This is the first time ever that we have had the pleasure to make the JF 33 Chico Barbon card available at auction.  The JF 33 Jack Seika cards are super rare in general.  We believe that 60 different Pacific League player cards comprise the set (10 cards per team).  However, to date, only 44 different cards have been discovered.  

Roberto “Chico” Barbon was a member of the Hankyu Braves, and as of now the Barbon card is one of only four checklisted Braves cards.  We are almost certain that there are 10 different Braves cards in the set.  The others have not yet been found.  So, the winner of this card will have a truly rare specimen.

As a 22-year-old, Chico Barbon left his native land of Cuba to join the Hankyu Braves in 1955, after batting .283 in 42 games for two Brooklyn Dodgers farm clubs, the Bakersfield Indians and Hornell Dodgers in 1954. Abe Saperstein, owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, presided over Barbon's signing to play in Japan.  Chico ultimately played 11 seasons in the Land of the Rising Sun. Rather than returning to Castro's Cuba after his playing career ended, Barbon remained in Japan, where even today, he is a prominent member of the Japanese baseball scene.

Size:  15/16” x 2 5/8”

Condition:  Fair