Lot # 673: 1931 W517 #4 Babe Ruth Throwing PSA GOOD 2 - Interesting Printing Anomaly!

Graded GOOD 2 by PSA. The 1931 W517 set features two cards of Babe Ruth. Presented in this lot is card No. 4, which pictures Ruth in a throwing pose. Ruth and Mickey Cochrane are the only players in the 54-card set to be honored with two cards. This is one of Ruth’s most unusual cards. While this is a desirable key card to the set in any condition, the offered example is particularly special for its interesting printing anomaly. This fascinating printing anomaly has resulted in a "ghost-like" image of Ruth. This is a stunning anomaly, one of the most dramatic that we have ever seen on a W517 card. 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 has light creases, honest corner wear, and an irregular hand cut along the top and bottom edges. The blank back is clean. This is an extremely attractive mid-grade example of this distinctive and classic Ruth card.