"Introduction" GT Carddass n0 Son Goku and Friends

GT Carddass n0 Son Goku and Friends card

Simultaneously to the beginning of Dragon Ball GT airing, Toei released one final Dragon Ball movie called "Dragon Ball: The Path to Power" (ドラゴンボール 最強への道 in Japanese). It was to be a retelling of Son Goku's early adventures fighting the Red Ribbon army. The movie came out on March 2 of 1996. This would be the last time Dragon Ball would be in theaters until 2013 with the release of Dragon Ball Z Battle of the Gods (ドラゴンボールZ 神と神 in Japanese).

Both to promote advance ticket sales to the movie, and to promote the brand new Carddass part 26 (featuring Dragon Ball GT for the first time) Bandai gave advance ticket buyers a present Carddass card: the GT Carddass n0 card (in most cases along with a movie poster).

The card features a wonderful group illustration of the Son family, with Trunks and Uub also included. The card is numbered card n0 (as Carddas GT cards began from 1 again), and is called the "Son Goku and friends" card. 

The edge reads: "I'm Goku! I've become smaller!". The lower box reads: "Look for a new part of DB! The beginning of Son Goku’s new adventure!!".

GT Carddass n0 Son Goku and Friends card back

 

This is only one of two "card prism" (hard prism) Bandai Carddass gift cards, the other being the "Ultimate Exhibit 1994 Invitation ticket card". It was also the last prism gift card, as the two limited present cards that followed were non prism cards (the A-course and B-course Tokubetsudan campaign cards).

There also exists a "seal type" (soft prism) version of this card, which was distributed in Hong Kong exclusively and is significantly rarer. I assume the distribution method of that version was the same as it was in Japan (a gift for purchasing advance tickets for the latest movie).

The back of the card uses the Carddass part 26 back design. The center character is the one for "dragon" (龍) and the lower right box reads: "Finally, the new TV original story Dragon Ball GT has started!"

I'm very fond of this card. The background with monochrome Goku and Uub and the other characters in the foreground in color is a really cool choice, and the end result feels so colorful! It was such an exciting time with GT Carddass cards beginning, and soon followed by GT Super Battle cards!

Back to main index

"Introduction" Total n1000 Commemoration 3D card (Hologram card)

The Total n1000 Commemoration 3D Carddass card

In December of 1995 Bandai released Carddass part 25, the last part centered around Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga (The Dragon Ball GT anime was already in production and Carddass cards would return as GT cards from part 26).

To celebrate the release of the 1000th Carddass card (the last card of part 25, a wonderful reversible prism), Bandai launched a lottery contest to award 3000 lucky winners with a unique 3D hologram card featuring SS3 Son Goku!

This card would be the first and only Carddass card to feature a 3D hologram effect. Bandai's competitor Amada produced 4 hologram cards as part of the "Trading Collection" 1-part series earlier that same year. That collection was very popular for those incredibly cool cards. So imagine the surprise seeing this classic piece of Toriyama artwork converted to a 3D card!

Total n1000 Commemoration 3D announcement sheet found on auction

 

The lottery announcement sheet was intended for display on the right side Carddass vending machines, and presumably most commonly attached to machines containing Carddass part 25 (but perhaps also some Super Battle part 15 machines).

 

The instructions read: "Write your address, name, age, gender, and the name of the anime or manga you want Carddass cards on on a postcard and send it to the address below.". The deadline for applications was January 31st of 1996.

 

There's also a promotion for the upcoming Dragon Ball Carddass Perfect File 1, and the following mention: "For those who unfortunately missed the lottery deadline, 1000 will receive a refill pocket for the part 24 & 25 linked special cards."

 

French announcement flyer and reward letter, found on the "DBZ Museum Collection" group

The card was also distributed to 2000 lucky people in France. The card was officially referred to as the "Hologramme 3D serie speciale". Instead of doing a lottery, the card was distributed to the first 2000 people who sent in 5 empty pouches (empty card packs) of "Carddass series number 4". This would be the French release of Super Battle part 14.

The deadline for participating was October 31 of 1996. The winners were to receive the card 4 weeks later. As far as I know the 2000 cards distributed in France are indistinguishable from the 3000 distributed in Japan. Therefor although known in Japan as a Limited 3000 card, it is actually limited to 5000.

The Total n1000 Commemoration 3D Carddass card

The 3D effect of the card is hard to capture in pictures. Essentially the card has an effect of popping out. The effect is most noticeable when tilting the card from left to right. For example Goku's hand feels like it's reaching out of the card, but also the point of view on the entirety of Goku's body moves relative to the background!

