Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em - Japanese 1956 Mitsuwa Sumo Wrestling - Yokozuna Tochinishiki

I don't promote smoking and occasionally like a good cigar, but the 1950s were a flamboyant era when smoking was all the rage and fashion.  Did you know that in the 1950s almost half of the Japanese population smoked or consumed tobacco?  In fact, in 1956 the per-capita consumption was over 1400 cigarettes!  That equates to every Japanese man, woman, and child each smoking over 1400 cigarettes in 1956 alone.  Crazy....but I digress.  Sumo wrestlers were not immune to the influence of smoking as captured on one of the only known sumo cards that shows a wrestler smoking.  Here is Yokozuna Tochinishiki having a nice drag in his yukata...given that his chomage is done up, this picture was taken right before or after a match or before a special event. What are your thoughts with tobacco products being "consumed" on trading cards?

These are a few of my dangerous things....Japanese Toxic Creatures

The late 1970s and early 1980s in Japan were the wild west of trading cards much like the early 1990s was in the United States.  They made trading cards (called mini cards) of a wide variety of subjects and some real head scratchers for sure.  One of these sets by Amada was called "Toxic/Poisonous Creatures".  Once I discovered this set out there, I knew I had to have it.  Comprised of 40 cards as well as winner cards to claim a whole box of additional bonus cards (see picture below), this set captures the creatures from around the world that could more or less kill you.  What kid would not want a set consisting of poisonous sea creatures, snakes, spiders, scorpions, and killer insects?  It reminds me a lot of the educational cards that National Geographic would release to shape influential young minds.  What are your thoughts on collecting these type of odd-ball sets?

1971 Japanese Sumo Wrestling 3D Lenticular Cards - Move over Kellogg's!

This auction had me super excited as I counted down the days until it ended and I wasn't about ready to let these slip through my fingers.  For the vintage sumo menko and card collectors, this is the toughest set to find in the post-menko era (after 1964).  Some of the very first lenticular/3D cards in both the Japanese baseball and sumo world, this 15-20 card set features baseball players, boxers, and sumo wrestlers.  These black-backed wonders capture the very first card of Takamiyama, the first foreigner to win a sumo tournament, as well as Tamanoumi who was destined for greatness only to pass away shortly after this card was produced from appendicitis.  I have seen only one other of these (another Takamiyama) and these will likely only pop up once every 5-10 years at the rate I am seeing them.  Distribution of these is unknown, but could have very well been issued with candy or gum.  Have a great week and stay safe out there.  Sayonara!