Auction Name: 2026 February 28 - March 1 Winter Platinum Night Sports Catalog Auction

Lot Number: 80014

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/50083*80014

1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #181 PSA NM-MT 8 -- MBA Silver! It is perhaps our favorite image of the game's greatest figure, a status it would retain even had it not been created for inclusion in the first great baseball bubble gum trading card issue. It's a matter of personal taste, of course--others might prefer the full form posture of the #144 card, or the tighter focus on that image used for #53 and #149, but the deft brush work, the delicate detail of this #181 portrait sets this work apart from that which spawned the other three Ruth representations of the 1933 Goudey set. It's the most "honest" work, losing the soft focus that turns the other work into an homage to a legend rather than a study of a man, one who finds himself on the downward slope of a storied career here. The deep lines on his face tell the tale of a life lived to the fullest.

But if the Babe is showing his age in this portrait, the card that showcases it barely does. Bright colors and slick gloss make the image pop, and you have to look very close to spot any signs of handling whatsoever. A marvelous representation of a card that remains one of the most important of the Bubble Gum Era. Graded PSA NM-MT 8 with an MBA Silver Diamond label.

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