1933 GOUDEY Babe Ruth #144

XPL051v3

First off, i'd like to introduce my self. I've been a collector for about 6 years now (basketball cards). Recently i've been trying to collect other famous sports players. I have been looking mainly for the 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #144 card. I've been browsing Ebay and craigslist here and their and see these card can go for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. I know their are ALOT of reprints and they barely go for any amount of money so my question is if anyone here help me out and give me some pointers by telling the difference. I found the card here on local craigslist and the guy has the card and is asking 150$. While it seems cheap i've found some very good deals on craigslist (Card related). The guy claims he just got these cards from his grandfather after passing away and wants to sell. He said his grandfather purchased these cards about 45 years ago trying to collect babe ruth cards. Here is a picture below (Very hard to see) but I am going to take a look at the card later this afternoon. I would appreciate any helpful tips as to tell if this is a reprint or in fact the real deal. Thanks in advanced.


-Xzi

Picture of the card here (Not sure what card is on the right of it but he's also selling it)

Dexter

stormsurge

I would suggest doing a search here on the word craiglist.

Grandfather eh? Never have heard that one before.

This one has several signs of a common scam.

MantleMarisFordBerra

Dude, if you're just gonna flush $150 down the toilet just send it my way instead. Seriously, this is a scammy scam scam scam. If you really want that card hit up ebay, buy a card graded by PSA or SGC from a seller who has lot of positive transactions selling high dollar cards. You'll spend a lot more than $150, but as the old saying goes you get what you pay for.

Welcome to the boards.

captainthreeputt

Everyone on craigslist just lost their grandfather. I purchased some older cards on craiglist from out of town and they were all fake. I had huge disputes with paypal, and no longer have a paypal account due to those fake cards. By the way, they were from different sellers. If they are savvy enough to use craigslist, why sell so cheap and not go to ebay and ask more money?

Welcome to the board and good luck

72skywalker

I would NEVER buy a 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth unless it was graded by PSA and came from a reputable seller. The grandfather story is very old. Usually if they tell you how they got the card it will end up being fake. I spent $1,100 on a PSA 2 1933 Ruth. There is no way you would be able to purchase a real Ruth for $150.

gumbyfan

Not all craigslist cards are scams. I have picked up some great cards on craigslist locally and did very well on them. The key is to NEVER send money by Paypal and only deal locally. Know what you're buying before you hand over the cash and you should be fine.

Peoples grandfathers do die and sometimes cards are left from one generation to the next. I'm not so naive as to believe every story I read on craigslist. I'm also not so cynical as to dismiss every story as lies.

This one is probably a scam based on the value of the card and the asking price. Any person worth their salt would do a bit of research before asking $150 for the card if it was legit.

Still, to dismiss every craiglist ad as a scam on a wholesale basis as many seem to do here is foolish.

Then again...go ahead and feel that way. It saves the deals for me.

72skywalker

<< <i>Not all craigslist cards are scams. I have picked up some great cards on craigslist locally and did very well on them. The key is to NEVER send money by Paypal and only deal locally. Know what you're buying before you hand over the cash and you should be fine.

Peoples grandfathers do die and sometimes cards are left from one generation to the next. I'm not so naive as to believe every story I read on craigslist. I'm also not so cynical as to dismiss every story as lies.

This one is probably a scam based on the value of the card and the asking price. Any person worth their salt would do a bit of research before asking $150 for the card if it was legit.

Still, to dismiss every craiglist ad as a scam on a wholesale basis as many seem to do here is foolish.

Then again...go ahead and feel that way. It saves the deals for me. >>



I guess I got sentimental attachments because if my grandfather left me something I would not go ahead and sell if for way less than what its worth.

fkw

Stay away from Craigslist!

The #144 is a nice card, it should be easy, its a double printed card (2X more than any other card in set)

Before going for the big boys, You may want to buy a handful of commons first to get used to how a R319 card looks and feels like, also look at how they were printed (ea. color separately).

There are many different types of R319 reprints so one basic description DOESNT cover them all.

Most will have the edges of the photo area cropped slightly when they design the reprint. This is very easy to tell if you know the spots to look.

On the #144 card look at the top border and top left corner. The top border should have a good size gap above Ruths hat, the reprints will crop it close to the hat (also the building is a good way to spot this. On the top left corner look at the "G" in "George", on reprint this often touches the border (cropped).

There are many other ways to tell, a person who handles these daily can spot a fake in 1 seconds.

This is for about 3/4 of the reprints, others are easier others are tougher. The toughest are homemade fakes made with an inkjet printer, because they are exact copies of the scan of an authentic card, usually front and back glued together. In person they are easy to spot though.


example R319 #144

stevek

<<< I am going to take a look at the card later this afternoon >>>

Sorry to sound harsh but I can hardly think of a bigger waste of time, and possibly a big waste of money if you fall for this con...

...and here's even a bigger problem, once this con artist fools you and knows he's got a live sucker, he'll likely attempt other scams, bigger scams with you.