After playing several seasons for the Newark Eagles in the Negro National League, Doby, in 1947, became the first African American player to join the American League. After 13 highly successful seasons, he retired from Major League baseball in 1959 with a lifetime batting average of .283 along with 253 home runs. But that wasn't the end of his career as an active player.
In 1962, Doby and Don Newcombe were recruited to play baseball for the Chunichi Dragons. It was the first time that former US major league stars played in Japan for a Japanese team. This is one of only two types of Larry Doby Japanese cards in existence. A scarce, but slightly more common "tobacco menko" style card of Doby has been seen occasionally.
This is one of only three examples known of the Doby Tachibana Seika card, and it is the only one that has ever been graded by a third party grading company. This card would make a great addition to any Cleveland Indians or Negro League collection.
Size: approximately 1 11/16" x 2 5/16"
Condition: PSA 3.5 (Vg+) Only example ever professionally graded