For collectors, the W514 set has always been the king of the drawn strip card sets, for many reasons, including the 120 card size of the set, the many HOF players pictured, the inclusion of the Black Sox players including Joe Jackson, and the decent artwork. I have always thought the W551 set was a neglected afterthought because it is only a 10 card (baseball subjects) set, but in my eyes the artwork is comparable to the W514 issue.
As far as W551 Ruth, I think folks dislike the side portrait view, and might even think it does not look like the Babe. I found a side view photo of the Babe on the web, dated from the early 1920's, the same basic time frame as the W551 set, for everyone to compare, and I would say that the W551 artists did a pretty good job with his depiction.
And both serious and non-serious collectors alike should consider strip cards as an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet of vintage cards.
Brian
Last edited by brianp-beme; 10-06-2023 at 06:13 PM.
Reason: added that the photo is dated from early 1920's
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