1933 R338 Goudey Sport Kings Complete Uncut Sheet (24 Cards) Featuring Ruth, Cobb, Thorpe and Grange

• Sold For: $38,188
• Year: 1933
• Auction: 2010 September
• Lot #: 1
• Auction Category: Prewar Baseball - 1930s and 1940s Cards

With stunning color and a superb selection of talent, the 1933 R338 Goudey Sport Kings release summoned interest from every corner of the sports world. Only a multi-sport set could capture the passion for competition and achieve this full and truly comprehensive display of star power.The 1933 Sport Kings series features twelve different sports headlined by, of course, baseball. The daunting task of creating a multi-sport issue was undertaken during the 19th Century by Allen & Ginter, Goodwin, and others, but those classics seemed to seek and strike a slightly different target. The tobacco giant employed classic art and has a certain je ne sais quoi, but the bubblegum cards from the Golden Age targeted the children, and Goudey nailed it perfectly with Sport Kings.. Standing as colorful sovereigns on cream-colored cardboard stock, the subject of each card defines, not just represents, his sport in 2-3/8” x 2-7/8” increments. Explanations of their legends grace the cardbacks. In viewing this immortal gallery of elite cards, The Goudey Sport Kings set is a masterful pictorial summary of sports history, as well as one of the most widely sought-after pre-war card issues. Its subjects, and its splendor, are the synthesis of our hobby. This complete, 24-card uncut final production sheet of 1933 Goudey Sport Kings cards features an incomparable lineup of stars, including the set's first entry, picturing Ty Cobb. Numbers 1-24 are arranged in a random sequence and feature an undeniably elite player roster highlighted by Red Grange, Walter Hagen, Nat Holman, Duke Kahanamoku, Howie Morenz, Babe Ruth, Gene Sarazen, Jim Thorpe, Bill Tilden, Gene Tunney, and Johnny Weissmuller. In this remarkable instance, the pane seems to have been vigilantly protected throughout its existence from light and other aging elements. The interior eight cards of Holman, Cobb, Dempsey, Walthour, Tilden, Blood, Lekang and Thorpe are virtually untouched by time. The far right border shows mild paper loss on the obverse of three cards, Jewtraw, Tunney and Londos, with Morenz and Richards showing minor toning in the lower left corner. Minute chipping along the right hand edge on the reverse and a 1-inch portion of paper loss on #5 Wachter are the notable blemishes on the back of this incredible relic. The hues are bright, shared borders are crisply white, and the cards are all pure and fresh. The overall display quality is minimally (EX) with the interior cards displaying much better. This is an outstanding uncut sheet from one of the most important and popular bubblegum card sets ever produced.NOTE: This incredible uncut 1933 Sport Kings sheet is one of only TWO known examples of the much rarer card-stock version of this sheet. The other known card-stock sheet sold in Mastro’s 2008 Live Auction (at the National) and hammered at $90,000.00. There are paper examples known to exist but there are several that have surfaced over the years, increasing the desire for the cardboard stock version.