The cards made by Yuasa & Co. in honor of the 1931 U.S. Major League All Star Tour of Japan are rare but well known in the hobby. Nineteen different cards are known to exist, and the set has been designated JBR 105 in the Japanese Baseball Card Checklist & Price Guide, Vintage Edition 2.1.

Recently, we have discovered a second set of cards made by Yuasa, this time for the 1934 Tour. The newly discovered cards will carry the designation JBR 166 in future editions of the Guide.  To date, five different 1934 cards have been found. Like Yuasa's 1931 issue, they are sepiatone, blank backed postcard sized baseball cards. However, unlike the 1931 set, these cards have the Yuasa company logo embossed in a lower corner. Thus far, three different cards of Babe Ruth, one of Lou Gehrig, and another of Ruth, Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx together have been discovered. Only two copies are known of most of these cards.

The card offered in this lot is even scarcer. It is unique--only one example is known. It is also the only card among the five printed in horizontal format. Moreover, it is the only 1934 Yuasa & Co.U.S. All Star Tour card that has been authenticated, graded and encapsulated by PSA. This card is guaranteed to excite collectors of Babe Ruth baseball cards.

The image on the card does not originate from a photo taken in the U.S.. The photo used for this card depicts the Sultan of Swat in his 1934 Japan Tour uniform swinging in front of a stadium packed with Japanese fans. The image appears to have been taken during an actual game. However, there is a photographer with a camera on the field, not too far from Ruth, and he's taking a picture! We assume that the Tour contests were fairly casual, so such nonsense was permitted. After all, we know that Ruth held an umbrella while playing in the outfield during part of one game.

This card has received the grade of Authentic Altered by PSA, because evidently, many decades ago, the card's owner trimmed the left border, probably with a scissors, and quite unevenly, as the card is a bit wider at the top than near the bottom.

Size: 3 3/8" x 5 3/8"

Condition: PSA Authentic Altered