some of his sheets with him to have signed.  There are several autographed Goudey sheets in the hobby, all of which originate from Gardiner including one of those 1933 ‘World Series sheets’ that is signed by 15 of the 24 players pictured (see below).  It sold in an REA auction nine years ago for $13,920.

Autographed 1933 Goudey sheet

The sheets of 1933 Sport Kings that exist in the hobby also originated in the Gardiner collection.

The REA auction ends this Saturday night.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Joe DiMaggio rookie card 19385 Great Goudey Cards (Besides Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig) SCP Auctions Opens Spring Catalog with Items from Icons Baseball Cards of 30-Game Winners Since 1917 1933 Goudey R309-1 Premium Set an Historic Gem Mantle 1952 Topps uncut sheetPartial 1952 Topps Uncut Sheet with Mantle Part of Goldin Auctions Event Gehrig Cards Attract Dollars PSA 3 T206 Honus WagnerT206 Wagner Brings $1.32 Million 1916 Babe Ruth M101-5Ruth Rookie, Record Price for Rare McKinley Card Push REA Auction Over $4 Million

About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for over 40 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected].

Filed Under: Editor's Blog Tagged With: 1933 goudey, 1934 Goudey, 1938 Goudey, Robert Edward Auctions, uncut sheets

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

Shop Sports Cards on Ebay
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card eBay Auctions
  • PWCC Premier Auction
  • PWCC Fixed Price Marketplace
  • Graded Rookie Cards on eBay opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos on eBay opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window
  • Buy Boxes Directly from Topps opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • One of a Kind Collectibles Rare Autograph & Document Auction Ends October 12, 2023
  • Detroit City Sports Premium Auction Ends October 8, 2023
  • PWCC Weekly Sunday Auction – Ending October 1, 2023

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window