Lot # 999: 1937 R342 Goudey "Thum-Movies" Near-Complete Set (12/13) Plus Seven Duplicates

Issued in 1937 by Goudey Gum and catalogued R342 in the American Card Catalog, this unusual set is printed as small booklets (2 x 3 inches) and was designed to be viewed as a flip book with each player featured in action either batting, throwing, or fielding. The front cover of each booklet features a generic image of people outside a movie theater and a brief biography of the player on the back cover. Covers can be found printed in red or blue. Presented is a rarely offered near-complete set (12 out of 13) plus seven duplicates (#1, 2, 6, 9, 10 Waner, 12 Foxx, and 13). Missing only #4 Joe DiMaggio for completion. Goudey selected the greatest stars of the day for inclusion in this unusual set. Rarely does a set have such a high concentration of major stars. More than half the players featured are members of the Hall of Fame: Luke Appling, Joe DiMaggio (not included here), Bob Feller, Jimmie Foxx, Joe Medwick, Mel Ott, and Paul Waner. The condition of the near-complete set grades Vg to Vg-Ex overall, with three lesser (Feller, Moses, and Ott). The condition of the duplicates is Gd to Vg overall, with two lesser (Foxx and Mungo). For years, this has been one of the most overlooked of all 1930s gum issues because grading companies simply did not have holders for this set, but that has very recently changed with the introduction of holders by Beckett that now allow for professional grading and encapsulation of this issue. This is a very attractive mid-grade collection of this rare and condition-sensitive issue. Total: 19 booklets (near set of 12 plus 7 duplicates).