DALLAS – It was the greatest expression of optimism in the history of the trading card industry, launching the Bubble Gum Era of card collecting during the darkest days of the Great Depression. As banks failed and desperate men waited for hours in bread lines, the Goudey Gum Co. broke new ground with a 240-card issue featuring such prewar legends as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Mel Ott.On Jan. 24 Heritage Auctions will scatter those 240 parts to the collecting winds with the presentation of the number one current finest assembly in the PSA set registry, the fourth finest of all time.

“Everybody loves the 1933 Goudey issue,” said Chris Ivy, director of sports auctions at Heritage. “It’s a real thrill to bring the best set in the hobby to our bidding audience.”

Calculated to a combined rating of a remarkable 8.68, the set is broken down into its individual components in this single-consignor event.

Nearly half of the 34 cards graded PSA Mint 9 feature subjects immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame, including Grove, Ott, Hubbell, one Gehrig, two Ruths (#144 and #181) and one of the hobby’s foremost “grails,” the elusive Nap Lajoie #106.

The 1933 Goudey PSA Set Registry Catalog Auction and will close in Extended Bidding format at 10 p.m. Central time Jan. 24 on HA.com.