One of the first two original Japanese sporting goods companies, Mimatsu was also the first distributor of Spalding products in Japan. Founded in the late-1800s, Mitmatsu is responsible for this absolutely fabulous advertising piece. Copyright dated 1922, this artistic 21x31 poster depicts a catcher in full gear, wearing a mitt with a Mimatsu label on the thumb. Styled after Spalding’s logo, the Mimatsu logo occupies the top-left region. The copyright date is printed below the catcher’s leg, and a strange running pig figure is seen at bottom left, next to the bilingual English/Japanese text at bottom.



A scarce relic to be sure, this poster is potentially a unique survivor, as our research did not discover any other examples. The first professional baseball play in Japan was just beginning to emerge during the 1920s, and Mimatsu was a relatively small companying, so its likely there weren’t a whole lot of these posters ever made. The colors are bold, the graphics are distinct, and the top and bottom edges are capped with securely attached brass hanging bars.



Given its antique status, and ephemeral nature, this rare advertising poster is very pleasing, with light to moderate wear. A sporadic series of stains radiates to the right from the catcher’s head, and a few other small stain spots are noted in the lower region. Prior rolling of this piece is evidenced by moderate surface rippling, though all-in-all, this vintage poster remains very attractive.

 

  Opening Bid $200.