Rube Walberg - 1933 Goudey #183
1933 Goudey #183 Rube Walberg
About Rube Walberg
George Elvin "Rube" Walberg (1896-1978) was a left-handed pitcher discovered throwing chunks of coal at fence posts in his brother's Seattle coal yard, which led to a contract with the Portland Beavers (Pacific Coast League) in 1922. He reached the majors with the New York Giants in 1923, then spent the bulk of his 15-year career with Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics (1923-1933) before finishing with the Boston Red Sox (1934-1937). He went 155-141 with a 4.16 ERA and 1,085 strikeouts across 544 games (2,644 innings, 140 complete games, 15 shutouts), anchoring the A's rotation during their 1929-1931 pennant-winning dynasty. His best year was 1931, when he won 20 games and led the American League with 291 innings pitched. Walberg pitched in three World Series (1929-1931), posting a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings and helping the A's win the 1929 and 1930 championships. Like other left-handers of that generation, he inherited the era's generic nickname for lefty pitchers, "Rube," a tag traceable to the eccentric Hall of Famer Rube Waddell. He carved out a peculiar niche as the pitcher Babe Ruth victimized most, surrendering 17 home runs to Ruth and 11 more to Lou Gehrig -- the only two hitters who topped him for double-digit homers over his career.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 287 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 30 | 37 | 42 | 161 | 4 |
| SGC | 126 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 94 | 3 |
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 Rube Walberg in this set: #145
More Philadelphia Athletics cards:
- #29 Jimmie Foxx
- #59 Bing Miller
- #61 Max Bishop
- #76 Mickey Cochrane
- #82 Dib Williams
- #145 Rube Walberg
- #154 Jimmie Foxx
- #196 Roy Mahaffey
- #220 Lefty Grove
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1933 Goudey Rube Walberg card?
It is card #183 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 Rube Walberg with the Philadelphia Athletics.
Is the 1933 Goudey Rube Walberg #183 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.