(LOT 31)
Pair of 1930s Lefty Grove Postcards from his Tour of Japan with One Featuring Lou Gehrig
At the start of the 1930s, Lefty Grove was the undisputed best pitcher in the world and Lou Gehrig was an MVP and already one of the greatest players the game had ever seen. Between them and their 34 cumulative years in baseball, Grove and Gehrig won three Triple Crowns, three MVPs and nine World Series titles. Grove was one of the first pitchers to win an MVP. Offered here are two postcards of Lefty Grove during, what appears to be, his 1931 Tour of Japan. 1) Lou Gehrig and Lefty Grove pose arm-in-arm with the welcoming committee of restauranteur Hige no tempei and likely two of his staff members. Hige no tempei owned a buffet restaurant in the Kyobashi district of Tokyo, site of multiple games from the 1931 Tour of Japan.

Still is excellent condition, the postcard presents a vivid photo with the youthful Gehrig and Grove towering over their hosts. Light discoloration and handling soil can be seen around the periphery, though the 89-year-old card remains in excellent condition with only the lightest of surface abrasions from storage. The message in Japanese at the base in the border translates "Welcome party for U.S. baseball team." 2) A sepia-toned postcard featuring Lefty Grove with famed Japanese actor Masao Inoue and his dog Fumiko. The postcard features facsimile signatures of both Masao Inoue and Grove beneath their images. The postcard displays in a consistent sepia-tone with minimal soiling on the front and two small tears at bottom left. Each back remains reasonably clean with only minor flaws expected on 89-year-old relics from halfway around the world.

MIN BID $500
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