#99 Tony Cuccinello

I picked this card up from SGC today. It was part of the batch of PSA crossovers that I mentioned in a previous post. I bought it as a PSA 6 and it crossed over nicely to an SGC 80. This has to be one of the best-looking cards in the set. Most of the '33 Goudeys feature either a ballpark or solid color background. The Cuccinello card is striking because of its multi-hued background, as well as the enigmatic expression on Cuccinello's face. This card is one of my favorites.

Cuccinello, nicknamed "Cooch" (yikes) and "Chick," had a long major league career as a second and third baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Bees, New York Giants, Boston Braves, and Chicago White Sox. In 1933, he was a 25-year-old starting second basemen for the Dodgers. He made the first-ever All-Star team that year, and again in 1938, and he finished in the top 25 in the MVP voting four times. For his career, he got into 1704 games and finished with a .280/.343/.394 hitting line, posting a 104 OPS+, which is pretty decent for a middle infielder of that era. His best season came in 1932, when he hit .315/.374/.431 for the Reds.

His performance that year certainly made an impression on the Dodgers. Following the 1932 season, Brooklyn sent slugger Babe Herman, future Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi, and Wally Gilbert to the Reds for Cuccinello, Joe Stripp, and Clyde Sukeforth. His brother Al Cuccinello played for the New York Giants in 1935.

#88 Russell "Red" Rollings

I received #88 Russell "Red" Rollings (SGC 60) in the mail today from an eBay purchase. I particularly like the art on this card - it pictures Rollings in an action pose, set against a vibrant red background. I like how the circular Goudey Gum Company copyright logo, which is typically placed in the lower left or lower right corner of the card, had to be placed on Rollings's jersey so that it would be visible. The card is a solid 60, with good centering and a clean surface.

Red Rollings, from Mobile, Alabama, was primarily a third basemen, who also saw action at second base, first base, and outfield. He played for the Boston Red Sox in 1927-28 and the Boston Braves in 1930, totaling 184 games and 355 at-bats in his major league career. The inclusion of Rollings illustrates one of the interesting aspects of the '33 Goudey set, in that it featured many minor league players, much like the T206 set. In 1933, Rollings was already out of the major leagues for two years and was playing for the Atlanta Crackers of the Southern Association. He would continue to play in the minor leagues until 1941, managing his team for three of those seasons.

In his major league career, Rollings put up a .251/.311/.299 line. Goudey describes him on the back of the card as a "dangerous man at bat in a pinch" - he had a .350 batting average as a pinch hitter in the majors. He was a career .316 hitter in the minor leagues.

Babe Ruth

One of things that makes the 1933 Goudey set so great is that it features four Babe Ruth cards (as well as two Lou Gehrigs). It's also one of the reasons that the set is so challenging and expensive to put together. I have resigned myself to the fact that the Ruths that will be included in my set will all be in generally poor condition, most likely in the SGC 10-30 range, as higher grade examples are very expensive.

The #53 Ruth, or the yellow batting ruth, is the toughest of the bunch and comes with the highest price tag. The #149 Ruth (pictured), which is the same as the #53 but with a red background, is the next toughest. The #181 Ruth, which features a seated Babe, is the next most expensive. A cropped version of this image would appear on Ruth's 1935 Goudey 4-in-1 card, when he was a member of the Boston Braves. Finally, the #144 Ruth is the most affordable because it was double printed.

My favorite of the bunch is #149. It features a classic Ruth batting pose and the red background is beautiful (most of my favorite cards in the set feature red backgrounds), which I prefer over the yellow background of the #53. The #181 is also nice, but Ruth looks a little old and weak in the depiction. Even though this is somewhat accurate, since he was reaching the end of his career in 1933, I prefer to think of Ruth as a robust slugger, as he is depicted on the #53 and #149 cards. (Incidentally, Ruth put up a monster season in 1932 - .341/.489/.661, with 41 home runs - so he wasn't quite done yet). The #144 is my least favorite, mostly because it is a wide shot and there is not as much personality to Ruth's depiction.

So far, I don't have any of the Ruth cards. I have been looking for some time to pick one up reasonably, preferably the #149. I am okay with an SGC 10 or PSA 1 example, so long as the image is clear and the colors are vibrant. I have not had any luck so far, most likely because I don't want to overspend.