We are unsure if this never-before-seen bromide baseball card was produced in 1948 or 1949. We do know that it was most likely that this postcard sized card was originally a third prize premium attached to a display sheet. Kaoru "Big Lebowski" Betto, best known in the U.S. for the tee shirt emblazoned with his image worn by Jeff Bridges in the aforementioned movie, was actually known during his career as the "Gentleman of Baseball". In 1948, as a rookie, Betto batted .328 with 13 homers. In 1949, he batted .322 with an impressive 39 homers and 126 RBIs. Fumio Fujimura, affectionately known as "Mr. Tigers", was the heart and soul of the Osaka team from 1936 to 1958. A third baseman, his lifetime batting average was exactly .300. Although he's not a Hall of Famer, Masayasu Kaneda was a star outfielder for the Hanshin Tigers from 1942 to 1957. A left handed batter and a fleet footed runner, the 5' 7", 150 lb. Kaneda put up some big numbers in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He batted over .300 six times. Blank backed card.

Size: 5 1/2" x 3 1/2"

Condition: Vg