This is a unique opportunity for collectors to obtain cards from this scarce set in their original form.

The JBR 21 set was generally issued as five large double player cards. All cards contain a large image of each player, a facsimile autograph to the right of the image below the player's team logo, and the player's name and team printed across the bottom. The backs contain a great deal of text about the players pictured on the front.

The five different JBR 21 lots found in this auction comprise a complete set. We have never before offered a complete JBR 21 set in uncut pairs, nor have we ever before offered any uncut JBR 21 pair at all. Moreover, we have not offered any JBR 21 trimmed single card since 2010!

Michio Nishizawa (left) made his Japan Pro Baseball debut as a pitcher in 1937 at the age of only 15! In 1940, at the age of 18, he went 20-9 with a 1.92 ERA. He pitched a no hitter in 1942. After the end of World War II, he switched to the outfield, where he became an even bigger star until his retirement after the 1958 season.

The biography of Victor Starffin (right) is well known to most collectors of Japanese baseball cards. By 1950, the legendary hurler had become a mere mortal. In 1949, Starffin had his last superstar season, going 27-17 with a 2.61 ERA while pitching in 376 innings, which is certainly quite a load compared to how today's pitchers are handled. Alas, during his final six seasons in Japan Pro Baseball (1950-1955) Starffin's performance was quite ordinary (51-74, 3.42), possibly as a result of having pitched as many as 458 innings in a season earlier in his career. In any case, this is a rarely seen card of the Russian great.

Size: Uncut Pair--8 5/16" x 5 11/16". Individual Cards--4 5/32" x 5 11/16"

Condition: Vg/Ex