Lot # 75: 1959 JCM 32g Scoreboard Back Menko Uncut Pair--Masaichi Kaneda (HOF) & Kitagawa

Category: Baseball Cards

Starting Bid: $50.00

Bids: 0 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
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This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Auction 63: Ended 4/9/2022",
which ran from 3/26/2022 7:00 PM to
4/9/2022 11:00 PM



Black & white tobacco style menko are generally scarcer than their color counterparts, as children tended to prefer the color issues. This uncut pair was hand cut by the manufacturer from a sheet. We feel that the pair was most likely then offered to the public in a hanging bundle consisting of uncut pairs, since there is no trace of glue, extra paper, or missing paper as a result of having been originally offered on a prize sheet.

Yoshio Kitagawa (left hand card) and Masaichi Kaneda (right) were the anchors of the Kokutetsu Swallows pitching staff in 1959. Kitagawa, while only a rookie, pitched a robust 322 2/3 innings that season while going 18-20 with and ERA of 2.51. While 1959 wasn't one of Kaneda's best seasons, he did strike out a league leading 313 batters in 304 1/3 innings, while going 21-19 with a 2.54 ERA. The Swallows finished in 4th place in the six team Central League that year.

The Kitagawa card is listed in the Japanese Baseball Card Checklist & Price Guide, Vintage Edition 2.1 as "close-up sitting". The Kaneda card is listed as "full body--end delivery".

Size: Each card is 1 13/16" x 3". The uncut pair is 3 5/8" x 3".

Condition: The uncut pair would grade Nm/Mt, hand cut, except that the Kaneda card surface has a small chip at bottom near the right edge. Both cards have wide borders.

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