1934 World Wide Gum

The 1934 World Wide Gum set consists of 94 cards, each one measuring 2-3/8” x 2-7/8”. (The World Wide Gum company was the Canadian counterpart of U.S.-based Goudey). Card fronts bear white borders with colorful, artistic illustrations. The words “Big League Chewing Gum” are printed in white lettering within a red stripe near the bottom. The green-ink backs (which also carry the Big League name and a block of text) were printed in English, though some examples were printed in both French and English exist and are somewhat more difficult to find. Card #s 1 to 48 have the same format as the 1933 American Goudey issue; #s 49 to 96 have the same format as the 1934 American Goudey issue, and also have the “Lou Gehrig Says” endorsement on the front of the cards. The key cards in this Canadian issue belong to Babe Ruth (#28) and Lou Gehrig (#92). It is also anchored by Rogers Hornsby (#1), Tris Speaker (#29), Dizzy Dean (#55), and Jimmie Foxx (#58). There is some speculation that the final 24 examples were printed in far greater numbers than the remaining cards in the set.