Early this summer we were referred by a longtime consignor to a New Jersey gentleman who claimed to have acquired a number of 1933 Goudey cards among them the coveted Nap Lajoie rarity. Suffice to say that as an auction house the percentage of outside-the-hobby referrals of rarities like Honus Wagner cards Goudey Lajoies Lou Gehrig bats and the like that turn out to be authentic is extremely small. Still we investigate each one and thus our travels brought us to a central New Jersey home late one afternoon. Joining our potential consignor in his kitchen he produced a small pile of Goudeys - mostly trimmed poor condition commons and a few minor Hall of Famers. All were authentic however as was the card that was easily the nicest and cleanest of all the cards in his possession - this example of the rare Lajoie. A fresh Lajoie! We happily shared our excitement with the gentleman as we explained the legend of this card and how the Goudey Gum Company withheld card #106 from its 1933 set in an effort to encourage kids to buy more and more gum searching for the elusive card. Only those collectors who wrote and complained received the card in the mail - card #106 featuring the future Hall of Famer who by 1933 had been retired for more than 15 seasons. We presented the card to PSA at The National Sports Collectors Convention and received a grade of VG+ 3.5 the card's primary flaws relating to corner and edge wear some mild toning and a small scuff of some sort at Lajoie's chin. The centering is exemplary for this particular card the image sharp and clear. An outstanding example of one of the hobby's most desirable cards the elusive 1933 Goudey #106 Nap Lajoie.