Babe Ruth
1933 Goudey · #53
Babe Ruth #53 (Base yellow-background #53, PSA 8): last verified sale $942,000 on May 22, 2022 (Memory Lane, Inc.). Not enough verified sales in the last 90 days for a market price. Source: CardVolume, cardvolume.com/sports/baseball/1933-goudey-babe-ruth-53/, as of Sep 27, 2026.
Babe Ruth #53 (Base yellow-background #53, PSA 3.5): no verified sales on record. Source: CardVolume, cardvolume.com/sports/baseball/1933-goudey-babe-ruth-53/, as of Sep 27, 2026.
Babe Ruth #53 (Base yellow-background #53, PSA 2.5): last verified sale $15,600 on Jul 22, 2025 (eBay). Not enough verified sales in the last 90 days for a market price. Source: CardVolume, cardvolume.com/sports/baseball/1933-goudey-babe-ruth-53/, as of Sep 27, 2026.
Babe Ruth #53 (Base yellow-background #53, PSA 2): last verified sale $10,999 on Aug 31, 2025 (eBay). Not enough verified sales in the last 90 days for a market price. Source: CardVolume, cardvolume.com/sports/baseball/1933-goudey-babe-ruth-53/, as of Sep 27, 2026.
Babe Ruth #53 (Base yellow-background #53, PSA 1): last verified sale $9,760 on Aug 24, 2026 (Heritage Auctions). Not enough verified sales in the last 90 days for a market price. Source: CardVolume, cardvolume.com/sports/baseball/1933-goudey-babe-ruth-53/, as of Sep 27, 2026.
Babe Ruth #53 (Base yellow-background #53, PSA Authentic): last verified sale $5,206 on Jul 14, 2025 (eBay). Not enough verified sales in the last 90 days for a market price. Source: CardVolume, cardvolume.com/sports/baseball/1933-goudey-babe-ruth-53/, as of Sep 27, 2026.
Values as of Sep 27, 2026 in USD. Market price = median of at least 5 qualifying sales of this exact version and grade in the last 90 days. Methodology
Key facts
- CardVolume lists 20 verified sales of the 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 as of September 27, 2026.
- No grade has the 5 verified sales in 90 days needed for a market price; the most recent verified sale was $9,760 for a Base yellow-background #53 PSA 1 on August 24, 2026 at Heritage Auctions.
- The highest verified sale on record is $942,000 for a Base yellow-background #53 PSA 8 on May 22, 2022 at Memory Lane, Inc..
Updated · Only verified or cross-checked sales count · How we verify · Data: Markdown, JSON
Sales history
| Date | Version | Grade | Price | Venue | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2026 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 2 · cert 08042153 | $18,000 | Fanatics Collect auction Lot 22282 | Excluded | Open |
| Aug 24, 2026 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 1 · cert 24445009 | $9,760 | Heritage Auctions auction Lot 50087-245002 | Cross-checked | Open |
| Aug 17, 2026 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 1 · cert 61949235 | $14,145 | Robert Edward Auctions auction Lot summer-2026-196173. Reported as a record for this grade | Cross-checked | Open |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 1 · cert 160219021 | $12,000 | eBay fixed Lot 800248731050 | Cross-checked | Open |
| Apr 27, 2026 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 1 · cert 41562561 | $8,553 hammer, excl. premium | eBay auction PSA Auction Prices Realized entry; eBay auction. | Verified | Open |
| Oct 27, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 1 · cert 44349777 | $7,175 | eBay auction Lot 365910528226 | Verified | Open |
| Aug 31, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 2 · cert 18801227 | $10,999 hammer, excl. premium | eBay auction PSA Auction Prices Realized entry; eBay auction. | Verified | Open |
| Aug 12, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 1 · cert 58117198 | $5,602 | eBay auction Lot 365777699201 | Verified | Open |
| Aug 11, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 1 · cert 63179338 | $6,417 | eBay auction Lot 286746812315 | Verified | Open |
| Jul 24, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 2 · cert 06380502 | $12,544 | eBay auction Lot 297474662133 | Verified | Open |
| Jul 22, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 1 · cert 64819734 | $5,501 | eBay auction Lot 177258868719 | Verified | Open |
| Jul 22, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 2.5 · cert 44583997 | $15,600 | eBay auction Lot 388696211281 | Verified | Open |
| Jul 16, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 1 · cert 85985804 | $6,500 | eBay auction Lot 226856336376 | Verified | Open |
| Jul 14, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA Authentic · cert 68206018 | $5,206 | eBay auction Lot 157145379761. Reported as a record for this grade | Verified | Open |
| Jun 27, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 2 · cert 06380502 | $13,131 | eBay auction Lot 297406193944 | Verified | Open |
| Mar 12, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 2 · cert 53744244 | $13,570 | eBay auction Lot 376041539416 | Verified | Open |
| Mar 5, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA Authentic · cert 26859017 | $3,050 | eBay auction Lot 376016127698 | Verified | Open |
| Jan 21, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 1 · cert 42473284 | $3,300 | eBay auction Lot 167251254186 | Verified | Open |
| Jan 19, 2025 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 2 · cert 64980510 | $12,521 | eBay auction Lot 326403576882 | Verified | Open |
| Nov 26, 2024 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA Authentic · cert 63620352 | $2,274 | eBay auction Lot 296827199088 | Reported | Open |
| Nov 11, 2024 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 2 · cert 24719042 | $10,600 | eBay auction Lot 305871519816 | Reported | Open |
| Nov 4, 2024 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 3.5 · cert 28520855 | $17,755 | eBay auction Lot 156475046251 | Reported | Open |
| Oct 28, 2024 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 2.5 · cert 95162640 | $16,766 | eBay auction Lot 326307506506. Reported as a record for this grade | Reported | Open |
| May 22, 2022 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 8 · cert 15847823 | $942,000 | Memory Lane, Inc. auction Lot 1. Reported as a record for this grade | Verified | Open |
| Nov 17, 2016 | Base yellow-background #53 | PSA 8 | $203,150 incl. buyer's premium | Heritage Auctions auction Heritage sold-price page; Heritage auction results are reported as sold price. | Cross-checked | Open |
Verified: an editor or automated check confirmed the figure on the source page. Cross-checked: an independent second research pass reopened the source and confirmed it. Reported: cited by research but not re-checked; never used in metrics. 1 sale was excluded (reasons on hover). Asking prices are never listed here.
