I picked up this card featuring Iwao Ikebe of the Hanshin Tigers the other day. It's from the 1978 Calbee set (JC 7C). I'm not actively trying to complete that set mainly because it is as confusing as hell. There were at least 11 different sets released by Calbee that year according to Engel's guide, most of which look the same and none of which have numbers on the cards so keeping track of them just looks like a nightmare.
Despite that headache, I can't resist buying cards from that year because so many of them have really wonderful photography on them, which is what made me buy this Ikebe. It reminds me of one of those photos that inadvertently resemble a renaissance painting that you sometimes see floating around on the internet. Its a great action shot of Ikebe sliding into home, dirt flying, while the Giants catcher prepares to intercept a throw that is going to arrive too late. Meanwhile a Tigers teammate (Hal Breeden I think) is bent over and keenly looking at the play, probably after signalling to Ikebe to slide. The umpire is positioned to the left, about to signal "safe". And to really add a Renaissance touch, a huge Tigers flag waves in the background on the far left of the image.
How could I not add this to my collection?
I love the Renaissance painting comparison! I'm going to start watching for other cards that look Renaissance-y, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm going to keep an eye out for them too, it would make for an interesting collection.
DeleteNo idea what a renaissance painting should look like... but this card is gorgeous... so I trust your judgement.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure either. My art history is a bit sketchy, this might look more like a Baroque painting than a Renaissance one. Anyway, I like it too!
DeleteThat is definitely an amazing photo and pretty cool they put it on a card!
ReplyDeleteI think so too!
DeleteAs a big fan of action shots on cards, I can definitely appreciate why you'd want to get this one.
ReplyDeleteI love action shots on cards too.
DeleteThere's a potential post for either you or me about Hal Breeden's cameo appearances on mid-70's Calbee cards. I know of at least two others without even looking.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to do a post like that about Tigers catcher Koichi Tabuchi for a while now actually. He made cameos on dozens of cards in the mid-late 70s, thanks to Calbee's use of wider-frame photography back then that would often take in the catcher behind the plate when making a card devoted to the guy batting. Probably a dozen or so cards featuring Sadaharu Oh at bat also have Tabuchi in them. My theory, which I hope to test someday, is that Tabuchi holds the record for most cameo appearances on a baseball card ever.
Delete