Cards from the JF 53 Ace Baseball Gum set are exceedingly rare. The set has received an R5 designation in the Japanese Baseball Card Checklist & Price Guide, signifying that five or fewer copies of each card are known to exist. Not only is the set rare, but it is also difficult to find examples with sufficiently wide and horizontal top and bottom borders. This card has better borders than most that we have seen, and no text is cut off.

Katsumi Shiraishi, a shortstop, was a member of the 1936 Tokyo Giants in the inaugural year of Japan Pro Baseball. Subsequently, he played 18 seasons for three different teams. Then, he became manager of the Hiroshima Carp for 18 years. He was known as an outstanding defensive shortstop.

Size: 1 1/4" x 1 3/8"

Condition: Vg