When tilting the card SS3 Goku's aura shines in and out depending on the angle it is viewed at. The bottom box reads: "Super record thanks to everyone! Thank you for your continued support!!!". The edge of the card reads: "Dragon Ball Carddass Total No 1,000 has been reached!".

 

The Total n1000 Commemoration 3D Carddass card (from Carddas Nation's collection)

The card is originally green or yellowish green, despite the original flyer showing it more as brown. Although harmless to the hologram effect (or value of the card), in some rare situations some cards may have turned brown, but this was a more common occurrence with Amada's 3D hologram cards. 

Above is a photo provided to me by Carddass Nation from his personal collection. It's a very nice example of a brown Limited 3D Carddass card. As one can see the card's illustration and 3D effect remain strong and the color and vibrancy very clear.

 

 

Aura pulsing that appears from the sides on the Total n1000 Commemoration 3D card

In some very rare and unfortunate instances the card may have a bluish hue. The cause is unknown but the result is that those blue cards may suffer from a reduction in how well the 3D hologram effect can be seen.

 

The card is infamous for being extremely sensitive to natural damage. In most cases this presents itself as black dots or black streaks across the card. It's so common that it's practically impossible to find a card free or these imperfections.

The Total n1000 Commemoration 3D Carddass card back

The back of the card reveals that it is made in the USA. Perhaps the USA had the optimal plants for producing hologram cards? The back also reads "Not for sale".

This is easily one of my absolute favorite limited Carddass cards. Everything about it is outstanding, from the illustration itself, the design, the rendering, the presentation, every aspect is phenomenal!

This would be the last Buu era limited card, and the last Dragon Ball Z era limited card, but what an unforgettable way to celebrate 25 parts of fantastic Carddass cards!

Back to main index

"Introduction" Movie Special 1995 card

The Movie Special 1995 card

On July 9 Toei released (in Japan) the 11th Dragon Ball Z feature film called "Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly" (ドラゴンボールZ 超戦士撃破!!勝つのはオレだ in Japanese). The movie was later released overseas. To promote the international release Bandai offered the "Movie Special 1995" card to viewers of the movie in Hong Kong.

The card features the original movie poster art illustration. Android 18, Goten and Trunks are featured in the forefront, and Bio Broly in the background. The edge has the title of the movie displayed. The lower box reads: "Is the Shaman of Natade Village involved in this battle?".

Front and back of the card included in its paper sheet posted on Facebook by Ben Ikki

Thanks to Carddass Nation for bringing this to my attention, we have here the front and back of the original paper sheet in which the card came in. Unfortunately as I cannot read Chinese I'm not able to provide a translation of the text.

Interestingly the gift sheet does have a number, in this case indicating the card was produced in at least around 5000 copies (possibly as many as 10k, or more, as there is a 0 infront). The front includes another artwork from a scene in the movie.

The Movie Special 1995 card back

The back of the card uses the same type of back as found on the then newly released "Ultimate Exhibit 1995 Admission card". As a result it's possible to determine the card was released after, or around the same time as the Ultimate Exhibit of 1995. Of course it is printed in Japan, and mentions EDKO Films as a partner for this release.

This is a really nice card. The only official Carddass gift card made exclusively for the overseas market. It's the last gift card to use that classical light purple colored edges that was found on so many other limited gift cards. The movie poster illustration is rendered so nicely on the card, makes me wish they had done this for other of the Dragon Ball Z movies too!

Back to main index

"Introduction" Ultimate Exhibit 1995 Admission card

Ultimate Exhibit 1995 Admission card

After the success of the first Ultimate Exhibit in 1994, Bandai decided to do a second such event in October of 1995. This time called Jump Character Carddass Ultimate Exhibit 1995 (ジャンプキャラクターカードダス究極博 in Japanese). Unfortunately they still used the inaccurate English translation of the event in the subtitle: "Super Museum".

This time the event was carried out at only three locations: Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka. This decision must have been decided based on attendance levels at the locations of the Ultimate Exhibit of 1994.

Exact dates are not easily found online, but it lasted 5 days. Requests for invitations were probably made around July or August, after which lucky applicants who were selected to attend where sent this limited prism card. This would be shown at the admission counter when attending the event in October. Unlike the invitation card of 1994, there was no stamping of numbers at the back of the card this time. 

This time Dragon Ball Carddass parts were up to part 24, with 25 around the corner. Super Battle was at part 14 with 15 about to be released too. All parts were available for sale as full sets, and there were some rewards to be won such as a limited Jumbo card, and a limited Super Jumbo card. 

