Lot # 32: 1952 JF 72 Lotte Gum Lot of 3 Cards--RARE

Category: Baseball Cards

Starting Bid: $80.00

Bids: 1 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Auction 56 Ended 11/17/2019",
which ran from 10/29/2019 2:00 PM to
11/16/2019 11:00 PM



Only a few months ago, two of these cards (Hondo and Inoue) were unknown, and only one copy was known of the Hirayama card. Now we know of two cards of each player. The player in the top row of the images is outfielder Kikuji Hirayama who joined the Yomiuri Giants in 1937 and stayed through 1949 (except for five years as a soldier during World War II). He was a key player during the Giants' first Golden Era. An internal spat caused him to transfer to the Taiyo Whales in 1950, where he finished his career. Shinichiro Inoue (bottom row left) was a backup catcher for the Swallows from 1950 to 1953. Yasuya Hondo (bottom row right) was a second baseman for the Tigers, Robins and Orions between 1937 and 1957. He was nicknamed the Sign Stealing Master. On this card, he is erroneously listed as a member of the Tigers, a team he had previously played for during more than a decade. This is truly a rare group of cards.

Size: Each card is 1 7/8" x 2 3/8"

Condition: Range--G/Vg to Ex

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