Like the other three JBR 80a blank backed sets, the JBR 80a Type 4 set commemorates the San Francisco Seals' 1949 Tour of Japan. It is unusual for a bromide baseball card issue (or for any baseball card issue for that matter) in that considerable text is printed in a wide margin to the right of the photographic image. As the Tour was one of the first post war cultural interchanges between the U.S. and Japan, there was an extremely heightened interest in the event. In fact, despite the fact that the Seals were a AAA Pacific Coast League team rather than a major league team, this Tour may have been the most anticipated of all. Many more card sets were produced to commemorate this Tour than for any other U.S. Tour of Japan before or since. The entire Seals team roster appears in various card sets. Even Leo Hughes, the team trainer, was included in a few issues!

Leo Hughes, a San Francisco native, was 45 years old at the time of the Tour. He had been an infielder in the lower minor leagues during 1938 and 1939, and he was promoted to the Seals for the 1941 through 1944 seasons. After his retirement, he stayed with the Seals as Assistant Trainer in 1945, before becoming Head Trainer in 1946. He remained in that post until the Seals disbanded following the 1957 season.

Size: 2 1/4" x 2 3/8"

Condition: Fair to Good