F.A.Q.
Index:
About Shitajiki/Pencil boards
About Pencilboard.net
About Shitajiki/Pencil boards
What are pencil boards anyway?
Pencil boards, more properly called shitajiki, are thin pieces of plastic, usually printed with some kind of image,
that Japanese school children use as a sort of writing pad. They slip it between the sheets of paper in their notebook
to prevent indentations from forming on the page below, and to keep the writing smooth. But we collect them for their beauty.
What kinds of images are portrayed on pencil boards?
The vast majority of pencil boards feature images from anime and manga (Japanese animation and comics, respectively),
but many feature Japanese celebrities, sports, toys, and even American films.
Where can I find or buy pencil boards?
Since Pencilboard.net doesn't want to align itself with any particular shop (though we buy from many!) so that we remain a neutral and objective reference archive, we can't give you recommendations. But take a look at the listing of Online Stores at the
Anime Web Turnpike, and you'll be sure to find some!
Now that I've got all these boards, how do I store the suckers?
There are multiple ways you can store shitajiki. One way that we found works best on our personal collection is to get some binders (get D-ring binders to keep your boards safe), and some Ultra-Pro Silver Age resealable binder pages (comic stores may have to special order these). Put your boards in the pages, stick your pages in the binder (be sure not to overload the binder or your boards can warp!) and you're ready to go.
Another method is to buy comic sleeves (again, Ultra-Pro Silver Age resealable comic bags are the best size), and use a magazine box or something similar. The long comic book boxes used in shops to store back issues of comics work well if you have a large collection. There are also special binders you can buy, made especially for pencil boards, but they don't hold many and can be fairly hard to find.
There are lots of ways to store shitajiki. Just give it some thought and I'm sure you'll find the perfect solution for your own collection. One important thing to remember, though: don't stack your boards on top of one another as this may cause them to warp.
What do the cryptic little numbers on the boards (and in your listings) mean?
That's the shitajiki code. Most boards have a code, some do not, especially those made by manga publishing houses. Here's an example of the most common type of code (in this case, from a Slayers board):
0347 0020-12 0397
The first group of four digits (0347) represent Movic's unique ID code for each anime series they produce items for. In this case, it's Slayers, and "0347" is always used in official Movic items made for Slayers, such as cards.
The second group of four digits (0020) represent what type of item it is. In this case, it's a shitajiki. "0020" always denotes shitajiki.
The two digits following the second group of four by a dash (12) represents which pencil board it is for that series. That is, since this board says "12", it is the twelfth board planned for Slayers. Not all boards that are planned are produced (this explains missing numbers in a sequence). If all the boards had the full codes on them, the first and second boards made for Slayers would be numbered "01" and "02" respectively, and so on.
The last four digits (0397) are the ones you need to be most acquainted with, and represent the month and the year the board was made. This board was made in the third month of 1997. The reason you should be aware of this four-digit number is because this is the number that most collectors use to refer to a particular board. If you were to put this board on your want list, or ask someone else if they've got it, you'd call it, "Slayers 0397".
Additionally, there are often letters in the code. These usually follow the four-digit code at the end, and may represent
the order that board appeared in a set. To use Slayers as an example again, the seventh through the eleventh boards for
that series are numbered "1296A" through "1296E". This means that "A" came first, followed by
"B", on down the line, and the boards were made in the same month and are considered a set. Sentimental Graffiti
boards go all the way into the middle of the alphabet!
Often boards not in a series of production ("A", "B", "C", etc.) may have the four-digit year and month code followed by a "G". This shows that the board was released for a movie or similar important film feature. For instance, the movie Slayers Return has its board numbered "0896G". In a long series of boards, like Sentimental Graffiti, a "G" might just be one letter in its sequence, but this is pretty rare. It's almost always to denote a movie or OAV production. The letter "G" in this case originates from the Japanese word "Gekijou", which means "movie theater".
When a board code is followed by an "EV", that means it was released at an important event, such as a convention
or show. Another similar code-ending is "FE" which means the board was released at a fair (or faire, in Old English
if you will). Enix Fair boards are marked with this code-ending.
As mentioned previously, this is the most common numbering system (used primarily on boards produced by MOVIC), but there are others. Sometimes the four-digit number at the end is all that is used, and some companies use an entirely different system altogether. Some companies defy logic by not using any code at all. But knowing this basic and popular system should be enough to get you started in identifying shitajiki.
I bought a pencil board, and it's made of cardstock. Is it real?
While there are some bootlegged shitajiki made of cardboard, don't assume that just because the board you're looking at is cardstock that it is a fake. Certain manga anthologies (like Margaret, Ribon, and Nakayosi) occasionally include free "shitajiki" in their magazine as furoku ("furoku" is the free stuff that gets included with the magazine). Because they're sending these out to everyone, they have to be cheap, so they make them out of thin cardboard. These boards are usually recognizable by the fact that most often they have one series on the front, a different series on the back. Game magazines also release these cardstock boards. Arguably, the most famous board of this type is the board with Sailormoon on one side, the Rayearth guys decked out in tuxedos on the other. It was released by Nakayosi. Cardboard pencil boards can be some of the hardest to find and beautiful boards that exist.
