From the Favorites Box: Shigeru Takada, 1976 JCM17 Multicolor #11

A series where I post some thoughts about favorite cards. Previous cards in the series are available here.

About a year and a half ago, I shared an image of a vintage Japanese baseball card. It featured Shigeru Takada, one of the many stars on the dominant Yomiuri Giants teams of the 1970s.

The card wasn't in my collection, but I was so taken aback by the design that I referred to it as eye candy.

I also said the following:

"If I had the actual card in my collection, this blog post would have been part of my Favorites Box series. But alas, I only have the digital image of the card. At least for now." 

Well, I'm happy to say we've got an update on that "for now" statement. 

 

  

Mr. Takada is officially part of my collection!

A few months ago, some of the cards from this set appeared for sale on ebay. They were fairly affordable, considering the apparent scarcity. (It was the first time I'd ever seen any of them come up for sale.)

I added the Takada card to my ebay cart immediately, and after looking through a few of the seller's other listings, decided that Mr. Takada should have some friends over here at Nine Pockets Headquarters.

From left to right, that's Kenji Awaguchi (Yomiuri Giants), Senichi Hoshino (Chunichi Dragons), and Koichi Tabuchi (Hanshin Tigers).

The color and artistry these cards exhibit made them hard to pass up. I mean, look over on the right, for example. Koichi Tabuchi has just swung the bat and launched an absolute comet into outer space.

You might also notice that these cards are smaller than the traditional 2.5 x 3.5 inches. (They measure 2 inches x 2 5/8 inches.) Doesn't matter, though. They're still stunners.

Equally stunning is that the entire set consists of only 16 cards. So I'm a quarter of the way to set completion! That's not necessarily a goal, but if more of these cards come up for sale, I'd certainly consider adding them to the collection.

Here's what the card backs look like:

They're a little sparse. However, when you have such fantastic card fronts, who needs much of anything on the backs?

But hang on a second. There's a little more to share here.

The seller was kind enough to add a few extra cards to the package.

 

More menko goodness!

Clockwise from the top left, we have:

• 1948 Pinwheel Menko (JRM 26) #600 Hideo Fujimoto. Japanese baseball HOF 1976
• 1948 Pinwheel Menko (JRM 26) #800 Michio Nishizawa. Japanese baseball HOF 1977
• 1948 Multicolor Background Menko (JRM 19) #NNO Juzo Sanada. Japanese baseball HOF 1990
• 1948 Multicolor Background Menko (JRM 19) #NNO Noboru Aota. Japanese baseball HOF 2009

I'm always grateful for ebay card sellers who do generous things like this. I definitely added him to my "Saved Sellers" list.

But right now, it's really about the Shigeru Takada card.

This year has been much more about organizing and displaying the cards I already have, and less about purchasing more cards. I mean, I've picked up a few cards here and there. And I've made some trades to help me complete a few sets. 

But these cards? I just couldn't pass them up. And they're definitely not going in a dark box, inside another dark box, inside a closet. I'm going keep them a little more available—in the Favorites Box. 

They're pieces of art. And as collectors, we've got to make sure we appreciate stuff like this from time to time. Open up that box. When friends or family members stop by, get excited to share them.  

 

Look at these cards. These cards are EXACTLY why I love this hobby.

 

I think we all have examples like that in our collection. And for giving me that feeling—a card I enjoy so much that I'm eager to show it to other people—1976 JCM17 Multicolor #11 has a spot in my box of favorite cards.

Thank you again to Sean at Getting Back into Baseball Cards . . . in Japan for sharing this card a few years ago and inspiring me.