Price chart
Base yellow-background #53 · PSA 8
Base yellow-background #53 · PSA 3.5
Fewer than two qualifying sales for PSA 3.5; no chart.
Base yellow-background #53 · PSA 2.5
Fewer than two qualifying sales for PSA 2.5; no chart.
Base yellow-background #53 · PSA 2
Base yellow-background #53 · PSA 1
Base yellow-background #53 · PSA Authentic
Graded population
| Version | Grader | Grade | Count | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base yellow-background #53 | PSA | 9 | 1 | Sep 26, 2026 | Open |
| Base yellow-background #53 | PSA | 8 | 15 | Sep 26, 2026 | Open |
| Base yellow-background #53 | PSA | 1 | 318 | Sep 26, 2026 | Open |
Population counts copies graded by one company in one grade. It is not a print run and it grows with every submission. Why population is not print run
Grading math for this card
Prefilled with the latest qualifying sale for each grade where one exists. Replace any value with your own. We never suggest what grade your copy will get.
Formula from Grading: condition, uncertainty, and economics: grading pays only if your honest chance of the high grade exceeds (raw net + cost − other-outcome net) ÷ (high-grade net − other-outcome net). The 13% fee is an editable assumption, not a quoted tariff.
About Babe Ruth
The 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 is one of four Ruth cards in the 1933 Goudey baseball set. Collectors search for it because #53 has its own yellow-background image and its own grade-specific market separate from the other Ruth numbers.
Why this card matters
Verified factThe 1933 Goudey set is a central prewar baseball issue, and Ruth appears on four different cards within it. Card #53 is the yellow-background batting pose, so it should not be priced from the other Ruth numbers. Heritage’s PSA 8 lot description notes that #53 is one of the prized Ruth entries and says it is noticeably scarcer than the other Ruth cards at many preservation levels. PSA CardFacts separately tracks #53 with its own auction prices and population table. [1][2]
Identifying the exact version
AnalysisIdentify the card by set, number, and image: 1933 Goudey #53, Babe Ruth, yellow background. Do not merge it with Goudey #144, #149, #181, Sport Kings Ruth, or later reprints. Slab labels should be checked for card number, qualifier, and grade. A PSA 8 with no qualifier, a PSA 8 (OC), a PSA 1, and a raw card are different market objects even though the front image is the same basic card. [1][2][3]
What moves the price between versions and grades
AnalysisThe observed price spread is mostly grade and eye-appeal driven. PSA CardFacts, opened on 2026-09-26, displayed a PSA 9 population of 1 and PSA 8 population of 15, while the auction-price table showed lower-grade eBay transactions in 2025 and 2026. Heritage’s 2016 PSA 8 sale gives a documented high-grade auction example, but recent lower-grade PSA Auction Prices Realized entries are not substitutes for PSA 8 or PSA 9 comps. [1][2]
Authenticity checks
Verified factCompare against official references; use multiple checks; avoid destructive tests; copied cert numbers exist. For Goudey #53, verify card number, yellow-background art, back design, paper stock, size, and any qualifier on the slab. Check PSA or another grader’s cert page, but also compare the physical holder and card images to the auction or seller photos. PSA states that copied certification numbers can appear on counterfeit inserts, so cert lookup is only one part of authentication. [3][4]
What people get wrong about this card
Based on the claims our guides decline to adopt: Risk and strategy · Case studies and corrections
Frequently asked questions
How much is a PSA 1 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 worth from recent sales?
How much did a PSA 8 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 sell for at Heritage?
How many PSA 9 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 cards exist?
Is #53 the same as the red Goudey Ruth?
Should I use eBay PSA 1 sales to price a raw copy?
Are qualifiers important on 1933 Goudey Ruth #53?
Sources
- 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 — PSA CardFacts (accessed Sep 26, 2026)
- 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth #53 PSA NM-MT 8 — Heritage Auctions (accessed Sep 26, 2026)
- PSA Grading Standards — PSA (accessed Sep 26, 2026)
- PSA Cert Verification — PSA (accessed Sep 26, 2026)
Not yet established
- PSA CardFacts displayed current population counts but did not expose a separate source-stated population snapshot date.
- A dated opened source page for the PSA 9 $4,212,000 sale was not established in this pass.
Research: Codex research pass (live web) · automated source checks · independent cross-check · generated Sep 26, 2026 · reviewed by CardVolume editorial (owner-approved) on Sep 27, 2026 · updated Sep 27, 2026. Found an error? Report it.