1933 Goudey #165 Joe Sewell
About Joe Sewell
Joe Sewell's big-league career began out of tragedy: after Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman was fatally beaned in August 1920 and his fill-in was hurt, the Indians bought the 21-year-old's contract from the New Orleans Pelicans, and he debuted that September. Sewell held Cleveland's shortstop job through 1930, then closed his career at third base for the New York Yankees (1931-33), the club and card year shown here. A small (5'5", 155-lb) but relentless contact hitter, he batted .312 for his career with 2,226 hits, 1,055 RBI, and just 49 home runs over 14 seasons. He is best known for his almost unbelievable bat control: he struck out only 114 times in 7,132 career at-bats, and in 1932 whiffed just three times all season in 503 at-bats, still the major-league record for fewest strikeouts in a full season. He swung the same 40-ounce black bat, nicknamed "Black Betsy," for his entire career. Sewell won a World Series with Cleveland in 1920 and was on the field in the 1932 Series when Babe Ruth's "called shot" home run landed, later insisting Ruth had in fact called it. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1977.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 456 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 30 | 27 | 44 | 329 | 5 |
| SGC | 250 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 30 | 199 | 11 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-03. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1933 Goudey Joe Sewell card?
It is card #165 of the 1933 Goudey (R319) Baseball set - the 240-card, 2-3/8 by 2-7/8 inch color-art set issued in 1933 with Big League Chewing Gum. It pictures Joe Sewell with the New York Yankees.
Is the 1933 Goudey Joe Sewell #165 a rookie card?
By modern catalog convention, yes. 1933 Goudey is treated as the hobby's first major nationally distributed gum set, so nearly every card in it carries the rookie-card (RC) designation - a modern label applied retroactively, since many of these players had earlier tobacco, caramel, or strip cards.
How many cards are in the 1933 Goudey set?
240 numbered cards, though collectors usually count 241 collectible cards because #6 Jimmy Dykes exists in an error and a corrected version. Only 239 numbers were in 1933 packs - #106 (Nap Lajoie) was printed in 1934 and issued by mail.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports, and hobby press-sheet research. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-05.