Lou Gehrig

The Iron Horse and the Pre-War Game

Lou Gehrig played in 2,130 consecutive games between 1925 and 1939, a record that stood for 56 years until Cal Ripken Jr. surpassed it in 1995. In that span he hit .340, launched 493 home runs, drove in 1,995 runs, won two MVPs, won six World Series titles with the Yankees, and batted cleanup behind Babe Ruth in the most famous lineup in baseball history. He stopped playing not because his skills had declined but because ALS — a disease that would shortly bear his name — was taking his body apart in real time. He delivered his “luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, and was dead by June 1941 at age 37.

In the hobby, Gehrig is one of the anchor names of pre-war baseball. His best-known cards come from the 1933 and 1934 Goudey gum-card sets, and his 1933 Goudey cards sit just below Babe Ruth’s Goudeys at the top of the pre-war gum-card market. For collectors of the 1930s specifically, he is as essential as Ruth — arguably more essential, because his Yankees career spanned the full decade while Ruth’s wound down in the early 1930s.

Gehrig’s collector base is broad. Yankees collectors, ALS awareness organizations, and general vintage collectors all pursue him.

Key Cards to Own

1933 Goudey #92 and #160 — the flagship gum cards

Gehrig appears twice in the 1933 Goudey set: cards #92 and #160. Both are among the most iconic cards of the 1930s. Check the live eBay listings on this page for what is available across grades.

1934 Goudey — the “Lou Gehrig Says…” set

The 1934 Goudey cards carry a “Lou Gehrig says…” banner, a distinctive design among 1930s gum cards.

How to Buy Gehrig Cards

A practical progression:

1. Start with a 1934 Goudey Gehrig. It is a good way into Gehrig’s pre-war gum cards.
2. Move up to a 1933 Goudey #92 or #160 when you are ready. This is the centerpiece Gehrig card of any pre-war collection.

As with Ruth, the pre-war Gehrig market is heavily counterfeited. Never buy raw Gehrig cards from unfamiliar sellers. Grading is essentially mandatory on any Gehrig purchase of consequence.

Parallels & Variations to Know

• 1934 Goudey “Lou Gehrig says…” banner: a banner reading “Lou Gehrig says…” appears on cards in the 1934 Goudey design.
• World Wide Gum Canadian issues: Goudey’s Canadian sister company, World Wide Gum, issued its own 1933 and 1934 sets of similar cards in Canada. Confirm which issue you are buying before buying.
• Reprints and reissues: later reprints and commemorative Gehrig cards are sometimes mistaken for originals. Always verify print year, card stock, and provenance before buying.

Why Gehrig Endures

Gehrig’s place in baseball history is permanent, and his cultural footprint (ALS awareness, the “luckiest man” speech, Yankees iconography) remains durable. Condition matters a great deal on pre-war cards, so buy the best copy you are comfortable with and confirm authenticity before you commit.

Where to Buy Gehrig Cards Today

Graded Gehrig cards trade primarily through major auction houses (Heritage, Goldin, REA, Memory Lane) and specialized pre-war vintage dealers. Amazon is not the right channel for graded pre-war Gehrig singles, but commemorative reprint issues and some late-career graded cards occasionally surface. For collectors interested in the pre-war era broadly, vintage lot boxes and sealed wax-pack repacks occasionally contain Gehrig-era cards. We link to available options below.