Following the success of Wally Yonamine in 1951, several more Hawaiians made their Japan Pro Baseball debuts in 1952. Most prominent among them was Jun Hirota, who became the Yomiuri Giants' main catcher for the next four seasons. This is undoubtedly one of Hirota's rarest rookie cards, as only two copies are known in the hobby. The 1952 Calbee/Matsuo Green Ink Cards will appear in the next edition of the Japanese Baseball Card Checklist & Price Guide, Vintage Edition with a scarcity factor of R5, meaning that only three or fewer copies are known of most cards in the set. Cards from this set were originally issued with coupons at the bottom. The coupon for this card has been removed.
Size: 1 1/8" x 2"
Condition: Ex/Mt. No coupon.