.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
United States All-Star Tours of Japan (Lots 110-141)The United States All-Star Team Tours of Japan in the early 1930s remain an impressive feat of soft diplomacy, as some of the greatest baseball players in the world were sent to promote the sport, and ideally ease heightening political tensions. The 1934 team in particular remains to date one of the most iconic teams of its type for any sport. The team was comprised of an incredible line up featuring the most feared sluggers in Major League Baseball at the time, including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmie Foxx. Aside from the goal of drawing business and notoriety for the Japanese newspaper that sponsored the Tour, it was the hope of the United States that bringing these baseball stars to Japan could assuage US-Japanese political tensions. By all accounts, the Tour was a resounding success, and in some circles was believed to have cast aside the growing cloud of war between the two countries. Although the legend of the Tours has endured, its luster was greatly tarnished by December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into World War II, much to the dismay of the era’s legendary ball stars.
Rare 1931 U.S. All-Star Tour of Japan Souvenir Program
Details
Rare 1931 U.S. All-Star Tour of Japan Souvenir Program
Uncommon original program as issued for the 1931 Tour of Japan featuring cover image of Lou Gehrig. Interior images of both American and Japanese players featured on accordion style foldout pages. The program opens with pages turning left to right as issued in Japan, with some insect damage to top 1/4 of back cover feeding into the initial few subsequent pages. One of the rarer U.S. Tour programs with very few having entered the markeplace: VG
Uncommon original program as issued for the 1931 Tour of Japan featuring cover image of Lou Gehrig. Interior images of both American and Japanese players featured on accordion style foldout pages. The program opens with pages turning left to right as issued in Japan, with some insect damage to top 1/4 of back cover feeding into the initial few subsequent pages. One of the rarer U.S. Tour programs with very few having entered the markeplace: VG
Brought to you by
Elizabeth Seigel
Vice President, Specialist, Head of Private and Iconic Collections