Following the success of Wally Yonamine in 1951, several more Hawaiians made their Japan Pro Baseball debuts in 1952. Among them was Katsuki Kojima, an outfielder from Farrington High School and the Hawaii Red Sox, who played for the Osaka Tigers from 1952 to 1954. Only two different card types of Katsuki Kojima were ever discovered until recently (JGA 38 and JGA 33). Both are game cards. Now, after nearly 30 years in the Japanese baseball card business, we have just found a third type of Kojima rookie.
The 1952 JF 45a Glico Caramel cards have been known for a number of years. However, they are ultra rare. The set has been assigned a scarcity factor of R5 in the Japanese Baseball Card Checklist & Price Guide, Vintage Edition by Gary Engel, meaning that three or fewer examples are known of each card in the set. Now, we can add a card of Kojima to the checklist. At this point, the card is unique (only one copy known). If you are a collector of rookie cards of Hawaiian players, don't miss out on this opportunity!
Size: 1 1/2" x 2 5/8"
Condition: Would be Ex/Mt to Nm but there is a bit of the left border missing in three spots.