Anyone know if this is true?

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Posted By: Howard

I once read that the most valuable baseball card is not the Honus Wagner but one of a Japanese superstar of many years ago. The reason it is so valuable is that nobody knows where even a single one of these cards is today. Sounds to me like an urban baseball card legend. I figured one of you guys could give me the real poop.

Thanks.

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Posted By: pete ullman

sounds like nonsense to me.

pete in mn

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Posted By: Genaro

I think Rob at Robs Japanese Cards would know
http://robsjapanesecards.com/jsale.htm

Check this out I love this card

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Posted By: warshawlaw

1959 Doyusha Shigeo Nagashima 10 Spades: Mr. Baseball. 6 batting titles, 5 MVP, 2 HR titles, 444 HR, 5 RBI titles

1959 Doyusha Tadashi Sugiura 9 Spades: Two time 30 game winner

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Posted By: Dan Koteles

thier alphabet sure is complicated !....could you
just imagine the countries "alpha-bits" cereal ?...
seems like you would choke on them.

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Posted By: Paul

Urban legend at best. If no one knows where even a single copy resides, how can anyone know its value? The only way the value a card can be determined is by actual sales price.

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Posted By: Ben

Where are ya Julie, you oughta have a field day in this thread!

http://www.julievognar.com/Japanese.html

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Posted By: zach

Ditto to what Paul said. How can this card be the most valuable if no one has seen it or know know who is on it ?

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Posted By: Ryan Christoff

Eiji Sawamura was 17 when he found himself on the mound, entering the 4th inning of a game against a ridiculous line-up of Major Leaguers who were touring Japan in 1934. He struck out 9 batters, many HOFers, over 5 innings, including Gehringer, Ruth, Gehrig, and Foxx IN A ROW!!! Gehrig homered to score the only run for either team as Sawamura lost 1-0.

In 1936 he pitched the first no-hitter in the history of Japanese professional baseball. He would throw 2 more no-hitters before his short career ended, leaving behind a lifetime ERA of 1.74.

After the 1943 season Sawamura enlisted in Japan's Imperial Navy. He was killed in action in the battle for the Ryukyu Islands when his ship was torpedoed near the end of World War II.

The Sawamura Award is Japan's equivalnt to our Cy Young award.

I'm sure this is the player this urban legend is about, however, there are no cards of Sawamura.

Even if the card did exist, it is extremely unlikely it would sell for anything close to the price of a T206 Wagner, although I would personally much rather have the Sawamura card.

-Ryan

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Posted By: Anonymous

Were there no cards issued of baseball players in Japan before WWII? What is the earliest collectible card set depicting Japanese players?

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Posted By: Chad

Most depict college players, tho. There are a few cabinets and postcards of amateur teams and touring American teams. I've found pre-war Japanese stuff to be a real challenge, tho I'm pretty much a rookie at it. I wish I could show off my Betto airplane die cut card here, dang it. It's not pre-war, but it's damn cool.

--Chad

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Posted By: craig

since we talking japan baseball players, does anyone know a a player named Jap Makado (mikado)? he supposedly played ball in des moines in the 30's

craig