This is a page for just Phone Cards of Japan. Phone cards were something that appeared before modern cell phone plans. They are plastic cards that you buy which have 'phone time' on them, or 'minutes'. So they're like pre-paid credit cards, only they can just be used for phone minutes only, local or long distance. You used it by pressing in the special number on the back after activation. Some fit into pay phone booths. However, once all the minutes were used up, the card usually became useless. (some could be re-charged though, by calling a special number & giving your credit card) Just because the card couldn't be used to call any more...didn't mean it wasn't cool any more, especially if it featured Sonic on it! The used up cards became sort of a collectible on their own. Loads of different themes & designs were released over the years, and you could put them in collector sleeves meant for sports-cards / superhero cards etc. then add them to a card binder. Cards with Sonic have been made right from the beginning, so you'll see everything from 'Segasonic' to Sonic Adventure styles here.

Sonic Gear Main *

Before the popularity of mobile phones, phone cards were a big deal. These plastic cards had phone minutes on them...and when you used up all the time, you could collect the card much like a sports-card. (only they are made of plastic) Quite a few Sonic theme cards were produced, and these yellow & red cards are rather old. There are numbers across the top, and an arrow showing how to slide it into a phone. The yellow one says 'Mega Drive' below the Sega logo, while the other is the title screen art from Sonic 1. Photo by Scavenger4food

This is a phone card. Pre-paid cards are common in likely most countries, but Japan (more than any other) likes to issue special themed cards. Of course, there's a Sonic one. In fact, this is one of several that exist. These cards are useful, because even after you use up all the minutes of calling time, you can then add the card to your collection, much like a trading card!

This one is obviously for Sonic Adventure 1, as it has that iconic art of Sonic and the new logo. There is a phrase on it which reads: "I'll never look back, I've got no regrets 'cause time doesn't wait for me. I choose to go my own way". The card is shown here on it's retail/packing card and is from 1998. Photo discovered by: Skippy

This is a classic phone card. The card itself is likely an actual classic item (not just something classicly styled) It's quite simple, with a red fade background, and standard stock Sonic. The bottom has the activation number, and likely a small explanation of what to do to use the card for calling. This may have been part of a set of phone cards with a Sonic theme. Discovered by: Ghostie Shadow

Here's a card from around the SA1 time. It has the less-common 'headphone wearing Sonic' art, with yellow rings to represent soundwaves, and a gray grid background. Sonic's posture was always sort of odd in this art, and where they cut the card off at doesn't really help it out much.

This card is quite old, as you can see with the "Segasonic" branding at the top. It has a seldom used (Japan pretty much only) classic art with his hand out in a "presenting..." whatever's unseen off the edge of the card.

This card has a nice sketched look, with charcoal textured 'shadows' running over the art. This 'looking back' pose may be exclusive to this particular phone card. The yellow background is not super bright, adding to a sort of artsy type look for it. A nice & unique looking card! Photo by SonicTeam

This is some type of card, but is it a phone card? Notice that the proportions ar e different, and it also lacks the 2 notches at one end, that all of the other cards have. But if this isn't a phone card, what is it? The art features Sonic at the sea-shore, with a cute Tails flying in the background. What does the text in the middle say? Is this soda-sippin sunglasses Sonic what spawned the very similar USA classic stock art?

This black phone card may have 1 of the first 3D CG Sonic images they ever made. It's just Sonic sort of...floating there with a nice dose of that early photoshop style lense flare going on. Since the CG art is so early, it must have been a great sight to see when the card was new.

This white card has a Saturn theme...sort of. It says "Saturn" in the top, & uses Sonic R era art, but the screen shots that make up the background are all from earlier games. You can spot Sonic 1 Green Hill for sure. The screens make an interesting backdrop for the nicely shaded art. Photo by SonicTeam.