What you want to be careful of is Jumbo Cards (usually made by Bandai) being sold by sellers as pencil boards because they either a) don't know it's not a pencil board, or b) are lying and trying to cheat you. Also, rare boards are sometimes bootlegged. These are often made of thin cardboard, and placed in a plastic holder. If in doubt, be sure to ask the seller questions about the board, such as the number, what it's made of, etc., and often official boards will have a sticker of the producing company, though this certainly is not a requirement or guarantee of authenticity.
The best way to be sure of what you're getting is to learn as much as you can about shitajiki, and ask the sellers questions. Caveat emptor! (Buyers beware!).
Someone has a pencil board for sale in "mint" (or other) condition. What does that mean and what other conditions are there?
While there is no defining authority in appraising shitajiki, we've found several different means of describing the condition of boards and have come up with our own system. It's our opinion that 1 out of 50 boards or so will be in genuine "mint" condition, so if you see a seller describing a board as such, we feel compelled to caution buyers that this may not be the case. Naturally, scratches are to be expected on boards, and most do not marr the image, so they are not a problem (after all, we collect shitajiki for the art, not the condition). However, as traders and sellers, sometimes we need to clarify to potential buyers or fellow traders what condition the board is in. It would certainly be a let down if we traded a "cherry" board for one that had heavy scratches, wouldn't it? So to be fair, most sellers and traders place an assessment of the board's condition in its description.
As we mentioned, there've been several good methods of doing this that we've come accross and we used them as a basis to come up with our own method that we would like to share with the trading community:
Please Note:
When discussing markings or scuffs that marr or adversely affect the image, please note that the one exception to this is permanent marker or oil based pen signatures by prominent people such as the author of a series, voice actors from the anime, producers, directors, artists, etc.
- Mint (10):
The pencil board is in perfect condition and has absolutely no imperfections visible in
close scrutiny under light; alternatively, it is in a sealed / resealable bag that has
never been opened and is presumed to be in perfect condition. It is very rare to come across a glossy surfaced board that is indeed in mint condition. Most brand new, out of the store glossy pencil boards often come with minor scratches that occur during the shipment of the boards to the store. These scratches come from the plastic bags rubbing against the glossy plastic. Although its unfortunate, such scratches are not an exception to this assessment scale for appraising the proper condition of a pencil board. Matte surface boards in mint condition tend to be more commonplace than glossy boards, as the surface is not as susceptible to minor scratches that are visible in close scrutiny under light.
- Near Mint (9):
Apart from a few light scratches that are visible only in close scrutiny under light, the
pencil board is in virtually perfect condition. Most retail bought boards come in this
condition.
- Excellent (7 to 8):
The pencil board has several light scratches or scuffs on either or both sides.
- Good (5 to 6):
The pencil board has light scratches or scuffs throughout most of the surface of the board,
or has one or two moderate scratches or scuffs. One or two tiny dents that are visible only under close
scrutiny under light will fall into this range as well.
- Fair (3 to 4):
The pencil board has one or two heavy scuffs or a large amount of moderate scratches or scuff marks,
or more than a couple tiny dents visible only under close scrutiny under light
which do not marr the image of the board.
- Poor (1 to 2):
The pencil board is heavily scratched or scuffed, possibly marring the image of the board,
and / or may have one or two tiny bends or clearly visible tiny dents.
- Damaged (0):
The pencil board, regardless of the condition of the surface, has a crack, has a significant dent or bend, has burn marks (physical or chemical), is chipped, is warped, is impaled or punctured, is peeling, is cut, is discolored, is sun-faded, has permanent markings (except as noted above) and / or has the image of the board heavily marred.
About Pencilboard.net
How do I contribute?
Using our new and improved automated contributions system.
You've got a mistake in one of your listings. How do I let you know?
Go to the Bug Report Submission Form on the bottom of every page. We really appreciate it when people inform us of mistakes in our listings. There are so many pencil boards out there, we can't possibly know everything about them. Sometimes we get names screwed up, boards placed in the wrong section, and other fun stuff. We depend on the kindness of visitors to straighten us out.
I made a mistake in my contribution! What do I do?
Just let us know which board is the problem, and what the mistake is, via the Bug Report Submission Form on the bottom of every page. It's no problem. When we add the listings, we'll make the necessary change.
I saw a reversible board in the listings, but you've only got an image for the front side. What happened to the reverse side?
The reverse side images is unavailable or hasn't been contributed yet. If you have a reverse image of a pencilboard that doesn't show the reverse in the reference, please contribute to the reference.
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