Russ Van Atta - 1933 Goudey #215
1933 Goudey #215 Russ Van Atta
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 Russ Van Atta
Russell "Sheriff" Van Atta was a left-handed pitcher from Augusta, New Jersey, signed by Yankees scout Paul Krichell in 1928 after playing at Penn State. He spent several seasons in the minors with Hartford and the St. Paul Saints before making one of the most sensational major-league debuts in history: on April 25, 1933, he shut out Washington 16-0 while going 4-for-4 at the plate, becoming the only American League pitcher to collect four hits in his big-league debut. He rode that start to a 12-4 rookie season, tying Lefty Grove for the AL lead in winning percentage (.750) as the Yankees' 1933 staff backed up a Senators pennant race elsewhere in the league. Van Atta's promise was cut short that December when he badly cut his pitching hand rescuing his dog from a house fire, severing a nerve that sapped his control for the rest of his career. He pitched for the Yankees (1933-35) and St. Louis Browns (1935-39), finishing 33-41 with a 5.60 ERA over seven seasons. Out of baseball, he was elected Sheriff of Sussex County, New Jersey in 1941 with the public backing of his friend Babe Ruth, a nickname that stuck with him for life.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 258 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 25 | 37 | 47 | 131 | 3 |
| SGC | 124 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 23 | 82 | 2 |
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 Russ Van Atta card?
It is card #215 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 Russ Van Atta 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 Russ Van Atta #215 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.