Lot # 689: 1929 Shonen Club Babe Ruth Postcard PSA NM 7

Graded NM 7 by PSA. Scarce 1929 Shonen Club Japanese postcard featuring Babe Ruth. For many years, this card was associated with Ruth’s 1934 Tour of Japan, but research by serious collectors has proved this to be false. This card is from a set consisting of 40 different subjects, and Ruth is the only representative of baseball. The other cards in the series depict a variety of animals, landscapes, and other subjects. The set was distributed with the August 1929 issue of Shonen Club, a youth magazine in Japan. The Japanese text on the front of the card roughly translates to, “This is the moment Babe Ruth, known throughout the world as the Home-run King, swings with all his might and hits the ball. The ball flew far past the outfield and it appears to be a home run. The catcher and umpire freeze in awe as they watch and as Babe looks pleased. The spectators in the stands are also breathless as they watch.” This is a very attractive high-grade postcard with strong corners displaying light wear, superb image quality, and excellent centering. The reverse features a preprinted postcard back and has never been mailed. Few cards of Ruth date from the 1920s. This extremely unusual card dates from the heart of the Great Bambino’s career and represents a remarkable value in comparison to gum cards of him from the 1930s.