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1934 V354 World Wide Gum Canadian Goudey #28 Babe Ruth

Sold For: $4,444
Year: 1934
Auction: 2014 spring
Lot #: 609
Auction Category: Prewar Baseball Cards (1900-1941)

Graded VG-EX 4 by PSA (submitted by REA). Extremely attractive example of #28 Babe Ruth from the 1934 World Wide Gum Canadian Goudey series. Very similar to the classic 1934 Goudey set issued in the United States, this is the rare Canadian version issued by Goudey's World Wide Gum. The V354 World Wide Gum cards numbered 1 to 48 are identical in design to the 1933 Goudeys on the fronts, so the offered Ruth is identical on the front to the #53 yellow Ruth from the 1933 Goudey set. The text on the back is printed in French and English. Despite the many similarities between the Canadian and American sets, the World Wide Gum issue is significantly rarer than its American counterpart. To put the rarity of these cards in perspective, PSA has only graded 903 cards (of all subjects) from the 1934 World Wide Gum series while they have graded 708 examples of the #53 yellow Ruth from the 1933 Goudey set alone. Only forty-nine examples of this #28 World Wide Gum Ruth have been graded by PSA to date. Clean and crisp with flawless registration, the offered card presents with bold colors (far more vibrant than is usually encountered on World Wide Gum cards) and outstanding centering. Light, even wear to the four corners and a 1.25-inch surface wrinkle which extends from the left edge into the center of the image. The wrinkle does not break through to the back and is not immediately apparent at a quick glance. Boldly printed and entirely clean reverse. This is a superb example of legendary New York Yankees Hall of Famer Babe Ruth in one of his most iconic and classic baseball-card poses of all time from this rare Canadian gum-card issue. The SMR value in the assigned grade is $1,350, which appears to us to be very conservative given the tremendous rarity of the card, the immense popularity of Ruth, and the significant premium assigned to standard Goudey #53 Ruth cards. Reserve $500. Estimate $1,000+. SOLD FOR $4,444