Maybe this episode should be called meet the seller, as all the stuff you see below is for sale. But as we will find out, Tomoyuki is a collector as well. Let's go and meet him.
"Hi there, everyone! My name is Tomoyuki. I live in Osaka, Japan. But I grew up in Saitama, which is close to Tokyo. I work at the e-commerce section of One company, selling old vintage Nintendo items on Ebay and other platforms. But I personally collect Nintendo items as well.
So far I sold a lot of Nintendo items, but none from my private collection. I am not going to sell mine though.
I want to thank Erik for his awesome work. This blog is really something. It is neatly classified according to history, and I am always looking forward to reading it. I can't remember when and how I found this blog, but anyway, I just happened to find it last year, and have been checking it out almost everyday, because I like these before mario toys. Funny, as I did not grow up with most of them. Actually, I was an after mario age boy."
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| Tomoyuki with his favorite Nintendo toy: the Ultrascope |
"When I was seven years old, I really wanted a Nintendo Family Computer. Most of my classmates had it, but my parents were old fashioned and we (me, my brother and sister) did not get one at that time. Instead, they gave us Shogi (Japanese Chess), playing cards, and Karuta. I now totally understand this was good for us.
So when I was young I did no play the Family Computer. I loved to go to the forest to find insects such as stag beetles."
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| Some of the Nintendo games Tomoyuki has for sale |
"Five years later we finally got a Family Computer. My aunt gave it to us. I guess she must have been feeling sorry for us, having no Famicom all this time, when most kids already had one.
But it was too late for me. Playing without a Famicom had already become my style, and to this day I don't find much fun in playing computer games. I prefer playing cards, for instance when you go camping or after dinner with friends. You know what I mean? You can communicate better while playing these types of games.
I think the before mario toys and games are much better than computer games. So I would say to all kids: play cards, go to the forest, and find some insects!"
"I started selling vintage Nintendo items because I love these older toys. I want other collectors to get these items for their enjoyment, and I want people to learn more about Nintendo's history."
"I am very sorry that I cannot show you my private collection here at this time. I keep my collection at my parents' place in Saitama. I believe they look after my collection very well. But you never know. Sometimes they throw out items without asking. This has happened before. All I can do is just hope that they will not do it again.
Anyway, please enjoy the items our company has for sale."
"I have been collecting vintage Nintendo toys for about four years now. I am not sure exactly, but think it is something like that.
I originally collected vintage clothes such as Levis, Lee, other vintage old denim, old outdoor and military clothes (my room is full of clothes at the moment.)"
"I was searching for clothes on eBay day in, day out. Then one day, I happened to find a vintage Nintendo toy: an Ultrascope. Seeing this brought back childhood memories, and I became determined to collect vintage Nintendo items.
When I was four or five years old, I used to play with the Ultrascope. I watched everything like I was a private detective. Of course, I did not realize at the time that it was a Nintendo toy.
Unfortunately that auction ended before I could bid. But I later found one at a flea market."
"The Ultrascope is the item in my collection I love most. I have 15 of them, including some old stock ones in new condition and one that was given away as prize. I also keep five non-functional ones for repair parts."
"Besides these, I love Hanafuda and old playing cards."
"Our eBay store can be found here. Just have a look around and enjoy!"
[Note: beforemario.com is not affiliated to this eBay store.]
Thanks Tomoyuki for sharing your story. I hope you can show us your personal collection some time in the future.
I am still looking for other collectors to participate in this series. If you have a vintage Nintendo collection - no matter if it is large or small - and you want to share it with us, please get in touch.
Previous episodes of meet the collectors:
Hi ^^ I wonder if you may have more information or an article on Pretty Puzzle and Little Kupido in one of Tomoyuki's pictures? They look very similar to Sanrio's Little Twin Stars characters. Also they remind me of Anika and Pam/Chewing Gum Street. I suppose it might be a coincidence because of the art style. What are the copyright details on Pretty Puzzle Little Kupido, or are they advertised in any flyer etc? Like Nintendo a lot of lesser known Sanrio still requires an active search which was why I was curious (I run a Sanrio wiki project). Or maybe I was assuming Pretty Puzzle is Nintendo.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks.
I'm sorry by the way earlier I posted a blank comment by mistake. Please delete that one.