(LOT 33)
"Miraculous" 1934 Tour of Japan Program w/Babe Ruth on the Front Cover – Originating from the Moe Berg Family & Arguably the Finest Copy Known!
One of the most celebrated global baseball events was the 1934 "Tour of Japan" whereby legendary manager Connie Mack was asked to piece together an 18-player All-Star team to challenge Japan's finest players/teams in 18 contests. Not the first overseas trip to Japan, professional baseball squads had previously experienced similar tours in 1908, 1913, 1920, 1922 and 1931. However, in those five prior tours, our American all-stars were matched up against Japanese amateur or college teams, resulting in lopsided contests. Japan had high hopes for the 1934 tour for they would now match up their premier professional players against the American all-stars from a nucleus of Japanese teams called the "Big Six". Of course, Connie Mack's first player choice would be George Herman "Babe" Ruth who via his prior world tour was a "global fixture" and one of the most illustrious individuals on the planet!

Additional Hall of Fame icons would include Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Charlie Gehringer and Lefty Gomez, with the ultra-popular and eventual WWII spy Moe Berg also on America's roster. Upon arrival to Japan, an amazing 500,000+ Japanese faithful came out to greet the American players with the immortal Ruth obviously receiving maximum accolades and sufficing as the most formidable crowd-pleaser. Seemingly delirious fans would relentlessly cry out "Beibu Rusu ....Beibu Rusu", with the Bambino waving both the American and Japanese flags for his devout fanbase. The games would be played in various stadiums, some of which included Meiji-Jingu Stadium in Tokyo, Koshien Stadium in Kobe, and Yagiyama Baseball Field in Sendai. While Japan was now utilizing professional players, eleven of which would eventually be inducted into the Japan Baseball Hall of Fame, much to the delight of the American people the results remained the same. The American's once again bested Japan in all 18 games, with the "Sultan of Swat" clouting an incredible 13 home runs in those contests and solidifying his place among avid Japanese followers as a baseball god!

Needless to say, surviving memorabilia from the 1934 Tour is extremely desirable in the hobby, with signed baseballs and/or photos achieving staggering price tags. Considered somewhat scarce, these autographed keepsakes do surface from" time to time" and are not considered ultra-rare by any means. However, there is a particular memento from this legendary tour that is considered virtually impossible to locate in any formidable condition: a 1934 Tour of Japan program featuring the incomparable Babe Ruth on the front cover. With that in mind, presented here just happens to be one of the finest preserved examples of this highly coveted heirloom that was originally placed on loan to the Babe Ruth Baltimore Museum by the family of none other than the legendary baseball player and WWII spy Moe Berg! Indeed, when a passionate collector noticed this program as a Baltimore museum display piece during the 1980's, he insisted that the museum contact Moe Berg's family and eventually purchased it directly from the family for an undisclosed price.

Obviously rescued from Japan by Berg himself upon his return to America, it has miraculously retained a majority of its original qualities and/or aesthetics with Babe Ruth' imposing portrait image dominating the front cover. It literally defies logic to think that a delicate, paper-bound program could possibly survive 84-years of potential damage and emanate a majority of its original attributes! True, while most of the players obviously carried back to America various keepsakes from the tour for either themselves or their families/friends, we simply "scratch our heads" and ponder how such a delicate item as this museum worthy offering effectively survived an approximate 6,800-mile trip from Japan to its eventual Baltimore Museum home. Un-scored and only exhibiting some stray and negligible creases throughout the book, the back cover portrays a minor crease from the top corner to the middle, totally un-distracting to even a meticulous enthusiast.

Written entirely in Japan, the inner pages provide player pictures and accompanying brief bios (2 per players per page) for both the American and Japan all-stars. Considering his unprecedented star-stature, the program also includes a sensational full-page batting image of Ruth which just happens to be the iconic 1928 Thorne photo of the Bambino; eventually affixed on a postcard utilized by Ruth to autograph for his seemingly infinite fanbase. Of course, the most electrifying aspect is the stoic Ruth gray hued portrait image affixed to the super clean front cover that includes the following bold gray verbiage around its rectangular perimeter: "AMERICAN - JAPANESE BASEBALL MATCHES".

Most would agree that the few surviving examples of this rare program are in deplorable condition with tears, obtrusive creasing, significant notations and missing pages all contributing to their poor eye appeal. That said, this arguably finest surviving example from Moe Berg's family stands tall as one of the most momentous periodicals in the collecting community via its historical significance, unparalleled condition, noteworthy Ruth images and the fact it formerly graced the landmark Babe Ruth Baltimore Museum. A truly breathtaking artifact, it merits the highest hobby accolades and a final resting place in any world class compilation!?

MIN BID $1,000
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