Snack food manufacturer Calbee has produced sets of baseball cards every year from 1973 to the present. This 51 year run is by far the longest of any Japanese baseball card manufacturer, and is exceeded only by Topps in the U.S.

In their premiere issue, Calbee assigned card #1 to Japan's cultural icon, Mr. Baseball, Shigeo Nagashima. From that day until now, the two varieties of this card have been the most popular among the nearly 20,000 different cards that Calbee has subsequently produced. In Japan.  They are regarded similarly to the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card in the U.S. Like the Topps Mantle, JC 2 #1 is not from Nagashima's rookie season. However, JC 1 and 2 #1 are the first cards produced of Japan Pro Baseball's most popular vintage player by the country's longest lived manufacturer.

Like the Topps Mantle, JC 2 Calbee #1 is a scarce card, with a high value compared to nearly all other cards ever produced of Nagashima. Basically, 1973 Calbee #1 has always been regarded by Japanese collectors as the most important Nagashima card to own.

Vintage Calbee cards are quite prone to chipping, and generally receive quite low grades.

Size: 2 3/8" x 3 1/8"

Condition: PSA 4 (Vg/Ex)