Lefty Gomez - 1933 Goudey #216
1933 Goudey #216 Lefty Gomez
No team banner: this card comes from Goudey's late-1933 press sheets 8-10, which dropped the team-name banner from the front design.
About Lefty Gomez
Vernon "Lefty" Gomez (1908-1989), born in Rodeo, California, signed with the San Francisco Seals organization in the late 1920s, pitching for Salt Lake City and the Seals before the New York Yankees purchased his contract for $35,000. He debuted with New York in 1930 and spent virtually his entire 14-year career there (1930-1942), finishing with brief 1943 stints for the Boston Braves and Washington Senators. A hard-throwing left-hander, Gomez went 189-102 with a 3.34 ERA and 1,468 strikeouts, leading the American League in wins (1934, 1937), ERA (1934, 1937), and strikeouts (1933, 1937). He was an All-Star in the very first Midsummer Classic in 1933 and made the team every year through 1939, and he went a perfect 6-0 in World Series play, still a Fall Classic record. Sportswriters dubbed him "Goofy" or "El Goofo" for his colorful, joke-cracking personality; he is also credited with coining the term "gopher ball" after telling reporters outfielders had to "go fer" one home run after another during his rookie season. Famously overmatched at the plate (.147 career average), he later spent decades as a salesman for Wilson Sporting Goods. Gomez was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1972.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 502 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 30 | 52 | 74 | 316 | 9 |
| SGC | 314 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 43 | 240 | 14 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-03. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8). PSA counts are straight-graded.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1933 Goudey Lefty Gomez card?
It is card #216 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 Lefty Gomez with the New York Yankees.
Why does this card have no team banner?
It comes from Goudey's late-1933 press sheets 8-10, which dropped the team-name banner from the front design - 72 cards in the set share the bannerless look.
Is the 1933 Goudey Lefty Gomez #216 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 2026-07-04.