Auction #18 - October 2024
The 1933 Goudey Indian series is one of the quintessential dozen or so nonsports sets issued from the 1880's to 1970's. It's one of the more widely collected sets due to the variety of ways it can be collected. Although the set is entitled "Indian Gum", it pictures not only Indians, but settlers and well known Western figures as well. Many of the cards picture headshots of a single Indian while others picture action scenes of a number of people in frontier life. Popular subjects in the set include well known figures like Sitting Bull and Pocahantas, Daniel Boone, Davie Crockett, Jim Bridger, Colonel Bowie and others.
The set was apparently issued in series with multiples of (24) cards and printed on sheets in a similar manner. The set numbers 216 different numbers with many of the numbers having associated varieties. Within the sets, the most noticeable varieties are differences in card backs. The card backs generally say "This is a series of XXX cards". The different series associated with the set on the backs are 24, 48, 96, 192, 264, 288 and 312. Different series are tougher than others and sometimes different cards within a series are tougher than other cards within that series. Although there are 216 different card numbers, a total of 432 different combinations can be found--some of which are very difficult and very expensive.
This complete Set of R73 Goudey Gum Indian Gum cards largely falls between VG and EX with most cards being VG to VGEX. There are a small amount of Fair to Good cards interspersed int the set as well. All cards have been scanned front and back and are in the attached PDF which can be blown up to any size. There are (3) PSA-Graded cards in the set to include the following subjects: #187 (PSA2 Good), #188 (PSA2.5 Good+) and #191 (PSA1.5 Fair).
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