1933 Goudey #106 Napoleon Lajoie
The 1933 Goudey set is one of the pillars of pre-war baseball card collecting, featuring 240 colorful cards of baseball's biggest stars packed inside penny gum packs during the depths of the Great Depression. But card #106, Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, was not distributed in packs. It was withheld, almost certainly as a marketing ploy to keep children buying gum in hopes of completing the set. The only way to obtain a Lajoie was to write directly to Goudey and request one. This deliberate scarcity makes the 1933 Goudey Lajoie one of the rarest and most fascinating cards in the entire hobby.
The Missing Card Strategy
Goudey Gum Company, based in Boston, began producing baseball cards in 1933 as pack inserts to drive gum sales. The set featured gorgeously painted player portraits by anonymous commercial artists, with brief biographical information on the backs. The cards were numbered 1 through 240, and kids across America collected them avidly.
But those who tried to complete the set discovered that card #106 was nowhere to be found. No amount of gum purchasing would yield a Lajoie. The card simply was not included in regular distribution.
Whether this was an intentional marketing strategy or a production oversight has been debated for decades. The prevailing theory is that Goudey deliberately withheld the card to encourage continued purchases, then offered to mail it to collectors who wrote in requesting the missing number. The company produced a limited number of Lajoie cards, likely in 1934, and mailed them individually to those who asked.
Napoleon Lajoie: The Player
Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie was a second baseman who played from 1896 to 1916, primarily for the Cleveland franchise (which was actually named the "Naps" in his honor for much of his tenure). His career .338 batting average and three batting titles made him one of the dominant players of the dead-ball era. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1937.
By 1933, Lajoie had been retired for 17 years, which made his inclusion in the set somewhat unusual. His selection for the withheld card suggests that Goudey may have chosen a less contemporary player specifically because collectors would not consider his absence suspicious until they had already invested heavily in the set.
Card Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Set | 1933 Goudey Big League Chewing Gum |
| Card Number | #106 |
| Player | Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie |
| Size | 2-3/8" x 2-7/8" |
| Printing | Color lithography (hand-painted original) |
| Distribution | Mail-only (not in gum packs) |
| Estimated Population | ~50-100 authenticated examples |
| Back Text | Brief biography |
| Set Total | 240 cards |
Condition Guide and Value Table
The mail-only distribution means most surviving Lajoie cards show handling evidence consistent with being mailed in an envelope without protective packaging. Truly high-grade examples are extraordinarily rare.
| Grade | Condition | Estimated Value |
|---|---|---|
| PSA 8 (NM-MT) | Near impossible | $300,000+ |
| PSA 7 (NM) | Exceptional | $150,000 - $250,000 |
| PSA 6 (EX-MT) | Very scarce | $80,000 - $150,000 |
| PSA 5 (EX) | Uncommon | $50,000 - $90,000 |
| PSA 4 (VG-EX) | Moderate wear | $30,000 - $60,000 |
| PSA 3 (VG) | Significant wear | $20,000 - $40,000 |
| PSA 2 (Good) | Heavy wear | $12,000 - $25,000 |
| PSA 1 (Poor) | Severe damage | $8,000 - $15,000 |
Condition Grades Explained
NM-MT (PSA 8): Nearly perfect. The card survived its mail journey and subsequent decades of ownership in remarkable condition. Possibly fewer than five examples exist at this grade.
NM (PSA 7): Excellent condition with only minor wear. The hand-painted lithographic image retains full color and detail.
EX-MT to EX (PSA 5-6): Light to moderate wear consistent with age and mail handling. Corners show some wear, edges may have minor roughness.
VG-EX to VG (PSA 3-4): Noticeable wear. The card has been handled over many decades but remains structurally intact and visually appealing.
Good and below (PSA 1-2): Heavy wear, creasing, or damage. Still valuable due to extreme rarity.
Authentication Concerns
The Lajoie's high value makes counterfeiting a concern:
Reprints: Multiple reprints of the 1933 Goudey set have been produced over the decades. Genuine cards can be distinguished by card stock, printing characteristics, and aging patterns.
The 1934 question: The Lajoie card was likely printed in 1934, and some experts believe the print quality and card stock differ slightly from the 1933-produced cards in the set. This is a feature, not a flaw, and actually helps with authentication.
Professional grading: Given the value, only professionally graded examples from PSA, SGC, or BGS should be considered for purchase.
Market Trends and Investment Outlook
The Lajoie's unique backstory and genuine scarcity support strong long-term values:
Great story: The "missing card" narrative is one of the best stories in the hobby. It drives interest from collectors, historians, and casual fans alike.
True rarity: With perhaps 50-100 authenticated examples total, this is a genuinely rare card, not a card made scarce only by condition sensitivity.
Set completion demand: Serious Goudey set collectors need the Lajoie, creating inelastic demand.
Pre-war premium: The pre-war segment of the hobby continues to attract sophisticated collectors and investors.
Why the 1933 Goudey Lajoie Belongs in a Serious Collection
The 1933 Goudey Napoleon Lajoie is one of collecting's great mysteries wrapped in one of its great treasures. The story of the missing card, the marketing strategy, the children writing letters to a gum company during the Depression, and the tiny number of cards that were actually produced creates a narrative that elevates this piece of cardboard into something approaching mythology. For the collector who values story as much as scarcity, there are few cards in the hobby that deliver both as powerfully.
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