Today’s Random Four
Every morning we pull a handful of items from our store completely at random — and today, these four surfaced. Use code D260816HFA at checkout for an extra 15% off any of them, stacked on top of the sale prices already running. With today’s markdowns, that’s up to 30% off. Good for 3 days. New picks drop every morning, so check back — you never know what’ll turn up.
These four listings touch three of Japan’s most enduring gaming and pop-culture franchises across four decades of card collecting. From a Famicom-era children’s game to a current arcade system, the formats are as varied as the characters printed on them.
Zweilous Mezastar Card (Three-Star)
A three-star rarity card from the Pokemon Mezastar series, featuring Zweilous, the dual-headed Dragon and Dark-type Pokemon. Mezastar is a Japanese arcade battle game by Taito in which players scan cards to compete; the cards are produced exclusively for the Japanese arcade market and do not circulate through the international Pokemon card game.
Shipped directly from Japan by a small shop
$8.82
Ships worldwide from Japan • Full photos and details on the listing
Super Mario Menko Card No. 66 (Amada, 1985)
Published by Amada in 1985, this small-format card features Super Mario characters from the original Famicom era. Menko are traditional Japanese playing cards used in a children’s game where players try to flip their opponent’s cards by slapping them against the ground — a format that toy and media licensees adopted widely during the 1980s, producing some of the earliest Nintendo merchandise in card form.
Shipped from Japan, tested where noted in the listing
$7.86
Ships worldwide from Japan • Full photos and details on the listing
Beaver Warrior Yu-Gi-Oh Bandai Carddas Card No. 34 (1998)
Card No. 34 from the Bandai Carddas series released in 1998, featuring Beaver Warrior from Kazuki Takahashi’s original Yu-Gi-Oh manga. The Bandai Carddas line predates the Konami trading card game that later brought Yu-Gi-Oh to international audiences, making these early vending-machine cards a distinct chapter in the franchise’s history.
Sleeved and rigid-mailed before it leaves Japan
$8.82
International shipping available • Ask us anything before you buy
Super Mario Menko Card No. 20 (Amada, 1985)
A second card from the same 1985 Amada menko set, numbered #20. It carries Nintendo’s Super Mario characters in the flat, compact format typical of Famicom-era licensed card merchandise, and pairs naturally with No. 66 for collectors building out the series.
Shipped from Japan, tested where noted in the listing
$7.86
Ships internationally • More photos on the eBay listing
About This Collection
Taken together, these cards trace the arc of Japanese collectible card culture from the Famicom toymaker tie-ins of 1985 through the pre-TCG Yu-Gi-Oh era of 1998 and into the present-day arcade card ecosystem. Each format was designed for a different kind of play and a different moment in Japanese pop culture. Collectors focused on any one of these franchises will find a piece that sits outside the mainstream trading card market.
