According to the Japanese Baseball Card Checklist & Price Guide, Vintage Edition 2.1, this card has received an R5 designation, indicating that five or fewer copies are known. An uncut sheet furoku (premium) of 8 cards (3 baseball) was issued in the January 1, 1957 issue of Manga Oh (Manga King) magazine. The Kaneda card offered here was originally a card on one of these uncut sheets.
Masaichi Kaneda played Japan Pro Baseball from 1950 to 1969, primarily with the Swallows, but also with the Yomiuri Giants later in his career. Playing in 130 game seasons, Kaneda won a remarkable 400 games. His 4,490 strikeouts rank him second only to Nolan Ryan. His 944 games pitched is a remarkable output for a starting pitcher. From 1956 to 1958, he won three consecutive Sawamura Awards (Japan Cy Young). He won at least 20 games for 14 consecutive seasons, including two seasons of 30+ victories. These statistics rank him as the world's all time greatest lefthanded pitcher. Blank backed card.
Size: 1 13/16" x 3"
Condition: G/Vg