These are among the least frequently seen of the "tobacco menko" cards produced during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Four Japan Hall of Fame members appear in this lot: Masaichi Kaneda is Japan's greatest pitcher ever, with 400 lifetime victories and well over 4,000 strikeouts. Minoru Murayama, known for his controlled pitching style, had an ERA of 1.20 or less in three different seasons, including the modern record of 0.98 in 1970. Motoshi Fujita won 29 and 27 games in consecutive seasons (1958 and 1959). Tokuji Iida was a slugging first baseman who led the Hawks to four Pacific League titles in the 1950s. Other players include Kiyoshi Toyoda, Hirofumi Naito, Hiroharu Okajima, Toru Mori and Shigenori Sasaki.
Uncut prize pairs were awarded to purchasers of regular single cards with winner stamps on the back. Therefore, they are not seen nearly as often as the single cards.
Size: Each card is 1 13/16" x 3". Each uncut pair is 3 5/8" x 3"
Condition: Kaneda/Toyoda-Ex/Mt to Nm. Iida, Sasaki/Mori-Ex/Mt to Nm, Naito/Okajima-Nm+, Murayama/Fujita-Nm+ but o/c top to bottom on the front. Extra paper from prize sheet attachment on the backs of two cards. All pairs are hand cut by the manufacturer (typical for issue).