John Britton and Jimmy Newberry were the first two African American ex-Negro leaguers to play in Japan Pro Baseball. Both made their debuts in 1952 with the Hankyu Braves. The two players had been teammates with the Birmingham
Black Barons of the Negro American League during the mid to late 1940s, and more recently had been St. Louis Browns farmhands. Bill Veeck, the Browns' owner, loaned both players to the Hankyu Braves for the 1952 season. Britton, a
third baseman, performed especially well in 1952 batting .316. Newberry, a pitcher, had an 11-10, 3.22 record. Newberry returned to the U.S. after the 1952 season, while Britton played a second year in Japan. The two players signed
this page of an unknown magazine over their images in blue ink. The Japanese text below refers to their being the first two African American players in Japan Pro Baseball, their team, etc. The number "2" is written in ink in the upper right
hand corner. On the other side of the page, Hall of Famer Yukio Nishimoto has autographed his small round photo (upper right). Also, there are photos with autographs of lesser lights Michio Fujii and Yuzo Shimada.
Size: 6 3/4" x 10 1/2"
Condition: Autographs--Britton 7.5, Newberry--9, Nishimoto--7, Others--5 to 7. Magazine page--An edge chip and a corner chip, plus a few creases. The image portion is beautiful.