Bromides were generally sold in hanging bundles called "taba." Each taba consisted of many single card paper "packs" tied together with a string. When the purchaser requested a "pack," the candy store owner removed a random pack from the taba. The purchaser was then able to open the "pack" to see which card he had received. Very occasionally, we run across an original unopened taba from the late 1940s or early 1950s. This one houses cards from a 63 card set produced by Yamakatsu. Since there are 114 one card packs in this lot, it is expected that if the cards were removed from the taba, the winning bidder would most likely end up with a near set, if not a complete set.
The most notable cards from this set feature Negro Leaguers John Brittian and Jimmy Newberry, and Hawaiians Tsutomu Yaji, Jun Hirota and Bill Nishita. All five cards are rookie cards. Brittian and Newberry were the first African American players to play in Japan Pro Baseball. The Hawaiians were part of an influx which resulted from the success of Wally Yonamine the previous year.
There are 28 cards in this set that depict Japan Hall of Fame Members: Wally Yonamine (2 diff.), Michio Nishizawa (2 diff.), Shigeru Sugishita (2 diff.), Michinori Tsubouchi, Takehiko Bessho (3 diff.), Shigeru Chiba, Hideo Fujimoto (2 diff.), Tetsuharu Kawakami (2 diff.), Tokuji Iida, Futoshi Nakanishi (rookie), Hiroshi Oshita (2 diff.), Kaoru Betto (2 diff.), Masaichi Kaneda (2 diff.), Fumio Fujimura (2 diff.), Juzo Sanada and Yoshiyuki Iwamoto (2 diff.).
All cards are blank backed.
Size: Each card is 1 3/4" x 2 1/2". The taba is 3" x 4" x 2".
Condition: The example card on the taba cover has surface abrasions. The taba string has decomposed, and only about 1/2 of the taba still has the string running through it. It is expected that nearly all cards will be Nm/Mt and Mint. This taba is original and unsearched.
Please visit us at the 27th National Sports Collectors Convention July 26-30, 2006
Anaheim Convention Center Booth #1502