Suggestions for my first Bambino
 

Soon after the start of the new year, I am going to start chasing after some of the cards I have wanted for a while. I have a bunch of them mapped out. A 1941 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio. A 1953 Bowman Color Stan Musial. A 1951 Bowman Ted Williams. A 1934 Goudey Lou Gehrig. There are other players. Clemente. Koufax. Robinson. Aaron. Mays. Other sets I want to work on. The T206 set. The 1953 Bowman Color. The 1915 Cracker Jack set. The '33 and '34 Goudey sets.

I have at least a general idea of the direction I want to go. I'll put together the collection I want. All I need is patience, and a little discipline.

But I don't know which Babe Ruth I want first. There are so many that I like. The 1933 Goudey set has 4 nice ones. And I'd thought of picking one of them. I like #s 144 and 53. So, I'd love some suggestions from you guys on my first Babe Ruth. I think right now the 1934 Goudey Premium Ruth is in the lead.

http://imageshack.com/a/img540/3806/KYKxxg.png

That's a beautiful looking card, but it is oversized. I'd like something smaller, closer to what we consider a normal size. This Goudey Premium I should be able to pick up in decent shape for about $1,000. If I find some thing I really like, I have no problem going over that figure. It's just a baseline. One of the '33 Goudeys, in good shape, will cost 3-4 x that. It's just a matter of how long I need to save.

So please, suggest away, everybody. Thank you!

I'd go for #144 but I'm biased. :) I love the pose and the background. Just screams 30's art deco. But whatever you decide, you can't go wrong with a Ruth. Good luck on your hunt.

http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...psd505f786.jpg

Why not one of the '20s strip cards?

Sooo many to choose from....I love the Goudey premium too....but when I focused on my first Babe Ruth card...I went for the Goudey #144... it's just really appealing... and still my favorite... another one I like is the Exhibit Ruth Pose... a great shot...
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...deyPremium.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...psd01afdde.jpg


Ricky Y

Chalk up another vote #144. Many years ago it was my first Ruth and I eventually upgraded to one similar to Deans. :)

While you can't go wrong with any of those choices the yellow background Ruth is my favorite of the Goudey.

Mine is the green #181

mine is the red #149.... 144 would be second for the 33 goudeys for me.

The premium is great too.

Also love the Sport Kings and the tougher US Caramel, if you're looking for colorful issues. A lot of exhibits, while black and white, are really nice too and much smaller than the premium.

I'll have to go with #144...which, thanks to Leon, I wear proudly twice a week.

These are my two favorites.

1921 Exhibit, R315, R316. All bigger than normal sized cards but the photography is awesome. I owned an R316 and thought it was great. The exhibit is expensive but the other 2 can be had cheaper than a Goudey.
Just my 2 cents.

Hey Bill, years ago I was faced with the same decision that you are making. I only collect T206 and related sets, but I wanted a Babe Ruth card. Based on advice that I got from Art Martineau, I picked this one. I really like it because it shows Babe in a pitching pose, and also I couldn't afford those cards from 1915 and 1916.

But if you want a hitting pose, I think you can't go wrong with a 1933 Goudey. Good luck.


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For a first nice cheap card from his playing days I went with the 1932 Sanella. Compared to other Ruth cards from his playing days this one is cheap as chips. A very nice card can be had fairly cheap.

There are so many to choose from you cant go wrong, i love them all!

I would also urge you to hunt for the '33 Goudey #144. There's something so compelling about the full-length swinging pose that graces this card. Tastefully done. Nice evocative background image with those amazing colors. Bill, since the details of Babe are a bit fine, I would also advise you to go for a specimen with really crisp picture registry and vivid background colors. Don't worry about the centering too much as Goudeys usually are at least decently centered, but finding one with a focused imaged and colors that really pop should do it for you. Wishing you the very best in your hunt. I used to own that card, some 40 years ago. ---Brian Powell

Personally I like the more obscure ruth cards...I'm not a big goudey fan. Look around there are some real scarce ruth cards that can be had for less than goudeys!

I like all of these. Every single one. The #144 is a no brainer. I will own that card, but I don't know if it will be the first one. I might wait until I get a tax refund to put a dent into that.

I really like that Sport Kings, Peter. It seems to capture the Babe's personality.

Really, any of these would be a great first choice. I like the Sanella Margarine. It has a post card feel, and I know I could pick up a nice one for $300 or so. I love the E121 series, too. There are several cards from that set, and releases in the same format, that I love. The Hornsby is great. There are a few Ruth cards with compilations. They are black and white, cut the same, but a little larger. I'll have to go find them, but they caught my eye, as well. The Exhibits are great, too.

I just need spring to get here so I can start shopping. One of the first cards I want to buy before the summer is the Gehrig '34 Goudey #37. I might pick that up, and get the Ruth next spring. I have to budget myself a little, so I will need to be patient.

Great suggestions, guys. I am loving all of the pictures. I will never ever get tired of looking at the Babe!

You know, Daryl, that's an option I hadn't thought of. A few of my back issues of Old Cardboard profiled strip cards, both of which included Ruth, if I recall correctly.

I like the Goudeys a lot but also gravitate more towards the scarcer issues and earlier issues. One day I'd love to own a pre 1920 non strip issue but I'll have to save my pennies!

The 1922 E121-120 photo montage is a great looking card and can be had for considerably less the the 1921 E121-80 pitching pose. Both are excellent early issues.

I've acquired a lot of Ruths over the last 6 or so years mostly because I'm not picky on grade. I go for decent looking cards that fit my budget. The photo montage is one of my favorite cards and mine is really nice looking. Just has a couple minor corner creases and spot of paper loss on reverse to account for the grade....

Thanks, Erick. That's the card I was referring to earlier, with multiple pics of Ruth. I love that card.

Hey bill, there are a ton of ruths on ebay this week. I search every day, and this week there are alot more than usual and a few that arent always available.

Gl with which ever u bid on