The 1939 Goudey R303 sets are among the most interesting of the 1930s gum issues. In addition to being noted for its popular Big League Gum baseball cards, the Goudey Gum Company was an aggressive and innovative marketer. One of their more successful ventures involved the development of premiums - large-sized photos of popular ballplayers meant to be supplements to their mainstream baseball card sets. Premiums were issued beginning in 1934 effectively a "reward" for buying lots of Goudey gum and cards. The promotions were a hit setting the stage for sports premium redemption offers throughout the decade not only from Goudey but from many other companies as well. As the Great Depression began to take its toll on the country sportscard manufacturers began feeling the heat and in 1937 the Goudey Gum Company was able to purchase the assets of the bankrupt National Chicle company, which included the "Diamond Stars" brand. During that year, Goudey did not release a mainstream baseball set (although it did release a 26-book "Thumb Movies" set and a 24-card "Knot Hole League" set as well as a 69-card license plates set and an Ice Kings hockey set). It was not until 1938's "Heads Up" baseball set that Goudey re-entered the baseball card arena. However 1937 and 38 saw no new baseball premium sets manufactured by Goudey. It wasn"t until 1939 that Goudey re-entered this arena with the set that is perhaps the crowning achievement of 1930s premium collections: the "Diamond Stars" premiums. Finally using the Diamond Stars brand that was purchased in 1937, Goudey issued three distinct premium sets in the US. The sets which featured oversized cards printed in three different tones (brown black and white and sepia) featured a small assortment of baseball stars of the day. The images produced from photographs using a photo-lithograph process are beautiful representations of both action and portrait shots of the baseball heroes of the 1930s. The reverse included illustrated tips derived from the National Chicle Rabbit Maranville "How To" booklets that were initially inserted into high-number packs of National Chicle's Batter-Up cards in 1936.  

This beauty features Hall of Famer Jimmy Foxx, leaping over the first base bag to snare a liner (one of the most common poses of the era).  Due to the fact that these oversized cards were printed on thin paper and susceptible to condition flaws of all types, this is one of just five examples graded EX-MT, with only three higher.  A fantastic, high-grade example of a key Hall of Famer from a fascinating set.