My last visit to the Tachikawa Mint location yielded a bunch of good cards at decent prices. I found a good number of oddballs and inserts at affordable prices, though the store is a good distance outside of Tokyo and thus it isn't cheap to get to.
This time, I had continued success with a bunch of inserts and some help toward my awards collection. This long strip advertises some mini "cards" that can be attached to keychains. I got two cards in a pack for 50 yen.
This is a nice shiny insert from a Lions team set.
The BBM 3D cards don't scan well, and they have a bit of a strange curve to them. But they look good.
A gold signature parallel.
This Top Player insert from Calbee was only $1. Most premium Calbee inserts run 300-500 yen each for commons.
Active Super Stars insert.
I bought this card hoping I would need it in the awards collection. Nope/
But this one I did. I bought two of this card.
Team Hero insert from the flagship BBM issue.
Another Epoch card for the awards collection.
This is a subset card heading to the awards.
Another awards card.
Here's the perfect subset card for my awards collection - the 200 Win Club.
A Tigers foil parallel card from 2011.
This BBM card is a parallel of some sort from 2007.
I found more gaming cards, but I didn't buy many. It would be great to finish off my needs for the gaming cards.
This preview card works in the awards collection.
I needed a few Tuffy Rhodes cards for myself. I might have found a couple for Jason, too.
Here's another 3D card. This set is pretty cool since there's a field in the background.
Oh my!
Alex Ramirez insert...
Run! This is an insert card from BBM's 2nd Version set.
Another Tuffy, Touch the Game this time. My scanner chopped off some of the border.
"Everyone's hands in! Alright. Readyyyyyyy....Go Lions!"
Insert!
Parallel!
Insert!
Awards!
Awards!
Awards!
Insert! Only 100 yen again! What a deal!
Another insert. I guess finding cheap inserts is one benefit of going all the way to Tachikawa.
I really like the Carp. Hiroshima was the first place I saw a Japanese game, and the fans certainly have been the best so far.
Another BBM promo card. Remember, BBM promos are usually released at games and events.
Finally, the Giants celebrating their 2009 Central League Championship.
Mint Tachikawa is pretty small, but their little boxes of random cards in the middle of the store are worth going through if you're in the area. Be sure to check my first Mint Tachikawa post (split into
part one and
part two) for more details on what you'll find there and how to get to the store.
I always liked those 3D cards. BBM used them for the 2001 Best 9 inserts, the 2002 1st Version Prime Time Players inserts and the 2002 2nd Version Golden Gloves inserts. As far as I can tell, they haven't used them since which I find kind of sad.
ReplyDeleteNice looking Kaz Sasaki card, I miss the blue jerseys.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the write-ups on the Nagoya stores earlier this week, I've had trouble finding cards on previous visits to Aichi. I'll have to check those stores out next time.
NPB Card Guy: Well, at least I know I don't really need to look for 3D cards for the type collection anymore. It is a shame they aren't used anymore, though the ones I've seen have developed a concave curve.
ReplyDeleteMoeyoCD: I'm glad I could help! Hopefully others will be able to use my travels to find cards for themselves too. And any time you're in a major Japanese city, you should expect a Mint card shop. If you can translate (or use Google Translate) their website, they have a full list of their locations, and there are many. Most are in the Tokyo area but they reach from Sapporo to Fukuoka.