1941 Goudey Mel Ott

Whenever I think of Goudey, I think 1933: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, Dizzy Dean and Napoleon Lajoie. Beautiful. Bright. A classic set.

This is not 1933. This is 1941 and the only names most anyone have ever heard of are Mel Ott and Carl Hubbell. Hall-of-Famers, sure. But not on the caliber of Ruth and Gehrig.

The set consists of 132 cards: 33 players in yellow, blue, green and red backgrounds. Yellow is the most common followed by blue, green and red. The designs are plain to say the least and the backs are blank.

Nonetheless, I was very excited when this card arrived. It met all my criteria for a poor old baseball card.

A star player that is worn to the point it was ripped in two, only to be taped together. And somewhat rare. Think about it: If you were to walk into a baseball card shop you'd probably see a 1933 Goudey on display. But a 1941 Goudey? Not a chance.