While the JCM 33e Type 1 set is not a super scarce issue in general, card #134545 of Sadaharu Oh is almost never seen. The card features a chest up portrait of Oh during his rookie season. He is seen holding another player's bat! The bat belonged to seldom used catcher, Katsumi Kato. Unlike all other cards in the set, there is no text on the front! Oh's image is very dark and cloudy, and is more photographic than all other cards in the set. On the back, Oh's biographical information is missing!

Sadaharu Oh's rookie season was highly anticipated by the Japanese public. Thus, we surmise that this card may have been issued late in the print run in order to satisfy disappointed customers who bemoaned the lack of an Oh card in the original set. Another theory is that the card was part of the earliest print run, but that it was pulled at some point due to the faded quality of the image.

We'll probably never know why the card is so rare, but we do know that only three examples of this card have ever been seen, and that the last time an example was publicly sold or auctioned was more than 20 years ago. Moreover, the card offered here is the only example ever encapsulated by PSA. This card is in far better condition than the previously seen examples.

This card would be the centerpiece of any Sadaharu Oh baseball card collection.

Size: 1 13/16" x 3"

Condition: PSA 6 (Ex/Mt)