W551 Ruth - Status in the Hobby

[brianp-beme]

By the way, nice W551 of Ruth. I now really like this card of him because it seems to have a fairly accurate side view depiction of Babe early in his career, as seen with the comparison photo I provided in my previous post.

By providing this comparison photo I might have just made this card more popular...discuss.


Brian (and by discussing with others, perhaps this will flip on the switch in your brain, the "I'm keeping this Ruth card because maybe, after all, it is interesting" switch)

[brunswickreeves]

Let’s illuminate this discussion with some grading co. POP data…

There are currently 252 total graded 1921 W551 Ruth’s across PSA and SGC. In the aggregate, your SGC 2 has a better grade than 60% (152) of lower graded versions. It’s one of 35 total graded 2’s, and is only inferior to 65 total graded 2.5’s or higher (those are in the top 26%).

In SGC, there are 93 total graded, with 12 graded a 2, and 37 graded higher.

IMHO, your W551 is one of Ruth’s better looking strip cards, is way more scarce compared to thousands of Ruth’s Goudey graded cards (although I do prefer those over strip cards since they have better art and stats/info on the back), and as a 2 grade yours is in the top 40% of total graded W551 Ruth’s.

I’m doubtful it’ll go up much more than $2,650 in a 2 grade, but you never know…either way, I think is a winner!

[EddieP]

I like the strip cards because they are a reflection of period’s Art Movement. It is my belief they were purposefully drawn this way NOT because it was cheaper to due. There were strip cards of movie stars made that in all likelihood were not collected by little boys. Also, look at the cover of magazines produced at the time like the October 1921 Popular Science Magazine. Ruth is on the cover and the drawing has a strip card look to it. The W516 strips were produced by the Hearst company. There were 5 series produced in 1920 and 1921. William Randolph Hearst collected art. Do you think he’d produced this multiple times if he were ridiculed by his family, friends and colleagues?

You have to remember they were produced at a time of great prosperity :the roaring ‘20s. For reference look at the Topps 2020 series with its collection of cards made by contemporary artists. In other words, there’s a reason why the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC kept Burdick’s strip cards in its collection because they are part of Art History.

Also their price ( even the Ruth’s) compared to other works of art are very cheap. If you put it in perspective to buy an original “sketch” of a work art ( which are very often crudely drawn) that is part of the MMA’s collection is $$$$.

[Ima Pseudonym]

Originally Posted by brunswickreeves

Let’s illuminate this discussion with some grading co. POP data…

There are currently 252 total graded 1921 W551 Ruth’s across PSA and SGC. In the aggregate, your SGC 2 has a better grade than 60% (152) of lower graded versions. It’s one of 35 total graded 2’s, and is only inferior to 65 total graded 2.5’s or higher (those are in the top 26%).

In SGC, there are 93 total graded, with 12 graded a 2, and 37 graded higher.

IMHO, your W551 is one of Ruth’s better looking strip cards, is way more scarce compared to thousands of Ruth’s Goudey graded cards (although I do prefer those over strip cards since they have better art and stats/info on the back), and as a 2 grade yours is in the top 40% of total graded W551 Ruth’s.

I’m doubtful it’ll go up much more than $2,650 in a 2 grade, but you never know…either way, I think is a winner!

Good data. Thanks for digging it up.

[pawpawdiv9]

W-UNC BIG HEADS:

JimB & JeffK:
I knew of Jeff's recent addition and discussed about it. Still great addition.
However, Jim, i been keeping track of these Big Heads, as i try to finish the set.
(as noted in my signature)
I did not know you had a Big Head Ruth, in a GAI holder as well...new to my list.
Maybe i need a thread on these cards.

[glchen]

I consider strip cards like the W551 a good "cheap" way to add a Ruth card to someone's collection. It used to be a lot cheaper than it is now. Just a few years ago, you could buy most Ruth strip cards for around $300 each with some notable exceptions such as the W514, Big Head, and W516's. Now of course, they are significantly more expensive, but still a lot cheaper than Goudey's or E121's.

[Exhibitman]

Adding one more (an uncatalogued playing card set) to the mix:



I like most of the strip sets where the players look like themselves. There are a few that are just butt-ugly, like W512. They were (are?) a great alternative if you want a career-issued card of a player whose mainstream cards are unaffordable. Some look pretty good, I think:



As for the Universal Surprise Box card:



I am on the fence as to whether they are strip cards. The stock seems a little thick for that.

Strips aren't even the most 'card adjacent' things you can collect:



Anyone got any signed strip cards to show? I have one:

[ValKehl]

I suspect that the most highly coveted and most highly valued W551 card of Babe Ruth is one with the back shown below. There is only one example in the pop reports (a SGC 1.5), and I wish I had it!

[Ima Pseudonym]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

By the way, nice W551 of Ruth. I now really like this card of him because it seems to have a fairly accurate side view depiction of Babe early in his career, as seen with the comparison photo I provided in my previous post.

By providing this comparison photo I might have just made this card more popular...discuss.


Brian (and by discussing with others, perhaps this will flip on the switch in your brain, the "I'm keeping this Ruth card because maybe, after all, it is interesting" switch)

I came across what I think is the template photo for the W551:

[brianp-beme]

Here is a side by side to compare. I think the angle is a little off, the cap is riding higher on the head and tilted, and the Babe is displaying a little bit more nostril (don't we all in some pictures) than what is seen on the card. Still in my eyes bolsters the idea that the W551 depiction of Ruth, whether or not suited to everyone's artistic sensibilities, captures a little bit of that Babe mystique.

Brian

[JackR]

My framed W551 strip, which I have argued to my wife is actually art, not a “card,” and therefore exempt from the Card Budget. She’s not buying it.