 Example of a menko card, c. 1948 | |
| Type | Trading cards |
|---|---|
| Company | Various |
| Country | Japan |
| Availability | 1897–present |
| Features | Baseball players |
Baseball menko are an early type of Japanese baseball cards, originally designed for use in the children's game of menko , [1] but now avidly collected by baseball fans and card collectors. The word "menko" is used in both the singular and the plural form.
The earliest known baseball menko, a generic baseball player, was from 1897. [2] The menko card set in Gary Engel's Japanese Baseball Card Checklist and Price Guide is from 1929, depicting black and white (or sepia) images of Big Six University players. They are called the "1929 Nichieido Seika B&W Photo Bookmark Menko."
Interest in the sport of baseball was promoted by the visit of the 1934 All-Stars that include many prominent players such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmy Foxx, and Charlie Gehringer. At first, menkos displayed unnamed players, generic cards that would be later replaced by menkos depicting popular colleges, high schools and then professional players. [1]
Another highlight in the history of Japanese cards came in 1945 when Japan lsot the World War II and General Douglas MacArthur banned traditional Japanese heroes. Therefore soldiers and samurais were removed from the menkos, being replaced by Japanese baseball stars and sumo wrestlers as "hero figures". In the 1950s, the popularization of television and the broadcasting of local games (with the Tokyo Giants and the Hanshin Tigers as some of the most representative teams) spread the popularity of the sport (and its merchandising) in the country. [1]
Baseball menko exist in three shape categories: round, die-cut, and rectangular, and in a variety of sizes. [3] The earliest die-cut and round menko sets cataloged by Engel are from 1947.
The "1947 Diecut Menko" are 1 3⁄8 inches (35 mm) wide by 2 3⁄4 inches (70 mm) high, with color caricatures of six NPB players, including star players Tetsuharu Kawakami and Hiroshi Ohshita (Oshita). The backs each contain: 1. A paper/stone/scissors symbol, 2. The player's family name in kanji, 3. The player's team nickname in katakana, 4. A line drawing of a generic baseball player, 5. A 5- or 6-digit number.
The "1947 Red or Blue Borders" round menko were 1 7⁄8 inches (48 mm) in diameter, with cartoon-like players on the front and blank backs. The team name in English, an arithmetic addition or subtraction, and the player name and sometimes position in kanji were also on the front.
There are a wide variety of Japanese baseball cards that are not called "menko", including bromides (blank-backed photos originally made with silver bromide paper); cards packaged with food, candy, and gum; game cards, including Karuta and Takara cards. [4]
In the 1970s and 1980, some companies produced and marketed baseball cards in Japan, some of them were the Takara Company (which produced the highly successful baseball sets, although it did not renew production the following years due to poor sales), [1] and the Calbee Corporation (which inserted baseball cards to its potato chips packs). Calbee started commercialising cards in 1973, having released several collections since then. By 2012, Calbee had marketed over 1 billion cards. [5] Calbee is regarded as the first company to consistently produce an annual set in Japan. Other manufacturing companies are Yamakatsu, NST/Mr. Baseball, Lotte Gum, and Mermaid. [4]
Takara produced cards for a dice game similar to Strat-O-Matic, from 1978 to 1988. Another company, BBM, released its first set in 1991. BBM sets were the first to feature almost every player in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) team. [4]
A trading card is a small card, usually made out of paperboard or thick paper, which usually contains an image of a certain person, place or thing and a short description of the picture, along with other text. There is a wide variation of different types of cards. Modern cards even go as far as to include swatches of game worn memorabilia, autographs, and even DNA hair samples of their subjects.
A baseball card is a type of trading card relating to baseball, usually printed on cardboard, silk, or plastic. These cards feature one or more baseball players, teams, stadiums, or celebrities. Baseball cards are most often found in the U.S. mainland but are also common in Puerto Rico or countries such as Canada, Cuba and Japan, where top-level leagues are present with a substantial fan base to support them. Some notable baseball card producing companies include Topps, Upper Deck Company, and Panini Group. Previous manufacturers include Fleer, Bowman, and Donruss. Baseball card production peaked in the late 1980s and many collectors left the hobby disenchanted after the 1994-95 MLB strike. However, baseball cards are still one of the most influential collectibles of all time. A T206 Honus Wagner was sold for $2.8 million in 2007.
