Welcome to my blog about sumo wrestling menko and cards! After 17 years of collecting and research, I decided it was time to jump on the blog train and help shed some light on this small niche of Japanese sports collectibles since no resource exists out there yet. This blog is meant to provide a forum for current collectors of Japanese menko and cards as a lot of the information is relevant to many different Japanese subjects and genres (baseball, non-sports, anime, sumo, trains, super cars, etc... ). I have also published 3 color, hardcover book editions of my Sumo Menko & Card Checklist, but feel there is a need to provide this blog venue to discuss more timely topics and information on sumo menko and cards. Since the Sumo Menko & Card Checklist is not a price guide, but a collecting and checklist resource, I continually update the book every year or two with the latest information and checklists. On average, I discover dozens of news sets and hundreds of new menko and cards to existing sets every year that requires a new and current book every year or so. I've built the checklists through thousands of hours of research and buying and have developed the cataloging system in use today. There are just a few English-speaking collectors of sumo cards so this
adventure, for the most part, has been mine alone so any errors or opinions on
this subject are directly attributable to me, although early on, I did have great guidance from the pioneer of sumo card collecting, Charles Finberg and Mr. Kentaro Ohtani from Japan.
Give me a holler if you have any questions!
Japanese Sumo Wrestling Cards and Menko
I know you've got some knowledge of Japanese collectibles, so I wanted to ask you about buying Sumo Banzuke picture "posters". I'm completely ignorant about pricing and perhaps purchasing one on eBay. I've seen ones for the current May basho going for $28 with free shipping (from Japan) but I wasn't sure if they were "legit", or if I'd be getting a Xerox'd copy for that price. I also saw that the seller had to handle import duty and taxes and I wasn't sure if it applied to the US and how that would be handled. Any info you have would be great. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteRob
Hi Rob, the picture picture banzuke Auctions on eBay right now seem legitimate. $28 isn't a terrible price, a little high but with free shipping you are probably alright. I order from Japan all the time so that import statement might only apply to other countries. If the seller is Japanese, I would say you are okay and the banzuke is not a copy. Give me a holler if you want me to look at a specific auction.
DeleteThanks! I was looking at these two auctions in particular:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ebay.com/itm/332216091878
https://www.ebay.com/itm/262907397162
The first one has a Make an Offer option, so let me know if the seller seems reputable and what a decent offer would be. Thanks for your help!
They look legitimate. I would go with the first one and make an offer of $22....if you can get it for around $25 I think that would be fair.
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ReplyDeleteAs luck would have it, this one just showed up for half the price, with shipping. Let me know if this seems legit as well:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ebay.com/itm/282496892672
Thanks! The dealer seems to sell a lot of sumo related stuff with no negative feedback.
Looks legit. I wouldn't be surprised if it creeps up a little more in price.
DeleteI got it for $15.51 shipped! Thanks for your feedback!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I hope it leads to other cool Sumo collecting!!
DeleteI'm looking for the value of an autograph by Taiho Koki from 1963. I need this info for insurance purposes. It's on an 8x10 cardboard and is stylishly rendered. Also have an autograph by Wakanami Jun. My dad was able to meet both these men back in 1963.
ReplyDeleteVery cool. I don't collect autographs, but from what I've seen online the Taiho might be upwards of $250. Wakanami less....maybe $75 or so.
DeleteHi my name is Scott and I live in Italy! I'm quite sure you are an editor from SumoFanmagazine and I found your article about sumo menko cards. Few months ago I discovered the wonderful world of menko cards and I'm trying to find any infos about them (not only about sumo related). Can you help me?
ReplyDeleteHello. I've got sumo cards, banzuke, calanders from The Takanohabna/Wakanohana era and a collection of Sumo Kyoukai poster calendars which you can only get at the Basho spanning 1995-2019. Would you know anyone interested?
ReplyDeleteJeffrey Linck
Hi there, is there a way I can DM you? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHi, this is Duff from Comatoad on Cards. I also need to get your snail mail address, as I have something I'd like to send you.
ReplyDeleteHow do I give you a hollar? Can't find your contact info. I have 2 vintage Sumo/Baseball cards with brown front and color baseball players on back. They look like magazine cutouts. Please let me know where I can sent scans to help identify them. Thanks,
ReplyDeleteHi Ryan, I ordered the Fourth Edition checklist and love it. Mostly I collect older Japanese baseball cards but picked up a few Sumo cards over the years when they looked cool. Now, having read your book and with some idea how the sets work, I've started collecting sumo cards, too. One issue I'm having is that I find the older bromide cards much harder to identify than the menko cards (it's the same with baseball), mostly because I don't read Japanese at all. Do you have any advice on identifying these bromides? I picked up a big lot of very interesting ones and am trying to figure out the sets. Thanks!
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