05 June 2010

Hideki Matsui identification help

I picked up this card as part of a large lot of assorted Japanese baseball cards from a fellow in the Philippines, but can't find it listed in the last two editions Gary Engel's Japanese Baseball Card Checklist and Price Guide.



Any ideas?  The front shows Matsui's first NPB home run, but judging from the back, it's probably from late 1996 or 1997.  Stadium give-away perhaps?

1 comment:

  1. The 2 katakana over the "1" on the front say "puro", short for 'professional'. The kanji character next to the "1" means "number". As you said, Matsui's 1st pro home run on 5/3/1993. The tiny copyright "Tokyo Yomiuri Giants" at bottom right front corner corroborates your suggested source as a game handout.

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