Ok, I just scored for 11 bullmark PAINTED erasers. They looked like bullmark 'rasers per KT listings, but I was not able to find any reference for them coming as painted on clubT or collectionDX or KT ... nothing in general googling, either. I wouldn't have bitten, but I scored one earlier, not listed as bullmark, unrelated seller, and painted the very same way, just different paint wear.
1st url is for the set, 2nd for the single I found first.
http://page18.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/w33837564
http://page6.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/f63186722

Don't have them in hand yet, so those are the best shots that I can scrounge.
Anyone able to shed light?

Bullmark mini erasers. A little less than an inch tall, painted and they came in a box set. Later they were bootlegged and sold in vending machines at TRU in the early 90s with just the eyes painted and nothing else. There are toho and ultra characters. I will try and find a picture of the boxed sets. (I am sure they were sold other ways back in the day as well, but I am not an expert on the erasers, I would try the Recism eraser guy in Japan.)

Thanks brian.
They should be over here in about 2 weeks dep. on MOJ. Will post better pics in the collections thread.

What were the solid colored Ultra Monsters sold in milky Trash cans in the States during the MUSCLE import time? I though those were erasers or were they just solid colored rubber. I have a few around here somewhere.

Whoa. Another something I don't know about...have you got any pics? That would be cool; do you still have the "milky trashcans"? Sounds very Captain Beefheart.

eraser sized but hard plastic...I have a couple. I think I got them in 1989 ?





just thought you guys might like to check 'em out...

Club Tokyo does show a pic of the Toho painted erasers (http://www.clubtokyo.org/listings/itemListingRpt.php?catID=1&subCatID=17&contentID=1351)
They also show some of the unpainted erasers in the Figures-Bullmark-Misc section.
They painted ones are harder to find but I was still surprised at the ending price for that auction. I have been looking for the Mogera in that set forever.

^^Missed that, thanks. Cannot imagine what a full blister packed cherry set would go for and I'm trying not to think about how hard it will be to get the 7 that I haven't scored; they look tough.

Okay. Dumb question, why are erasers called erasers?
Are they really designed to rub out pencil marks?

They "erase" pencil marks - sometimes. Other times they just mark up the paper with whatever color the "eraser" happens to be made in.

Those look like the bootlegs with the black painted eyes done really sloppy. They must have sold them painted and just eyes. Very interesting.

didnt even know these were erasers until mark k told me .

Are they actually marketed/packaged as "erasers" I always thought these were just
cheap gumball type toys that just happened to be cast in an eraser like material.

Some of them can be used as erasers, but most of them are just rubbery material. You need to test them to find out.

got that.... my question was : does the packaging indicate that the content is an eraser ?

If it says "keshigomu" (消しゴム), then yes.

Here's a question:
I think that some of the old erasers are rubber, but aren't most of them made from a vinyl chloride variant, like those multi-layered and multi-colored luggage tags and mats?

I believe most erasers consist of two ingredients: rubber and an abrasive material that's mixed in with it.

Keshigomu are either made of this mixture (and can be used as real erasers) or just rubber without the graphite.

Thanks. Saw some old Disneyana figs on the 'bay the other day... Very old rubber and paint from the '30s. 2 sets; the nicer one was 15k and the one that looked like the dog made it was 5k. These were the 7 dwarves, not even Mickey! Which is cool, would rather have kaiju. Knowing this makes some of the YJA prices on keshis a hair more palatable.
This does lead to another question, however. As rubber ages it dries, shrivels and cracks like any plastic. Are there any conservation or restoration methods that can safely be used on erasers?

Just stuck a preliminary shot and a scan of the marks on the back of the supposed painted bullmarks in a new thread in the collector's corner.
If anyone can shed light, please let me know, thanks.
-Later- Yeah, those seem to be bullmark / Tsubaraya.
Thanks to all who contributed!