1932 SANELLA Margerine Cards - Info Needed

envoy98

Was at the show today, picked up my 65 Topps Namath finally... But that's beside the point. I was looking at a 1932 SANELLA Babe Ruth graded by SGC a VG-EX 4. It says "Type 2" on the flip. He also pointed out he has the entire set for sale and also had two other Type 2 Ruthes in PSA 6 holders. They look very nice but he's asking $225 on the PSA 6 and $210 on the SGC. Are these very rare? Are they very collectible? Are they worth anything? I was tempted to grab the Ruth in PSA 6 and the rest of the set just cuz they were kinda cool, but knowing him he got them for $5 like everything else he tries to sling and he had no idea what the stuff booked and I've never seen them before and no SMR.

So...anybody have any experience with these?

Carew29

The other company was ASTRA MARGARINE. You would get one card for each 1/2 pound of butter you bought. The Senella Ruths go for about $500 in NM, and the 32' ASTRA variation goes for 3 times in NM. It says it is a 112 card set including the album that could send away for back then.

MorrellMan

There are at least 3 "types" of Sanella Ruths:

1933 Sanella Margerine Type I (Sanella centered)
1933 Sanella Margerine Type II (Sanella closer to bottom)
1933 Sanella Margerine Type III (Sanella closer to bottom w/ 83)

They're not that hard to find and, IMHO, the dealer (who has a right to maximize his returns) was asking WAY too much for his cards. $225 is about twice what you should pay for a 6.

CardHunter

NINESnTENS

I agree that there are quite a few Ruth Sanellas around with "Sanella" at the bottom, however there are very few high grades. But, look at the three Sanella variations; there are less than ten graded cards in total.

If one accepts the belief that quantity is an important factor in a cards value then the SANELLA RUTH CARDS ARE WORTH TWICE AS MUCH AS THE 1933 RUTH GOUDEY CARDS. Anyone want to trade their Ruth Goudey card for my Sanella Ruth card?

A cards value involves many factors; such as percieved/market value, investment potential, cachet, aesthetics, etc., etc. Quantity is far down the list otherwise the Spalding and many other lesser valued Ruth cards would be worth more than the Goudey, too. In many collector's opinions, mine included, with consideration of the Sanella's quantity, aesthetics and investment potential, the Sanella Ruth card merits a huge "BUY" rating.

STILL NOT CONVINCED: Compare the various numbers of Michael Jordan's card quantities and prices.
Example: compare the huge number of 1986 Fleer cards against the few 1985 Nike
cards, or the few 1987 Jordan Panini cards. What is the effect of quantity on value
in these cases?

Therefore, my recommendation on the Babe Ruth 1932 Sanella card (or any other Ruth card) is BUY!

kennylow

The reason the market price for those cards isn't high is due to demand. There just isn't that much demand. Plus the supply is relatively high for an obscure, foreign card.

If supply was everything, then there would be many many many many many many cards that should go for higher prices than 1933 Goudey Ruths...but they don't because of the lack of demand for them.

NINESnTENS

That is precisely my point. The value of a card is not dependent on scarcity. You are correct about demand for the card will increase the price.

Can anyone tell us what factors drive the demand/price up or down for a card such as the Ruth Sanella or Goudey cards?