1934 Goudey Baseball: Driven by Horsepower
1934 Goudey Baseball had a tough act to follow. The company’s 1933 debut in the baseball card market was a resounding success. The cards were packaged with their gum product and Goudey bet big on the idea. That was evidenced by the fact that the 1933 baseball cards were the most heavily printed of all of their standard baseball card releases. Today, the company’s 1933 baseball card set is still hailed as one of the hobby’s finest.
The sophomore edition produced in 1934 is not held in the same high regard as the first issue. Still, there are plenty of reasons to dive into this rarer, but more affordable set.
Lou Gehrig, The Spokesperson
Goudey looked to build on its 1933 set by forging a partnership with arguably the game’s greatest player at the time – Lou Gehrig. While still a formidable player in 1934 and the feature of Goudey’s 1933 set, Babe Ruth and his legendary career was approaching its end. Gehrig, who had finished as the runner-up in Most Valuable Player voting in each of the two previous two seasons, was an ideal pitchman to market Goudey’s gum and baseball cards – and, so to speak, to accept the torch from Ruth.
You’ll excuse some collectors for referring to this as the ‘Lou Gehrig Says’ set instead of its more banal 1934 Goudey Baseball moniker. That simple phrase, along with a small headshot of Gehrig himself, is featured at the bottom of almost every card in the set and is virtually impossible to ignore.
Overkill? Maybe. The phrase may have been better if it simply appeared somewhere on the backs of the cards instead. But its frontal placement also adds a unique touch, making it distinctive from other sets.
Goudey’s massive 1933 set is known as the original. The 1935 set is known as the 4-in-1 set for its quad-style layout featuring four players on one card. In 1936, it was the black and white set. And after a one-year break, the 1938 cards with the real heads plastered on cartoon bodies is called the ‘Big Heads’ set. The 1934 set is, for all intents and purposes, the Lou Gehrig set.
The ‘Lou Gehrig Says’ tagline refers to the back of the card, which included a statement, purportedly from Gehrig himself, regarding the player pictured on the card. Those statements were assembled, in part, by Christy Walsh, who was a manager or agent of Gehrig (and Ruth for some time). It is possible, even likely, that Walsh would have done most of the work on crafting these statements, receiving only guidance and approval from Gehrig. Walsh is even credited on the backs of cards in the set, citing his relative importance to the writeups.
The Mystery of 1934 Goudey Baseball
Arguably, the biggest mystery in 1934 Goudey Baseball is the short disappearance of Gehrig’s likeness on 12 of the cards. The popular ‘Lou Gehrig Says’ banner appeared on the first 79 cards before vanishing into thin air. The banner did reappear just in time for the final five cards. However, Gehrig was replaced as spokesman by Hall of Famer Chuck Klein during the printing of cards numbered 80-91. Gone on those cards is Gehrig’s standard blue banner as they are replaced by a new red banner with Chuck Klein’s name, headshot, and ‘Chuck Klein Says’ text.
Interestingly enough, Walsh is also believed to have represented Klein. Walsh’s name, too, appears on the backs of the ‘Chuck Klein Says’ cards. He could have even been instrumental in securing his endorsement if a Gehrig replacement was needed.
What gives? It’s one of the great mysteries in the issuance of Goudey baseball cards. There has been speculation that Goudey and Gehrig could have been at odds over something. That theory has been partially fueled by the fact that Gehrig did not appear in Goudey’s subsequent 1935, 1936, and 1938 card sets (he did appear in Goudey’s Canadian Worldwide Gum set in 1936). Nevertheless, no confirmed reason is known to date for the brief subset of Klein.
The Set
It should not be lost on anyone that Goudey tried to live off its 1933 successes in preparing the 1934 release. The cards in the 1934 Goudey Baseball are the same dimensions and many of the same players are included. Many cards even utilized the same artwork for certain players that appeared in the 1933 set, including Hall of Famers Dizzy Dean, Jimmie Foxx, and Mickey Cochrane, among others. Beyond that, the same general design of the card was used with fronts and backs eerily similar in both sets.
Save for the banners printed on the front recognizing spokespersons Gehrig and Klein, the cards from both sets look and feel quite similar – some new cartoon sketches of baseball scenes added as a background for 1934, notwithstanding.
One player that appeared in 1933 that did receive new artwork was Gehrig himself. Gehrig was pictured as a hitter on two cards in the initial 1933 offering and both cards used the same picture. In 1934, that image was scrapped in favor of two new pieces of artwork of the Iron Horse.
