The Kashin Publications issue is extremely under appreciated among collectors, but seems to be beginning to receive the recognition it deserves. Produced by the New York-based company, these oversized cards (3-3/8" x 4-1/2") feature gorgeous art based on Charles Conlon photographs and share poses used in the W552 and W554 sets. The player selection within the set is outstanding, the images are quite appealing, and due to double-printed cards of Babe Ruth, also includes some tough single prints. 

Unquestionably, though, whenever Ruth's likeness appears in a baseball card set during his playing years, it automatically becomes the set's key card. It is no exception with 1929 Kashins. The value of Ruth's card eclipses that of all the others, despite its plentiful nature, in comparison with the other cards in the set.

Of all the Ruth cards, the Kashin is one of the more scarce. Certainly not as scarce as hits early cards, or the truly rare issues like the Butter Cream or the Oxford Confectionary, but still much more scarce than his popular and valuable Goudey cards. Pictured in his famous batting stance wearing his Yankee pinstripes with his weight back, Ruth gazes at an imaginary pitcher, waiting to belt another home run into the stands.

Offered here is a Fair 1.5 graded example from SGC with nice centering. The blank reverse has some soiling and residue from a previous life in a scrapbook or photo album, and while some of that soiling is faintly visible on the front, it is mostly confined to the back. Corners and edges far exceed the grade, though some light surface wear and abrasions (particularly in the top left corner) do keep this one from grading slightly higher.

SGC has only ever graded 175 examples of this blank back R316 Ruth. For comparison's sake, SGC has graded - at minimum - 542 examples of each of his 1933 Goudeys, with the most common example having been graded 710 times by SGC. To say that this card is rare with that context is an understatement. It is our hope that Ruth cards from sets like the R316 Kashin issue continue to rise in popularity due to their scarcity and beauty.