Is the 1934 Goudey set right for me? Let me know why you love (or hate) this set.

NeilDowney

Hi Guys, I am thinking about getting in a few 1934 Goudey cards and see if they are as nice in person as they seem in Ebay auctions. I have been looking for a pre-war set for quite some time but most are just too expensive or look really bad in lower grades. This set looks really colorful and bright. I think I could chip away at it in about the PSA 3 - PSA 5 range depending on the costs. Some of the hofers may need to be lower but I'll decide that later down the road. This is going to be my first attempt at "buying the card" instead of mostly worrying so much about the number. I'd be interested in any info that anyone has on this set. Perhaps if someone has a few collecting dust, I could get a few in soon. I'm sure that there are many 1934 Goudey collectors or pre-war veterans out there that would like to express why they love this set so much. Any info (good or bad) about this set would be very helpful. Thanks, Neil

RayBShotz

Neil,
I seem to remember that Gosoxbosox once did a brain dump on this set. I'll check the archives.
It is an amazing set. I twice got to about 15-20 cards and had to liquidate for other efforts but it wasn't for love lost; that's for sure.
Best of luck if you pursue it.
RayB

cmoking

The 1934 Goudey set is an amazingly beautiful set. IMO, it is more aesthetically pleasing than the 1933 Goudey set. I own near-sets of both sets, so I'm not necessarily favoring one over the other. The downside on the 34 Goudey set is that there are no Babe Ruth cards. But there is the amazing yello Gehrig card, which I argue is the most eye-pleasing card ever made. I collect this set in the PSA 6-8 range, so I don't know if these comments will transfer to the PSA 3-5 range. Some of the cards that I find tough or are more expensive in the PSA 6-8 range may not be relatively as tough or expensive in the PSA 3-5 range. Meaning, it is probably not true scarcity that drives the price, but rather it is condition scarcity.

Here are some thoughts about some cards:

#1 Foxx. This card gets a big premium in the PSA 6-8 grades. I haven't checked pop reprts, but I'd have to imagine it isn't as tough (relatively) in the PSA 3-5 range as it is in the higher grades.

The high-series: 73-96, does go at a premium to the lower series.

Other tough cards in the PSA 6 area, which may lead into the PSA 4/5 area too:
2,3,4,5 - low number cards.
24 Benge, 25 Cramer, 31 Jordan, 48 Carleton and 66 Harder are unusually tough to find in PSA 6. This will probably filter down in the price of the 4/5 area, but shouldn't be that bad.

Here are some images from my set.

NeilDowney

Thnaks for the info Ray. Those scans are amazing! The colors look so bright on those cards. Hopefully I will get in a few soon and see for myself. This could be a new beginning of a long journey or just a short walk down another side street. Time will tell......Neil

aconte

King,

That is an incredible Gehrig. Now my new labtop has droll all over it! Thanks a lot...

Neil,

Good luck!

aconte

cmoking

cmoking

Thanks guys. The card came from Bob Davidek, a very nice guy who gave me a lot of good information on the 33 and 34 Goudey set about two years ago.

cravetopps

Goudey Link

cmoking gave me a ton of great advice (and some of his PSA 8s!) about this set. I decided to go for it due to the manageable set size, budget, eye appeal and historical significance.