I've been pushing hard to complete my collecting goals for the year. I'm about 35% done, with several not far from completion either. One of those unfinished goals is reducing the number of Japanese sets I want. I've found cards for several sets over the past few months, but one set that remained completely elusive - other than buying the entire set as singles - was the first Dancing Heroine set.
If you've been living under a rock for the past five years, let me clue you in. Dancing Heroine is BBM's annual set showcasing the cheerleaders in the NPB. Yes, it's basically eye candy, but it sells well. It's so popular that BBM has been issuing two series each year and even released some team-specific box sets. When I first came to Japan, I probably could have found the 2011 set somewhere, but I never knew to look. Now, full sets almost never show up in auctions, and I've never seen one in stores.
Last month, someone listed a couple opened boxes on YJA, and I jumped at the opportunity. I ended up getting pretty close to a full set with only a few duplicates, as well as the three autographed cards you see here. You may or may not be able to tell from my scans, but the image quality in the 2011 set is pretty poor - the photos look grainy or off-color a bit. Another aspect of the 2011 set that was changed was the use of regular base cards for the autographs - the foil numbering on the back (aside from the sticker for the autograph, of course) is the only indication that these are authentic.
The 2011 set was the largest, and this may be why BBM has released two sets each year since then - the full squad for each team can get cards and autographs and each set is under 100 cards.
With a little bit of searching a couple weeks ago, I found all the cards I needed to complete the set. So this one is in the bag!
If only I could find 2000 Century's Best or 2006 Nostalgic lots...
Congratulations on tracking down that whale! Baseball cheerleaders? Kinda reminds me of the Cubs' ballgirl, Marla Collins, from the 1980's. Sure, she wasn't a cheerleader, per se; but, you know that they didn't hire her for her skills in tracking line drives.
ReplyDeleteI've noticed a lot of ballgirls these days - ESPN highlights and whatnot. But they're much more talented, generally... though some end up in blooper reels too!
DeleteI wonder if they'll ever release a set of the beer girls. I know that a really popular one is getting her own idol card set real soon.
ReplyDeleteI remember owning a St. Pauli girl card or two from a few years ago. They have nothing on these Dancing Heroines though ;)
DeleteKenny, I doubt it. But that would be neat! They're just workers for the most part. Perhaps I'll see the set in shops.
DeleteFuji: I bet there are lots of US "beer girl" promo cards and sets out there. But not quite like the beer girls in Japan - beer in stadiums here is usually sold by girls carrying giant kegs on their back. They're known for being pretty cute, and their uniform usually resembles a cheerleader uniform. After looking at this year's first cheerleading set, many of the beer girls are more attractive!
Attractive girls with beer on their backs? Sign me up. Wait. I don't drink beer. Throw some ice tea or water in those kegs and you have my dream girl.
DeleteThere are girls carrying other beverages and snacks. But really, most of the girls aren't that hot. Most girls in Japan already look pretty good to begin with.
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