The 1933 set included several players with more than one card. However, Gehrig is the only player in 1934 Goudey Baseball to receive a second card.
One of Gehrig’s cards is an iconic portrait image of the Hall of Famer with the second featuring a batting pose.
While the yellow-background portrait card is largely viewed as more popular, the batting card sometimes sells for a bit more as it is seemingly rarer. Both, though, are easily the key cards in the set. Even in lower-grade condition, each card typically starts around $1,500-$2,000.
So what did Gehrig have to say about himself on his own cards as part of the ‘Lou Gehrig Says’ gimmick? Gehrig’s portrait card simply features a statement about how he loves the game and includes some basic information, such as his height, weight, and baseball statistics. His batting card serves as an advertisement for his Knot Hole League of America, a baseball membership club for children with Gehrig even suggesting kids write him at the Allston, Massachusetts address provided.
Those two Gehrig cards lead the way in this somewhat trim 96-card set, designated in the American Card Catalog as R320. And while Gehrig is both literally and figuratively the headliner, there are plenty of other gems to be found.
The Rookie Card of Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg is the next most prominent card, starting around $500-$1,000.
Greenberg cards are always sought after, in part, because there are few playing day cards of him. Greenberg played in only the equivalent of approximately 10 full major league seasons (because he served in the military during World War II) and few sets were issued in several of those years just before and after the war. It makes his rookie issue all the more desirable as collectors seek to pick up his cards.
Anybody See The Babe?
Other notable but more affordable cards are the aforementioned Foxx, Dean, and Cochrane trio, as well as numerous other Hall of Fame veterans, including Lefty Grove, Paul Waner, Carl Hubbell, and several more. And while not technically Rookie Cards, early cards of Ernie Lombardi and Luke Appling are desirable, too. Both are commonly referred to as Rookie Cards but that isn’t necessarily true. Among earlier cards, Lombardi is found in the 1933 Tattoo Orbit Set while Appling is featured in the 1933 W574 series.
Even though 1934 Goudey Baseball did include most of the big stars of the day, one omission was quite notable. Babe Ruth was given the red-carpet treatment in the 1933 Goudey set, appearing on a total of four massively popular cards. However, he is completely missing in the 1934 issue.
While Ruth is also missing in some other key sets of the era, there is no reason known for his absence here. It is possible he could not come to an agreement for compensation. It is also possible that his oft-reported issues with Gehrig kept him from appearing in the set. What is notable is that while Gehrig disappeared from Goudey’s 1935 set the following season, Ruth, in fact, reappeared in that set for his final major league season with the Boston Braves.
While the 1934 Goudey set does have some expensive cards, it is not nearly as difficult as building a 1933 Goudey set. It is roughly only 40% of the size of the 1933 Goudey set and, even though the cards are a bit rarer, no card is all that difficult to find. Low-grade commons in the set are somewhat plentiful in the $10-$20 range with the higher-number cards a little more.
The Nap Lajoie-1934 Goudey Baseball Connection
A final note to the set, fittingly, is a nod to a related card that does not truly belong in it. How does a 1933 baseball card get printed alongside the 1934 Goudey Baseball set?
Enter Nap Lajoie.
Goudey’s 1933 set had printed minus card No. 106. Critically, that meant collectors trying to build a set were left at least one card short of completion. While some collectors believe the omission was an honest mistake, many do not. The smart money (or, at least the more interesting story) is that Goudey intentionally did not print that card in the hopes that collectors would continue to buy more gum in pursuit of it.
Regardless of the reason, Card No. 106 was not printed in 1933 with some collectors writing to Goudey seeking the card. The company’s answer was to create a new card picturing retired Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie and send it to those smart enough to ask for it. However, while it is a card for the 1933 set, it was technically printed along with the 1934 Goudey cards, as evidenced by its appearance on uncut sheets that have since been discovered.
The card does not technically belong to the 1934 set – that much is clear from its 1933 design and, more importantly, No. 106 card number. But its postponed printing along with Goudey’s 1934 offering is a nice footnote for a solid baseball card set.
1934 Goudey Baseball Checklist
94 cards.
Check 1934 Goudey Baseball values in the Beckett price guide.
