Pennant Race! Collecting and Translating 1974 Calbee Series 1 (Part 1)
1974 Calbee, the brand’s sophomore set, doesn’t actually exist as such. It is in fact 1974-75 Calbee, because the set covers both of those seasons and doesn’t reset numbering at all. This set is almost three times bigger than ‘73. Cards #1-504 were issued in ‘74 (but for whatever reason #289-324 do not exist!), while #505-935 were issued in ‘75. So you could try to collect one or the other as a stand-alone set based on the year if you wanted. It’s honestly hard for me to consider them one cohesive set myself. Did Calbee really consciously set out to make a 900-card behemoth covering two different seasons?
In truth, even just one of either the ‘74 or ‘75 halves of this set is too big and too difficult for me to have any real interest in collecting it in its entirety, so I’m focusing on the “1974 Pennant Race” series, which is series 1 (or “block” 1 to use the Japanese terminology) and contains cards #1-72.
I was drawn to series 1 in particular because it feels like an aesthetic successor to the classic, inaugural ‘73 set. This series more or less marks the end of Calbee using primarily posed photography, giving these cards (along with ‘73) a distinct feel compared to what came after. Candid and action shots are great, but lack the artistry present here. Beyond that, it must just be my knack for getting drawn to things that end up being expensive. These cards are all pricey. I’d say generally I’m paying ￥2,000-4,000 (basically $20-40 in Japan) per single. I don’t eaxctly know why this is. They definitely aren’t as plentiful as say, any ‘73 Giants card, but they aren’t too terribly scarce either, although some do turn up more than others. There are some rarer gems in the series, most notably card #70 of Major League slugger Frank Howard, who played only one game for the Lions in NPB before retiring due to injury. This card goes for over $100 when it pops up.
Although I am focusing on 1974 block 1 only, here is a break down of the other cards from ‘74 and their themes anyway.
#1-72: 1974 Pennant Race: Basically standard cards with maybe a bit more emphasis on goals for the upcoming season.
#73-288: Player-Position (Team): Just standard cards formatted like the 1973 set on the front with no real theme.
#289-324: (Do Not Exist)
#325-396: Heated Battles/Exciting Games Series: Focuses on the action of specific games.
#397-432: ON Series: Released after the ‘74 season. Highlights Sadaharu Oh and Shigeo Nagashima.
#433-504: Famous Scenes Series: Highlights notable or iconic moments, with Oh and Nagashima heavily emphasized. This block contains pricey sepia toned cards (including the great one of Oh lighting a smoke for Nagashima that I’ve always wanted).
As in ‘73, Sadaharu Oh and Shigeo Nagashima get top billing in this set, but this time the order is flipped, with Oh getting cards #1-5, and Nagashima getting #6-8. Although no official announcement had been made, it was widely understood that ‘74 would be Nagashima’s last year, and the gears were already in motion to make him the Giants’ manager at the end of the season.
One more note, these cards contain general information about each player before the blurb: Name, Team Name, Position, Number, and Years as a Pro. I won't be translating them as they are presented on the backs to save space and prevent clutter.
You probably didn’t know that Oh was sometimes referred to as “Wan-chan” in Japan. As far as I can tell, this is because of his Chinese name (Oh is half Chinese) and his uniform number. The Chinese version of Oh Sadaharu is Wang Zhenzhi. In Japanese there is no -ng sound, so the approximation is Wan. Also, Oh’s uniform number (one) in English is wan if pronounced by a Japanese speaker. The Japanese suffix -chan has a diminutive and/or affectionate connotation when attached to someone’s name in certain contexts. So he’s being called Wang/#1, affectionately. If you’re familiar with Japanese this name is going to immediately sound goofy to you because Wan-chan is also the affectionate way Japanese refer to dogs, like saying doggy or doggo. In this case wan refers to the sound dogs make. In English they go woof or ruff, in Japan they go wan wan. So it’s basically calling dogs “little woofs.” As far as I know, Oh’s nickname has absolutely nothing to do with dogs, it’s just a coincidence. By the way, Oh did achieve the back-to-back triple crowns.
Comments
Post a Comment