The ultimate rewards were a "Carddass part 1~24 Complete Set" and a "Super Battle part 1~14 Complete Set" prize rewards. Each one was given to one lucky recipient per day per event (total 15 per box for each). These came in standard black boxes with texts written in gold.

Ultimate Exhibit 1995 Admission card back

The card features Son Goku, Trunks, and Pan. This illustration by Toriyama sensei is one of the first Dragon Ball GT illustrations, and the colors used on Goku are different from what ended up being on the show. The lower box reads: "What are the Dragon Ball that are neither Shenron nor Porunga?!". The edge reads: "Goku and friends new adventure begins!!".

The back of the card features a special type of back, that was also used on the Movie Special Card 95. The text in the box reads: "A few years since the events of before. Goku, Trunks, and Pan's adventure begins. It's a new TV original Dragon Ball story!! From part 26 DB Carddass too will meet the new development by introducing a new design!!"

A very nice card that is full of promise of what Dragon Ball GT might bring! I love the colors, and enjoy the differences in the expressions of the three characters. The fact that Goku's colors are different from the final designs makes it even more interesting to me. What a delightful card!

Back to main index

"Introduction" Over 1 Billion Carddass Commemoration (Limited 6000)

 

Ultimate Exhibit Over 1 Billion Commemoration cards

In October of 1994 Bandai celebrated Dragon Ball Carddass with an epic exhibit called the Ultimate Exhibit (究極博 in Japanese). At this event which was carried in 5 towns across Japan for 5 days, one would find full sets of Carddass parts for sale, rewards to be won by earning participation coins, as well as a chance to earn the new special versions of the newly released novel part 20 reversible prisms!

For additional information on the exhibit please first read the introduction to the Ultimate Exhibit Invitation ticket card here.

 

The summarized depiction of the Ultimate Exhibit 1994 (scan from Adali.fr)

One of my favorite articles on the Exhibit is the one by Bob on a French website called Adali.fr. I highly recommend reading the article (machine translation in English here). The story of the young attendee called Shinji is described in the greatest detail! Any Dragon Ball fan would be moved by his adventure at the exhibit that day.

The spread above shows the hours of opening, the rewards to be found, explanations on events, and a visual representation of what would be found at the exhibit.

 

Picture found online of the tickets that came from participating

 

There were participation tickets given out which had the following instructions. "Please carry this ticket with you today without fail. At the reception desk you can exchange this for participation coin(s) and bingo card(s) that you can enjoy at the Carddass Battle Corner.".

The main source of earning coins was by playing the card game with staffers. The prizes coins could be used on included a Limited Jumbo card, a limited prism binder, and arguably the best prize: this set of 5 Limited 6000 cards. This was offered to celebrate having made over 1 billion Carddass cards (what an achievement!). 

I've been informed by fellow collector Barry Ho that these cards were also available as a prize at an Ultimate Exhibit event carried out in Hong Kong. I don't know how many were printed there but I assume a small quantity. How cool that the Ultimate Exhibit was present in Hong Kong as well!

Card number 1: Gathering! The Super Saiyajin Warriors

 

Card number 1 features a group illustration of all 5 Saiyajin characters, and an ominous Babidi in the background. The edge reads "Let's pulverize Babidi's ambitions!". Notice the card edges of this series continues the tradition of using light purple toned right edges from the Mechanko Project and the Invitation Card.

Card number 2: Son Gohan

Card number 2 is one of my favorites of the series. SS2 Son Gohan doing a Kamehameha right at the viewer. What great colors and another gorgeous illustration! All 5 illustrations featured on these cards were colored by Toriyama sensei himself by the way.

Cards number 3 and 4: Son Gokuu & Son Gohan, Trunks & Son Goten

Although they don’t function as a pair, cards number 3 and 4 follow a pattern and they look very nice together. Really love the colors used on number 3. Card number 3's edge reads "Earth's strongest warriors will be decided by us!" Card number 4's edge reads "We will master the ultimate technique of fusion!!"

Card number 5: Gotenks

 

Card number 5 features Gotenks in the center and Buu in various poses around him. One of the highlights of this wonderful set, and one of my favorite limited cards! The edge reads : "Fusion accomplished!!"

The entirety of this set is absolutely extraordinary. Arguably one of the nicest sets of all the limited cards in my opinion!

Although they were limited to 6000 copies it's quite likely most attendees of the event were able to acquire a set, which must have been a magical moment. They are quite rare and expensive now a days, but for fans of Carddass, these are trophy cards that if possible should be in every collection!

