Based on the success of Kobai baseball caramel cards and their redemption programs, some of Kobai's competitors began producing similar baseball cards in the early 1950s. The Kawakami Confectionary Company was one of those
"copycats". While Kobai's cards depicted only Yomiuri Giants players, Kawakami produced three cards in their set, consisting of players from three different Central League teams. The size, thickness and type of printing on the back are
nearly identical to typical Kobai cards, however, Kawakami Caramel cards are much scarcer, as evidenced by their R4 designation in the Japanese Baseball Card Checklist & Price Guide, Vintage Edition. This means that fewer than 10
copies of each card are known. The three players included in this set are (left to right) Fumio Fujimura (HOF), Yoshiyuki Iwamoto (HOF) and Yasuo Kusunoki. This is the only complete set of Kawakami Caramel cards that we have ever
had the pleasure of offering.
Size: Each card is 1 5/8" x 2 3/8".
Condition: Vg/Ex to Ex