• 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 / Popular Stories / Spectacular Find of 1930s Goudey Cards Includes Lajoies, Ruth, Gehrig

Spectacular Find of 1930s Goudey Cards Includes Lajoies, Ruth, Gehrig

May 12, 2022 By Bob D'Angelo

Descendants of a former Goudey employee are feeling like the person who wins a lottery two times.

The employees’ grandchildren found more than 20 high-grade Babe Ruth cards from a stash of 1933 Goudeys that were auctioned off in mid-November. Recently they struck gold again, stumbling into more than 150 Goudeys from 1933 and 1934 in two plastic cases that were hidden in an upstairs attic safe in their grandfather’s Massachusetts home.

The new haul includes two 1933 Goudey Napoleon Lajoie cards that Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President Derek Grady calls “spectacular.” There are also two more 1933 Goudey Ruth cards and three Lou Gehrig cards. Two of the Gehrig cards are from 1934, and the other is from the ’33 set. 

Except for some centering variances, the cards are remarkably well preserved, having avoided the pockets of kids decades ago.

The Lajoie cards “both look like near mint,” Grady said.

The new batch of cards will be graded by SGC and will be part of Heritage’s July Sports Catalog Auction that will include “thousands” of cards and tickets in what Grady calls “a healthy catalog.” The auction will run from July 21 to July 23.

“I love great consigners and I love when they find more high-end stuff,” Grady said.

Other notable names in the find that will be coming up for auction include Rogers Hornsby, Frankie Frisch, Dizzy Dean, Ernie Lombardi, Tris Speaker, Bill Terry, Paul Waner, Lefty Grove, Earl Averill, Mickey Cochrane, Joe Cronin, Chuck Klein, Kiki Cuyler and Leo Durocher.

Grady said the first group of Goudeys brought in more than $500,000 over Heritage’s last few auctions. 

“They (consigners) were thrilled with the results,” Grady said.

This new group of cards–most appearing virtually untouched– could bring much more.

Grady said he learned about the new find from one of his colleagues at Heritage.

“He said, ‘We got a call,’ and I said, ‘Was there a problem?’”

No problem. Just a new cache of cards the family wanted to consign again. 

“They knew they had some good stuff but were not sure how valuable they were,” Grady said. “This is the pinnacle of why we do this.”

That question will be resolved when the cards come back from SGC with grades.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Jason Simonds (@jason_at_heritage)

As avid collectors of vintage cards know, the Lajoie card has an interesting history. It was sent to frustrated collectors in 1934 who wrote Goudey and wondered by card No. 106 was not included in the set. Goudey had not produced a card with that number but created a version in 1934 and mailed it to those customers who had written to the company.

One of those cards, graded PSA 9, sold for $384,000 in Heritage’s Winter Sports Card Catalog Auction on Jan. 27. None of the Lajoie cards have ever been graded a 10 by PSA. During that same auction, a Lajoie that was an SGC 3 sold for $37,200.

Two Babe Ruth cards from the Goudey employee’s collection sold for high numbers during Heritage’s November auction.

A 1933 Goudey card of Ruth that was graded SGC 8 sold for $288,000, while an SGC 7 specimen fetched $87,000.

Grady has seen the renewed interest in vintage cards, and the spectacular rise in prices at auctions has been nothing short of amazing. Collectors sitting at home, restricted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, suddenly had plenty of disposable cash to invest. The results? Higher card prices at auctions — something that Goudey employee could not have anticipated when he put the cards in his safe nearly 90 years ago.

“It’s a fun hobby and it has expanded greatly,” Grady said. “It took a pandemic to make our hobby super cool again.”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

Family Heirlooms: 1908 Rose Company Postcard Find Includes Young, Mathewson 1914 Fatima Card Find in Maryland Includes Hall of Famers Sweet Find: One-of-a-Kind Ty Cobb Part of 1912 J-K Candy Card Discovery REA Lands Fresh Find of Rare Early 20th Century Cards old baseball cards T206 findHundreds of Forgotten Tobacco-Era Cards Found Inside Pennsylvania House Jackie Robinson 1954 Topps cardsHuge High-Grade 1950s Find Includes Crazy Haul of HOFers Million Dollar Find in a Paper Bag Cincinnati Red Stockings Peck Snyder1869 Peck & Snyder Card on Tap in Huggins & Scott Auction

About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].

Filed Under: Popular Stories, Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: 1933 Goudey Napoleon Lajoie, great finds, Heritage Auctions July 2022

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

  • Pristine Auction Offers Monthly Elite Auction Ending Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023
  • REA Midwest Consignment Trip – Consign Today
  • MEARS Auction of Memorabilia and More Ends October 7, 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