1933 Goudey #118 Val Picinich
About Val Picinich
Val Picinich was a durable, sure-handed catcher who broke into pro ball straight out of the sandlots — he caught for the New York Athletic Club as a teenager, spent a year at Princeton, and was signed by the Yankees before landing with Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics, bypassing the minor leagues entirely and debuting on July 25, 1916. Over 18 major-league seasons (1916-1933) he caught for the Athletics, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Robins/Dodgers, and Pittsburgh Pirates, batting .258 with 26 home runs and 298 RBI in 1,037 games. Picinich's defining distinction was rare workhorse skill behind the plate: he caught three no-hitters — Joe Bush's for the A's in 1916, Howard Ehmke's for Boston in 1923, and, most notably, Walter Johnson's 1-0 no-hitter in 1920 — and served for roughly five seasons in Washington as the Big Train's personal catcher, reportedly working nearly all of Johnson's starts during that stretch. His best offensive year came in 1928 with Cincinnati (.302, 7 home runs, 35 RBIs). By the time Goudey pictured him with Brooklyn in its 1933 debut set, he was in the final stretch of his career, finishing that same season with Pittsburgh. He later managed in the minors and worked at Bath Iron Works in Maine during World War II while scouting for the New York Giants; he died in Nobleboro, Maine, in December 1942 at age 46.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 337 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 19 | 34 | 44 | 226 | 5 |
| SGC | 146 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 22 | 105 | 9 |
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 Val Picinich card?
It is card #118 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 Val Picinich with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Is the 1933 Goudey Val Picinich #118 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.