More Cards I Know Nothing About

Sooner or later, I'll gather up all my scans of cards that I haven't fully identified, and make a page just for them. Until then, here are some more cards that I found recently with no clue about.

These five cards were packaged together at a shop in Nakano, and I have no real idea about them. They are blank-backed and have fairly low-quality printing. I guess it's not terrible printing for something from the 70s or 80s, but the printing dots are quite visible on the blue background of the Carp card, for example.

Each card measures about 1-15/16" across by about 2-13/16" high, though they could have been cut by hand or on a paper cutter. They're off-center and not exactly all the same size but pretty close. These would probably be classified as bromides.

Due to their blank backs and lack of any other printing, I can't identify them. Again, as always (and thank you for your help), any information is appreciated! Click on a card for a larger image.

The Next Big MLB Thing from Japan

Who will be the next star from Japan to make the jump to the MLB? Some are saying Masahiro Tanaka could be that guy. Over 7 seasons, Tanaka has an ERA of 2.32, with 1.20 ERA so far this season - he's 19-0 in 22 starts. There are other great pitchers here - Kenta Maeda might be the most popular in Japan. Time will tell if Tanaka makes it to America, and if he's successful. The Yankees and Rangers seem to be most interested in bringing him from the Eagles, though other teams could put in bids.

This round sticker was found at a second-hand shop in Sendai and features Tanaka. Mar-kun is his nickname, though I'm unsure about the King reference. I'm guessing (without knowing much about Tanaka) that the lion is his mascot as I saw other merchandise referencing Tanaka and the lion together. The copyright is Rakuten Eagles so this could be some sort of giveaway at the stadium, possibly for fan club members or as part of a promotion. The back is blank.

As always, any information is welcome!

The Long-Lost Lucky Cards

Rakkikado. That's "lucky card" in Japanese. I now have two of them. I don't know what prize you would get when redeeming the lucky cards, but the offer must have expired long ago, and the two lucky cards I have were redeemed, anyway.

  I found a lot of these stickers packaged together pretty cheap while wandering around Nakano. They seem to feature a selection of retired and possibly active (during their time) stars. I haven't done much research on the player selection to try to figure out an estimated release date.

 The stickers feature crude cartoon artwork that I suppose is intended to represent the player. The artwork seems to be reused on different cards by changing the size or orientation. His last name (in romanji) and jersey number is at the top, while the kanji and hiragana for his full name is placed over the artwork.

 Strangely, Tadashi Matsumoto's card contains no artwork. He played for the Yomiuri Giants from 1977 to 1987, and later coached for them for several seasons.

 Most of the cards use simple color fronts and yellow backs. That includes Sadaharu Oh's card seen above. However, seven of the cards in the lot have white backs and holographic foil fronts

The more I see these cards, the more I like them. I don't really know anything about them though! I've seen cards similar to these before but I don't really remember where.

As for the two lucky cards, they are both on the yellow backs, and don't give any actual details on how to redeem them. I assume you'd return to the store for your prize, or at least for information on how to redeem it. Lucky cards can be found in a bunch of releases prior to BBM entering the market - most notably, old menkos and Calbees had lucky cards inserted. The prize was usually a larger card or other premium.

If you have any more information, let me know!