Mel Ott - 1933 Goudey #127
1933 Goudey #127 Mel Ott
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. Sheet 10 was the "World Series" sheet — split evenly between the pennant-winning Senators and Giants and released after the Series ended on October 7, 1933.
About Mel Ott
Melvin Thomas Ott was born March 2, 1909, in Gretna, Louisiana. At just 16, he was brought to the New York Giants by legendary manager John McGraw, who kept the teenager on the bench beside him to protect his unorthodox swing rather than send him to the minors. That swing became Ott's trademark: a distinctive high leg kick timed to the pitch that generated surprising power despite his small frame. Ott debuted in 1926 and spent his entire 22-year career with the Giants, moving from bench prodigy to regular right fielder in 1928. His 1929 breakout season - 42 home runs and 151 RBI - remains a record for a player 20 or younger. By his 1933 card year, "Master Melvin" was the Giants' offensive anchor as New York won the NL pennant and beat Washington in the World Series; Ott hit .389 in that Series. An 11-time All-Star, he finished with a .304 average, 511 home runs, 1,860 RBI, and 2,876 hits, becoming the first National League player to reach 500 home runs. He later served as the Giants' player-manager (1942-1948). Ott was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1951. He died in 1958 after a car accident near New Orleans.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 673 | 1 | 6 | 30 | 38 | 61 | 104 | 421 | 12 |
| SGC | 436 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 40 | 334 | 40 |
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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Related cards
More Mel Ott in this set: #207
More New York Giants cards:
- #3 Hughie Critz
- #20 Bill Terry
- #41 Gus Mancuso
- #52 Andy Cohen
- #84 Glenn Spencer
- #102 Travis Jackson
- #125 Bill Terry
- #126 Jo-Jo Moore
- #129 Hal Schumacher
- #130 Freddie Fitzsimmons
- #142 Paul Richards
- #207 Mel Ott
- #208 Bernie James
- #209 Dolf Luque
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1933 Goudey Mel Ott card?
It is card #127 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 Mel Ott with the New York Giants.
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. This card is from sheet 10, the World Series sheet, split evenly between the pennant-winning Senators and Giants and released after the Series ended on October 7, 1933.
Is the 1933 Goudey Mel Ott #127 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.