The 1936 Diamond Stars baseball card set is one of the most iconic and valuable sets from the early 20th century. Issued by Goudey Gum Company, the Diamond Stars set featured players from both the American and National Leagues in colorful photographic cards. With its vintage design aesthetic and capturing of legendary players, the 1936 Goudey set remains a highly sought after collection for both casual fans and serious card collectors.
Some key details on the 1936 Diamond Stars set that help provide context for its value and significance include:
The set contains a total of 165 cards split between the American and National Leagues. Each league has 80 common player cards and 5 manager cards for a total of 165.
Design wise, each card features a color photograph of the player against a tan background. The player’s name, team, and position are printed at the bottom in blue text. On the reverse, each card advertised various Goudey gum products.
Some of the legendary players featured include Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Mel Ott, Dizzy Dean, Jimmie Foxx, and many other stars of the 1930s. Capturing these all-time greats in their prime made the set immediately iconic.
Distribution of the set was originally through Goudey gum packs from 1936-1938. The gum itself was not very popular so production runs were limited, making completed sets quite rare today.
In terms of condition, high grade examples fetch a huge premium given the cards are now over 85 years old. Even minor flaws can significantly impact a card’s value. Top-rated PSA/BGS Gem Mint 10 examples of stars can sell for well into the six figures.
The 1936 Goudey set established the template that would be followed by most subsequent baseball card releases – color photos, team identifiers, and an accompanying gum or candy product. It was truly innovative and collector-friendly for its time.
When it comes to pricing individual cards from the 1936 Diamond Stars set, there are a few key factors that determine value:
Player Prominence: Household name stars from the 1930s like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Jimmie Foxx have exponentially greater value than most others in the set. Low number cards also tend to be more valuable.
Condition: As mentioned, even moderate flaws can downgrade a card’s condition and price. Top-graded PSA/BGS Mint 9 or Gem Mint 10 examples are usually required to reach five-figure or greater prices.
Scarcity: The rarer the player’s card is in a high grade, the more valuable. For example, there are only a handful of PSA 10 Babe Ruths known to exist.
To give some examples of current prices in the vintage baseball card market:
A PSA 8 Babe Ruth in the $30,000-$50,000 range depending on auction activity and year. A PSA 9 could reach $100,000+.
A PSA 9 Lou Gehrig would sell between $15,000-$30,000. A PSA 10 could reach $75,000+ given its scarcity.
PSA 9 examples of other superstars like Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, and Dizzy Dean tend to sell in the $5,000-$15,000 range depending on the specific card and market.
Cards of less prominent but still notable 1930s players in PSA 8-9 condition typically sell from $500 to $3,000 range depending on the name, team, and position.
Even fairly common players can reach $100-$500 for high graded copies to serious vintage collectors.
The 1936 Goudey Diamond Stars set remains one of the most significant in the entire history of sports card collecting. As one of the earliest mainstream baseball card releases featuring color photos of the stars of that era, it established a design template that would be followed for decades. Combined with the limited production runs due to the unpopularity of the gum itself, finding high quality examples today is extremely difficult. With such a rich history and capturing legendary players in their primes, the 1936 set will always be a premier target for both casual fans and serious vintage collectors alike. Even relatively common cards hold value due to the set’s iconic status in the hobby.
