Presented to a Japanese participant in the 1931 U.S. Tour of Japan, this medal is currently nestled in the original presentation box. The Japanese text on the box lid states, "U.S./Japan Great Baseball Match" (left column) and "Commemorative Participatory Medal" (right column). The same legend is repeated in English on the obverse of the medal itself, along with an image of a play at home plate in relief, and the Roman numerals for 1931 at the bottom. The medal reverse contains a winged baseball with a U.S. and Japanese flags motif. The Japanese text at the bottom reads "Japan/U.S. Great Baseball Match, sponsored by Yomiuri Shimbun, Co." This is one of only two examples known in the hobby.

The 1931 U.S. Major League All-Star Tour of Japan was the first Tour in which an entire team consisting of top American Major Leaguers ventured to the Land of the Rising Sun. The U.S. cast of players included Hall of Famers Lou Gehrig, Lefty Grove, Mickey Cochrane, George Kelly, Frankie Frisch, Rabbit Maranville, Al Simmons and Japan HOFer Lefty O'Doul. 17 games were played between the Americans and various Japanese squads consisting primarily of university players, with the Americans prevailing in every contest. The star performance of the series was Lefty Grove's 0.00 ERA for the Tour with 38 innings pitched!

Size: Approximately 1" x 1 3/4"

Condition: Surface wear on both sides of the medal--Overall Vg to Vg/Ex. The box lid has a black smudge near the right edge, some fading of the embedded text, and various nicks.