Vintage candy and gum cards are among the scarcest and most prized Japanese issues. They are generally found in far smaller quantities than menko, bromides and most other types of the era. Tachibana Seika cards, placed in boxes of candy by the Hinomaru Caramel Co. at the rate of one card per box, are often found mutilated, as the black background portion was frequently removed by the collector. Thus, a complete card like this one is often difficult to find. Additionally, these cards are often found attached to special paper that the owner used to redeem a prize. And of course, many cards were sent in for redemption. For this reason the 1959 Tachibana Seika Type 2 cards with playing card are assigned a scarcity factor of R3 in the Japanese Baseball Card Checklist & Price Guide, Vintage Edition 2.1, indicating that the total number of cards known in the hobby for any player in the set, including mutilated cards, is in double digits.

Wally Yonamine was the first American postwar star in Japan Pro Baseball. The Hawaiian native had previously played U.S. minor league ball and had also been a running back for the San Francisco 49ers. He starred in Japan for 12 years (1951-1962), mostly for the Yomiuri Giants, batting .311 lifetime and teaching the Japanese to appreciate an aggressive, hard nosed style of play. Following his career as an active player, he spent six seasons managing the Chunichi Dragons.

Size: 1 5/8" x 2 3/8"

Condition: Good to Vg