1932 Sanella Babe Ruth - Wisdom Wanted

[sando69]

British American Tobacco & affiliates produced a very nice card between 1929 & 1935.
Same image as the Japanese postcard, but the back is printed in English and ex to ex-mt examples are under $250 on ebay!

[EvilKing00]

the sanella is a very nice card, its over sized, so its bigger than a normal card. Very cool card and comes with 4 slightly different backs. There are other cards with a better picture of ruth at the same price point. Ebay would be your best bet as far as price. i prefer a graded version instead of the whole book / set. Good luck

[KMayUSA6060]

Thank you all for the responses and suggestions. I didn't realize it was a paper stock. I don't like thin and flimsy.

I appreciate the other suggestions. Obviously I'm on a budget, hence the interest in the Sanella.

I will probably pass on the Sanella, and go for a different, more highly thought of affordable Ruth at some point.


A little side note... eBay is offering me 10% eBay bucks on an item of $50 or more. That's what sparked my interest in the Sanella Ruth. That being said, any other affordable, yet interesting suggestions for Hall of Famer cards are welcome.

[tedzan]

1932 Sanella Babe Ruth


This Babe Ruth collectible was meant to be pasted into a very large All-Sports album produced in Germany by the Sanella Margarine Co.

I have this album complete with all the world-wide athletes of that era. If anyone here is interested, I will check it out to see if a certain
athlete of interest is included in this album.






TED Z
.

[Forever Young]

Originally Posted by tedzan

1932 Sanella Babe Ruth






TED Z
.

I actually think the "likeness" is spot on. Here is the original, type 1 photo I own for comparison. It is an early image(1921) of Babe' classic "hr" pose.

[Yoda]

I sometimes wonder how all these pre-war German cards, obviously made of paper, survived the allied fire bombing of WWII and somehow migrated back to the States. Returning GI's who picked them up while part of the occupying force, maybe? I know the notorious Alan Hager auctioned off a small cache of Sanellas about 20 years ago and hyped them beyond belief. Because of his involvement and later retreat from the industry, I think the cards became a bit tainted and prices really never recovered.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Interesting question. There are a decent amount of Bulgaria Sport cards around but not a ton. I had to actually contact a collector in Germany to put together the checklist for PSA's Set Registry composite for the set so it has flown pretty well under the radar. For the longest time I had the only set even started, I think there are three of us now.

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by tedzan

1932 Sanella Babe Ruth

Hey guys,

The 112 Sportscards in this set (and their associated Album) were issued in 1932. The War in Europe did not start until at least 8 years later.
Therefore, there was plenty of time for many of these cards to be brought to the U.S.


TED Z
.

[tedzan]

Illustrated here is the page in the 119-page Sanella Album with the Babe Ruth card.






Another page features an Olympic (5 Gold Medals) speed Skater Clas Thunberg card....and, a card depicting the famous Heavyweight Fight between
Max Schmeling and Jack Sharkey in New York City in 1932 (Sharkey won).






TED Z
.

[Leon]

Thanks for posting the pages, Ted.

Originally Posted by tedzan

Illustrated here is the page in the 119-page Sanella Album with the Babe Ruth card.






Another page features an Olympic (5 Gold Medals) speed Skater Clas Thunberg card....and, a card depicting the famous Heavyweight Fight between
Max Schmeling and Jack Sharkey in New York City in 1932 (Sharkey won).






TED Z
.

[sandmountainslim]

I like the card and would like to own one but I see so MANY of them for sale on ebay it makes me wonder if the card was not reprinted at some point in Post War Germany. If not then a LOT of them survived the Third Reich and WW2! Of course a bunch could have came on the market from the east after German Reunification.
Still I am a little leary of them. I bid 90 bucks for one a couple weeks ago and it ended up going for 112 or so. I would be afraid to give more than 100 for a slabbed example honestly.

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by sandmountainslim

I like the card and would like to own one but I see so MANY of them for sale on ebay it makes me wonder if the card was not reprinted at some point in Post War Germany. If not then a LOT of them survived the Third Reich and WW2! Of course a bunch could have came on the market from the east after German Reunification.
Still I am a little leary of them. I bid 90 bucks for one a couple weeks ago and it ended up going for 112 or so. I would be afraid to give more than 100 for a slabbed example honestly.

