In November 1928, following his final major league season as an active player, Ty Cobb, along with Bob Shawkey, Herb Hunter and umpire Ernie Quigley journeyed to Japan to participate in 12 exhibition games. Cobb, Shawkey and Hunter were added to the Japanese Daimai team for the exhibitions. Their opponent in seven of the 12 contests was Keio University of the Japan Big Six University League. Cobb is pictured on the cover of the January 1929 issue of Yakyukai (Baseball World) with Keio catcher and team captain, Takayoshi Okada (left) and Japan Hall of Fame member, pitcher and first baseman Saburo Miyatake. The Cobb signature on the cover is a facsimile. There are a number of photos inside as well, with Cobb in his Daimai uniform, his Tokyo uniform which he also wore on the tour, and in street clothes. Also seen in the magazine are photos with Shawkey, Hunter and Quigley. This is a very hard-to-find magazine. We have seen only three copies during the last 32 years! If you are a U.S. Tour of Japan collector or Ty Cobb fan, this is an excellent opportunity to obtain a keepsake from this rarely discussed tour.

Size: 7 1/4" x 10 1/8". 160 pages.

Condition: Part of the spine cover is missing, and as a result part of the book is beginning to separate. Minor staining in spots, especially around the spine staples. However, overall, the cover and inside pages are quite nice.