Lot # 668: 1931 W517 #20 Babe Ruth Portrait SGC VG 3

Graded VG 3 by SGC. The 1931 W517 set features two cards of Babe Ruth. Presented in this lot is card No. 20, which pictures Babe Ruth in a striking portrait pose. Ruth and Mickey Cochrane are the only players in the fifty-four card set to be honored with two cards. This is one of his most unusual cards. The W517 set is much appreciated by collectors for being so different in dimension and design from most other cards featuring Ruth's likeness. It is also from an unusual era, as W517 is one of the very few card sets issued after the popular strip cards of the 1920s but just before the bubble-gum cards of the early 1930s. The popular W517 large-style strip card issue (3 x 4 inches) was originally sold in vertical strips of three, which were intended to be hand-cut by youngsters. Because of their method of issue, cards from this set are often found in somewhat rough condition (miscut, creases, back damage, etc.). This example is far nicer than usually found for this condition-sensitive issue. It has superb image quality and moderate corner wear. The blank back is mostly clean, with a strip of light discoloration visible along the bottom. This is a very attractive mid-grade example of this distinctive and classic Ruth card in a very desirable condition.