As I have posted, I have the entire set and the Album titled "Handbuch des Sports", that contains all these Sports cards....its Copyright is 1932.

All these Sportscards (including Babe Ruth) were printed and issued circa 1932.

Originally Posted by tedzan

Illustrated here is the page in the 119-page Sanella Album with the Babe Ruth card.






Another page features an Olympic (5 Gold Medals) speed Skater Clas Thunberg card....and, a card depicting the famous Heavyweight Fight between
Max Schmeling and Jack Sharkey in New York City in 1932 (Sharkey won).






TED Z
.

[sandmountainslim]

I understand it was copyright 1932 and was printed during that period. I am just saying that I have no way of knowing additional copies have not been printed in Germany (or elsewhere) since the end of WW2 or in modern times.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by sandmountainslim

I understand it was copyright 1932 and was printed during that period. I am just saying that I have no way of knowing additional copies have not been printed in Germany (or elsewhere) since the end of WW2 or in modern times.

This could be said about any card.

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by sandmountainslim

I understand it was copyright 1932 and was printed during that period. I am just saying that I have no way of knowing additional copies have not been printed in Germany (or elsewhere) since the end of WW2 or in modern times.

I am assuming you are pondering the matter of purchasing a period Babe Ruth strictly to own and enjoy for your collection, not to flip it in 6 months.

It's a very common concern among us as to whether there's actually "a ton of them out there that haven't been graded". Compounded by the fear a huge find of unsold stock of the Sanellas with come on the market. Come on, now, the chance of a find is something each of us lives with. Are you really enjoying yourself being consumed with such a preoccupation with the thoughts you expressed?

OK, so the Sanella is a rather common Ruth. It certainly is a recognizable image of the Babe. Are you despondent over the thought if you bought the card, everybody else on Net54 probably has one as well? I can understand that to a point, honestly, but if you wind up buying the Sanella Babe, and somehow allow yourself the luxury of showing it off to any of us, it might really surprise you how few of us own one.

If you confine yourself to the known rarities that also happen to be beautiful, such as the 1914 Baltimore News, but no doubt that was not your intention, triple negative not withstanding!

A Sanella is regarded much more highly than the beautiful Golden Press Hall of Fame, or 1949 Leaf, or a Kellogg's / Rold Gold 3-D. OK, most would not put a Sanella above the Leaf; I just feel the former has so much more eye-appeal, and is very much a career period card. The Leaf was produced in honor of Babe's sad passing, and moreover, many guys collect this set. A Sanella is a lot more respectable than a 1935 4-in-1 Goudey; again, the Sanella has so much more eye candy over the four-players to a card Goudey. I'm sure you weren't contemplating a modern Ruth, though a POST-WAR thread was initiated in the past few days about what modern Ruths are recommended to own, and in which you yourself chimed in.

Though the Sanella is almost paper-thin, so are the 1914-15 Cracker Jack. Once graded by PSA, immediately the card carries more cache, security, and finally the definite weight gain that always seems to help the collector, psychologically, with his thin cards.

A lot of thoughts here, and most I gave are to jar you on how you're coming across. I could use that right now, probably. It goes back to "supply and demand". Sanellas have a strong supply, but you and I are pretty aware of the massive demand for George Herman. I say spend your time finding a specimen that really does it for you, having the characteristics of a card you love, and buy it. Your bread in exchange for some vintage butter that has aged beautifully. Not trying to butter you up, bub, but judging from Babe's white cap on the Sanella, the original photo was taken when The Babe was becoming THE BAMBINO.

My nickel pack's worth. ---Brian Powell

PS---Don't waste your money on buying an entire set, just to get the Babe, unless the raw Ruth is outstanding, and the set price is not much more expensive than a nice graded Ruth itself. Again, if the Babe in a set or major group really pushes your button, OK, but factor in the probable grade PSA will give it, and its value for that grade. Remember, don't be too liberal gauging the grade YOU THINK PSA will award it.