The 1938 Goudy baseball card set is one of the most coveted issues among vintage baseball card collectors. Produced by the Goudy Gum Company, the 1938 Goudy set featured players from the American and National Leagues in a smaller 2.5″ by 1.5″ size compared to modern cards. With its nostalgic artwork and memorable players from baseball’s Golden Era, the 1938 Goudy set remains a highly sought after issue over 80 years later.
The 1938 Goudy set consists of 133 total cards that were inserted in packs of Goudy gum. Some of the notable Hall of Famers featured include Mel Ott, Hank Greenberg, Dizzy Dean, Jimmie Foxx, and Lefty Grove. Roster changes and call-ups resulted in several variations for some players. The cards featured colorful patriotic artwork on the fronts with player stats and positions on the backs. The smaller size and thinner cardboard stock of Goudy cards from the late 1930s make them more fragile than later issues.
In terms of condition, the 1938 Goudys are graded on the same 1-10 scale used by services such as PSA and SGC. Mint condition 9’s and 10’s from the set can be worth thousands due to the set’s age and limited surviving population in top grades. Even well-centered examples in Good 6 condition still carry value due to demand. The high-grade population reports from third-party grading companies provide collectors a sense of each card’s surviving quantity.
Some of the most valuable and sought after cards from the 1938 Goudy set include the following:
Lou Gehrig (#1): Considered the key card of the set. PSA 10 grades have sold for over $30,000. Even low-grade examples still fetch hundreds due to his iconic status.
Joe DiMaggio (#65): Another highly valuable rookie card. PSA 10’s have sold for over $20,000. Low-grades still hold value due to his fame and the set’s scarcity.
Dizzy Dean (#48): Iconic Cardinals’ hurler. PSA 10’s have sold for over $10,000. Low-grades still sell for multiple hundreds.
Mel Ott (#18): Hall of Fame slugger for the Giants. PSA 10’s have sold for over $7,500. Low-grades still sell for a few hundred.
Hank Greenberg (#37): Power-hitting Tigers’ first baseman. PSA 10’s have sold for over $5,000. Low-grades still sell for a few hundred.
Jimmie Foxx (#17): Hall of Fame slugger known as “Double X”. PSA 10’s have sold for over $5,000. Low-grades still sell for a couple hundred.
Lefty Grove (#19): Legendary A’s southpaw. PSA 10’s have sold for over $5,000. Low-grades still sell for a couple hundred.
Stars like Joe Medwick, Charlie Gehringer, Bill Dickey, and Dolph Camilli also carry value depending on condition. Rarer variations of players like Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx with different uniform numbers can be especially valuable to advanced collectors.
When pricing a 1938 Goudy card, there are several factors to consider such as the player, condition, eye appeal, and centering. Top stars in PSA 9 or 10 condition can be worth thousands, while the same players in low-grades still hold value often in the $100-200 range. More common players may be worth $50-100 in top-grades. Even though 80+ years old, strong demand has kept 1938 Goudy prices relatively stable. With such classic designs and memorable players, this iconic set remains a blue-chip holding for vintage card collectors.
The 1938 Goudy baseball card set is without question one of the most historically significant issues due to its stars, artwork, and place in card collecting lore. Even in lower grades, examples retain value due to the set’s limited surviving population after eight decades of collecting. Condition is critical, as are the bigger stars like Gehrig, DiMaggio, Dean, Ott, Greenberg and Foxx. But the entire 133 card checklist carries value. The 1938 Goudy cards are a true high point of the pre-war era and remain a highly coveted target for dedicated vintage collectors.
