Black and white "tobacco style" menko are scarcer than their colorized brethren. Among these originally underappreciated sets, JCM 43c stands out as one of the least often seen varieties. Very similar styles were produced in 1959 (JCM 43d--88 different cards known) and 1960 (JCM 43e--59 different cards known), so it has always been assumed that there are more than the 30 JCM 43c cards listed in the most recent Japanese Baseball Card Checklist and Price Guide. And now we finally have proof positive. It has taken nearly two decades of combing flea markets, antique stores, card shows, online auctions, etc. in Japan to unearth these newly identified cards. Chief among them is a rookie card of Japan's cultural icon, Shigeo Nagashima. Nagashima is shown holding a bat and squatting. There are eight cards of Japan HOFers in this lot. Those previously unknown are marked with asterisks. Shigeo Nagashima rookie (at bat, waist up), Shigeo Nagashima rookie (squatting)*, Tadashi Sugiura rookie, Masaaki Koyama (320 wins), Akira Ogi*, Yasumitsu Toyoda*, Shigeru Mizuhara* and Tatsuro Hirooka*. Others (previously uncatalogued): Kaiser Tanaka (Hawaii)-Tigers, Moroki-Tigers, Owada-Carp, Morinaga-Carp, Yamamoto-Flyers, Fujii-Carp, Hanai-Lions, Tamakoshi-Lions, Naito-Giants, Ishikawa-Tigers, Motoyashiki-Braves. Others (previously catalogued): Takakura-Lions, Kosaka-Carp, Matsuoka-Flyers, Kodama-Pearls. If you appreciate truly scarce issues, this lot is definitely for you.
Size: Each card is 1 13/16" x 3".
Condition: Range-Fair to Vg. Average: Good.
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