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1 Jimmie Foxx, Philadelphia Athletics
2 Mickey Cochrane, Detroit Tigers
3 Charlie Grimm, Chicago Cubs
4 Woody English, Chicago Cubs
5 Ed Brandt, Boston Braves
6 Dizzy Dean, St. Louis Cardinals
7 Leo Durocher, St. Louis Cardinals
8 Tony Piet, Cincinnati Reds
9 Ben Chapman, New York Yankees
10 Chuck Klein, Chicago Cubs
11 Paul Waner, Pittsburgh Pirates
12 Carl Hubbell, New York Giants
13 Frankie Frisch, St. Louis Cardinals
14 Willie Kamm, Cleveland Indians
15 Alvin Crowder, Washington Senators
16 Joe Kuhel, Washington Senators
17 Hugh Critz, New York Giants
18 Heinie Manush, Washington Senators
19 Lefty Grove, Boston Red Sox
20 Frank Hogan, Boston Braves
21 Bill Terry, New York Giants
22 Arky Vaughan, Pittsburgh Pirates
23 Charley Gehringer, Detroit Tigers
24 Ray Benge, Brooklyn Dodgers
25 Roger Cramer, Philadelphia Athletics RC
26 Gerald Walker, Detroit Tigers RC
27 Luke Appling, Chicago White Sox RC
28 Ed Coleman, Philadelphia Athletics RC
29 Larry French, Pittsburgh Pirates RC
30 Julius Solters, Boston Red Sox RC
31 Buck Jordan, Boston Braves RC
32 Blondy Ryan, New York Giants RC
33 Don Hurst, Philadelphia Phillies RC
34 Chick Hafey, Cincinnati Reds RC
35 Ernie Lombardi, Cincinnati Reds RC
36 Walter Betts, Boston Braves RC
37 Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees
38 Oral Hildebrand, Cleveland Indians RC
39 Fred Walker, New York Yankees RC
40 John Stone, Washington Senators RC
41 George Earnshaw, Chicago White Sox RC
42 John Allen, New York Yankees RC
43 Dick Porter, Cleveland Indians RC
44 Tom Bridges, Washington Senators
45 Oscar Melillo, St. Louis Browns RC
46 Joe Stripp, Brooklyn Dodgers RC
47 John Frederick, Brooklyn Dodgers RC
48 Tex Carleton, St. Louis Cardinals RC
49 Sam Leslie, Brooklyn Dodgers RC
50 Walter Beck, Brooklyn Dodgers RC
51 Rip Collins, St. Louis Cardinals RC
52 Herman Bell, New York Giants RC
53 George Watkins, New York Giants RC
54 Wesley Schulmerich, Cincinnati Reds RC
55 Ed Holley, Philadelphia Phillies RC
56 Mark Koenig, Cincinnati Reds
57 Bill Swift, Pittsburgh Pirates RC
58 Earl Grace, Pittsburgh Pirates RC
59 Joe Mowry, Boston Braves RC
60 Lynn Nelson, Chicago Cubs RC
61 Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees
62 Hank Greenberg, Detroit Tigers RC
63 Minter Hayes, Chicago White Sox RC
64 Frank Grube, St. Louis Browns RC
65 Cliff Bolton, Washington Senators RC
66 Mel Harder, Cleveland Indians RC
67 Bob Weiland, Cleveland Indians RC
68 Bob Johnson, Philadelphia Athletics RC
69 John Marcum, Philadelphia Athletics RC
70 Pete Fox, Detroit Tigers RC
71 Lyle Tinning, Chicago Cubs RC
72 Arndt Jorgens, New York Yankees RC
73 Ed Wells, St. Louis Browns RC
74 Bob Boken, Chicago White Sox RC
75 Bill Werber, Boston Red Sox RC
76 Hal Trosky, Cleveland Indians RC
77 Joe Vosmik, Cleveland Indians RC
78 Pinky Higgins, Philadelphia Athletics RC
79 Eddie Durham, Chicago White Sox RC
80 Marty McManus CK, Boston Braves
81 Bob Brown CK, Boston Braves RC
82 Bill Hallahan CK, St. Louis Cardinals
83 Jim Mooney CK, St. Louis Cardinals RC
84 Paul Derringer CK, Cincinnati Reds RC
85 Adam Comorosky CK, Cincinnati Reds
86 Lloyd Johnson CK, Pittsburgh Pirates RC
87 George Darrow CK, Philadelphia Phillies RC
88 Homer Peel CK, New York Giants RC
89 Linus Frey CK, Brooklyn Dodgers RC
90 KiKi Cuyler CK, Chicago Cubs
91 Dolph Camilli CK, Philadelphia Phillies RC
92 Steve Larkin, Detroit Tigers RC
93 Fred Ostermueller, Boston Red Sox RC
94 Red Rolfe, New York Yankees RC
95 Myril Hoag, New York Yankees RC
96 James DeShong, New York Yankees RC