The Topps Company, Inc. is an American company that manufactures chewing gum, candy, and collectibles. Based in New York City, Topps is best known as a leading producer of American football, baseball, basketball, ice hockey, soccer, and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.
The Goudey Gum Company was an American chewing gum company started in 1919. The company was founded by Enos Gordon Goudey (1863–1946) of Barrington Passage, Nova Scotia. Formerly an employee of Beemans, he opened a factory in Boston, Massachusetts in 1919 and later in Allston. It operated there from 1924 until it closed in 1962. Goudey sold the business in 1932 but he retained an interest as a consultant. On his retirement in 1933, William Wrigley Jr. dubbed him the "penny gum king of America". Today the Goudey name is mainly associated with its collectible baseball cards which were introduced in 1933. Goudey was the first American company to issue baseball cards with each stick of gum.
Parkhurst Products of Toronto, Canada was a confectionery company that produced Parkies and Zip picture cards in the 1950s and 1960s. Led by George Kennedy, it primarily produced hand-size picture cards for ice hockey, but also for baseball, Canadian football, wrestling and other subjects.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1980. All sets listed are standard size unless noted.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1981. All sets listed are standard size unless noted.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1983. All sets listed are standard size unless noted.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1984. All sets listed are standard size unless noted.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1985. All sets listed are standard size unless noted.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1986. All sets listed are standard size unless noted.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1987. All sets listed are standard size unless noted.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1988. All sets listed are standard size unless noted.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1989. All sets listed are standard size unless noted.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1990. All sets listed are standard size unless noted.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1991. All cards listed are standard size. Exceptions are noted.
The 1970s saw Topps go largely uncontested in the sports card market. The decade featured full runs of baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. Aside from issues like Kellogg's cereal premiums which ran throughout the 70s there was not much in the way of major national card manufacturers to compete with. Topps maintained its license agreement with O-Pee-Chee in baseball and hockey. The company would have significantly more ground to cover given the growth of the professional sports leagues during the decade. Major League Baseball added four new teams in 1969 and two in 1977; the National Football League added two teams in 1976; the National Basketball Association gained three in 1970, one in 1974, and the American Basketball Association picked up one in 1972; the National Hockey League acquired two teams in each of 1970, 1972, and 1974. Soccer also made the Topps roster in the 70s, producing English and Scottish 'Footballers' for distribution in the United Kingdom. Domestic soccer was not to be forgotten with a North American Soccer League sticker set in 1979. The following are trading card sets issued by Topps in the 1970s. All cards listed are standard size. Exceptions are noted.
This a list with brief descriptions of Topps trading card products for 1992. All cards listed are standard size. Exceptions are noted.
In the 1950s, Bowman Gum Company produced baseball and football cards from 1950 to 1955, continuing their post-war production that resumed in 1948. Bowman was the only major sports card manufacturer in 1950. The monopoly was short lived, as Topps Chewing Gum began producing cards in 1951. The rivalry lasted five years, punctuated by disputes over exclusive contracts with players. In 1956, faced with diminishing profits due to legal fees and increasing production costs, Bowman was bought out by Topps in 1956 for $200,000. The following provides a brief summary of trading card sets issued during the 1950s by Bowman.
The 1940s was both the beginning and end of an era for trading cards. There was virtually nothing produced in the great divide caused by World War II. Up to 1941 manufacturers like Gum Inc. and Goudey, had raised the bar on the confection industry by leaving behind the tobacco age of marketing to adults and bringing forth the bubble gum age and marketing to children. Topps had been primarily a gum company but took up adding premiums to their products after the war. Their first sets featured various sizes and numerous topics, mostly non-sport. The most notable is the Bazooka Gum comics although the earlier issues did not yet feature Joe and his gang. Below are descriptions of Topps products that were issued in the 1940s.
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