 

Ultimate Exhibit Over 1 Billion Commemoration cards back

Back to main index

"Introduction" Part 20 Ultimate Exhibit Limited reversible prisms

 

Ultimate Exhibit exclusive versions of the Part 20 reversible prisms

In October of 1994 Bandai released the extremely hyped Carddass part 20. They were featured prominently at the Ultimate Exhibit event. Part 20 was a major moment in Carddass history as it introduced the first two reversible prism cards (the back of the card was made of peeleable paper which would reveal another prism on the back).

These special Part 20 reversible prisms were found in special vending machines for part 20 that were exclusive to the event. They were also available as part of full part collections that were offered for sale (also only at the event). 

 

The back of unpeeled versions of the cards

 

For the very lucky these were also obtainable as part of a special gold Ingot case (pictured in the Daizenshuu perfect file volume 1) which collected all first 20 parts of Carddass. This was rewarded through a questionnaire. Only 1 was awarded per event per day, so with 5 locations going on for 5 days, only 25 were given. I believe they were again obtainable the following year at the Ultimate Exhibit of 1995 as part of a 24 part Carddass black box. As these two exclusive cards were also obtainable as a reward presented to lucky winners at the event, they can also be considered gift cards.

Reverse side of the two exclusive prisms once peeled

What made these Ultimate Exhibit versions of these two cards different was that they were made of a “card type” prism pattern (or hard prism, please read Retroballz's excellent page on this subject). The standard versions featured “seal type” prism patterns (soft prisms). Bandai later introduced reversible prism cards as a standard from part 23 onwards, and they would use the “card type” found in the versions shown here.

Top: Ultimate Exhibit version. Bottom: Standard versions

The first card features Son Goku in SS3 for the first time in the Carddass series. The second card features Son Gohan wielding the Z sword. The design and illustrations used are great.

Of course this version is much rarer and harder to find than the standard version. Although it is not known how many were made, under 10 000 sounds like a reasonable estimate.

These two cards were highlights of the Part 20 of Carddass, and these special versions featured at the exhibit remains very popular with collectors to this day!

Reverse side comparison between the Ultimate Exhibit (top) and standard version (bottom)

Back to main index

"Introduction" Ultimate Exhibit 1994 Invitation ticket card

 

The Ultimate Exhibit '94 Invitation card

At the release of Carddass part 19, Bandai accepted invitation requests to attend a new event called the "Jump Character Carddass Ultimate Exhibit", abbreviated to Ultimate Exhibit (究極博 in Japanese). The English subtitle read: "Super Museum", which in my opinion is not an accurate translation and does not do justice to the original Japanese title. Those selected (7500 individuals) were sent an invitation card (pictured above). 

This was to be used as a ticket to access the upcoming event later that year in 1994. The event was carried out in 5 locations across Japan: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. The event lasted 5 days, starting from the 9th of October, which was a Sunday, lasting till Friday.

The event had much to offer, attendees would be able to acquire the new part 20 reversible prisms with a unique prism pattern exclusive to the event. Play card games to earn points that would allow one to pick rewards, of which the mighty Over 1 Billion Carddass Commemoration prisms was a part of. It was also possible to buy full sets of all Carddass up till part 20, as well as Super Battle up till part 10, among other wonderful items.

Back an unstamped Ultimate Exhibit '94 Invitation card

The back featured a special backing stating the rules: 

- 1 card allows one person to attend 1 single time. 

- Please be sure to bring this card with you.

- For inquiries (followed by phone number)

When this ticket was brought to the admission counter of the Ultimate Exhibit event, it was stamped with a visitor number (such as "0108" for example). Since there were 5 locations across Japan, most earlier numbers would exist on up to 5 cards around the country. 

There also exists unstamped versions of the card such as the one pictured here. According to various sites out of the 7500 invitations sent, only 5207 people attended across all 5 locations. This resulted in 2293 cards being unused. As a result the unstamped cards are a bit rarer than the stamped variety.

I've been informed that there was also a similar Ultimate Exhibit carried out in Hong Kong, and that this card also given out to participants there. I don't know the exact date of the event or how many were printed for it is. I assume the card is otherwise identical. Thank you to Barry Ho for that supplemental information!

This is a card full of history. Not only for being associated with the historic first Ultimate Exhibit, but also because it is only one of two non reversible non double prism Carddass cards to have been made featuring this card type prism (or hard prism). This style was typically much more commonly used by rival Amada.

The card is one of the rare Carddass prism cards showing Son Goku using the Nyoibou. Such a colorful illustration, and with Shenron in the background! What a splendid card!

 

Back to main index