The Goudey Gum Company began producing some of the most iconic and valuable baseball cards in the early 20th century. Founded by pharmacist Benjamin Goudey in 1884, the company grew to become one of the leading chewing gum manufacturers in the United States. In the 1930s, Goudey sought new ways to promote its gum products and decided to include collectible baseball cards as incentives inside gum and candy packages.
From 1933 to 1941, Goudey released five distinct sets of baseball cards as promotional items. These early releases helped popularize baseball cards as a mainstream collecting hobby. The 1933 Goudey gum cards were the first mass-produced set of modern baseball cards. Each pack of gum contained a single card with photographic images of current Major League players on the front and their stats printed on the back. A total of 81 cards were released in the 1933 set, highlighting stars from both the American and National Leagues.
Notably, the 1933 Goudey issue introduced the first “action shot” cards that depicted players in action poses rather than stiff formal portraits. This set is also unique in featuring one of the rarest and most iconic cards in the hobby – the Babe Ruth card, of which only 12 examples are known to exist in mint condition. Due to its superb condition and historical significance, one of these Ruth cards sold at auction in 2016 for over $5 million, setting a new record as the highest price ever paid for a baseball card. The 1933 Goudey issue laid the foundation for the baseball card collecting industry and remains one of the most pursued sets by serious vintage enthusiasts.
Following the success of that first release, Goudey went on to produce cards in 1936, 1938, 1939, and 1940. The 1934 and 1935 issues were not true “sets” and instead consisted of assorted single cards inserted individually into gum packs. The 1936 set expanded to include all teams from that season and featured additional photographic action shots on a thick, glossy stock that has held up remarkably well over the decades. Rated a 7.5 on the standard 10 point quality scale due to the set’s above average centering and clarity, high-grade 1936 Goudey cards command top dollar from vintage collectors.
In 1938, Goudey went through a major design change, shifting from green-bordered portrait cards to a larger golden yellow landscape format with statistics printed directly on the images. The 1938 set also saw the first “rookie cards” produced for future Hall of Famers Bob Feller, Ted Williams and others. Perhaps the most renowned cards issued during this later period were the 1940s, known both for their artistic dual image “double folded” design as well as the inclusion of several true “superstars” in the early stages of their careers, including Joe DiMaggio and Satchel Paige.
While production of Goudey baseball cards ceased after 1941 due to the onset of US involvement in World War II, the company left an indelible mark on the emerging market it helped create. Today, collectors remain passionate about acquiring high-quality specimens from each of the five original Goudey sets released in the 1930s-40s golden era. With sharp images, historical significance, and scarcity enhancing their value, Goudey cards routinely appear as centerpiece attractions at major card shows and auctions. Particularly coveted by investors are pristine conditioned examples likely to still garner strong prices decades from now. As one of the true pioneer forces behind baseball cards, Benjamin Goudey’s company ensured its place in sports collecting lore by introducing America’s national pastime on inexpensive packs of chewing gum nearly a century ago.
