The Unexpected Value Of This 1933 Baseball Card Is Worth More Than A Bugatti Car

The 1933 Goudey baseball card set is a snapshot of American resilience during one of the nation's toughest economic periods. Produced by the Goudey Gum Company, the cards emerged at the height of the Great Depression, a time when disposable income was scarce, yet its release won the hearts of a generation. Featuring 240 cards, the series included legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx.

These cards hit the market when nearly a quarter of Americans were out of work and needed small, affordable joys. At the time, trading cards came in candy and gum packs. Goudey adopted this but made its set stand out by focusing on high-quality artwork and player bios. With money tight, businesses had to get creative. Goudey's baseball cards fit right into that moment, proving that even in tough times, the love of the game — and a good collectible — could still bring people together

Asides history, what adds to the 1933 Goudey's value today is rarity. On the Goudey left Nap Lajoie card (#106) out of early print runs on purpose to drive up sales, instantly turning it into a collector's prize. If fans wanted to complete their sets, they had to mail in a request directly to Goudey. Over the years, many of these cards were lost, damaged, or simply thrown away. Now, fewer than 10% of the originals are still in good enough shape to be considered collectible. The Babe Ruth card, in particular, is worth north of $4 million.

The 1933 Goudey set features four Babe Ruth cards, each a cornerstone of sports memorabilia. Among them, cards #53, #144, #149, and #181 have become benchmarks for value in the collectibles market. For example, a PSA-graded 5.5 copy of Ruth's #53 sold for $276,000 in 2021. Higher-grade examples, such as a PSA 8.5 Babe Ruth #53, have sold for $564,000 in recent auctions, reflecting how condition dictates worth. Card #181, often overlooked in early collecting circles, now commands seven figures: a PSA 8.5 example fetched $1.32 million in 2023, a record for that specific issue.

The most iconic of the four, card #144, remains the set's pinnacle. For context, a near-mint example of Ruth's card #144 shattered records in 2022, commanding $4.2 million at auction — a figure that surpasses the starting price of a new Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, which is set at around $3.8 million. As new generations of collectors and historians continue to celebrate Babe Ruth, his impact only grows. That's why demand never fades. Ruth wasn't just a great player; he was baseball's global icon, and that kind of cultural weight doesn't disappear. Owning one of his cards isn't like owning a luxury car; it's owning a piece of history. So far, PSA has graded fewer than 10 Babe Ruth #144 cards above a PSA 8. It's an inonic example of old baseball cards worth a lot of money and of the sports collectibles likely to increase in value with time.

Genuine cards (like these sports cards hiding in your closet) have specific tells that experts look for, and getting one checked is the difference between owning history and getting scammed. A big giveaway is the card stock. Originals from 1933 have a unique thickness and texture that modern reprints just can't replicate. Printing back then wasn't perfect, so real cards often have slight misalignments; something fakes tend to miss.

Trusted grading companies like PSA and SGC compare them against massive databases, scanning for off-color prints, weird font spacing, or subtle changes in artwork. Even tiny details matter. Take Babe Ruth's card, for example: if the text spacing in his bio is even 1mm off from archived originals, chances are, it's a fake. Provenance — where a card has been and who's owned it — matters. So keep your vintage purchase receipts or your well-documented ownership history in good condition.

Preserving these cards is just as important as authenticating them. Light, humidity, and temperature shifts can wear down paper, fade colors, and ruin value over time. That's why serious collectors use acid-free sleeves, rigid holders, and climate-controlled storage to keep their cards in top shape. Even something as simple as handling them with clean, dry hands — or cotton gloves — can make a difference by preventing oil damage. For proper protection, try the 200 Card Sleeves Hard Plastic, Baseball Card Protectors.