Tommy Kono Autographs
Tamio "Tommy" Kono (Japanese: 高野 民夫, June 27, 1930 – April 24, 2016) was an American weightlifter of Japanese descent. A two-time Olympic gold medalist, Kono set world records in four different weight classes: lightweight (149 pounds or 67.5 kilograms), middleweight (165 lb or 75 kg), light-heavyweight (182 lb or 82.5 kg) and middle-heavyweight (198 lb or 90 kg).
Kono was born in Sacramento, California, on June 27, 1930. His family was of Japanese descent and were interned at Tule Lake internment camp in 1942 during World War II following the signing of Executive Order 9066. Sickly as a child, the desert air helped Kono's asthma. It was during the relocation that Kono was introduced to weightlifting by neighbors including Noboru "Dave" Shimoda, a member of the Tule Lake weightlifting and bodybuilding club and brother of actor Yuki Shimoda and his friends, Gotoh, Toda and Bob Nakanishi. After 31⁄2 years they were released and Kono finished Sacramento High School. He later worked for the California Department of Motor Vehicles and attended Sacramento Junior College.
Kono was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950 as a cook but remained in the United States during the Korean War after officials learned of his Olympic potential. As a private, he was first sent to Camp Stoneman, then reassigned to Fort Mason in San Francisco, California.
Read more about Tommy Kono on Wikipedia
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Traded items with a signature of Tommy Kono
The most expensive item with a signature of Tommy Kono (Weightlifting, Olympic Style Tommy Kono SIGNED 2001 Paperback) was sold in May 2025 for $248.00 while the cheapest item (TOMMY KONO AUTOGRAPH 3x5 INDEX CARD 1952, 56 & 60 USA OLYMPIAN OLYMPICS SIGNED) found a new owner for $0.99 in March 2013. The month with the most items sold (3) was September 2009 with an average selling price of $0.99 for an autographed item of Tommy Kono. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in May 2021 with $49.00 and the month that saw the lowest prices with $0.99 was September 2009. In average, an autographed item from Tommy Kono is worth $9.99.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Tommy Kono were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Picture | Item Title | Price | Store |
 | Olympic Weightlifting Champ Tommy Kono Autograph Signed Signed d16 | $4.99 |  |
| TOMMY KONO PICTURE AUTOGRAPHED | $30.00 | |
| Tommy Kono #48 signed autograph auto 1991 Impel Olympic Hall of Fame Card | $20.00 | |
| TOMMY KONO AUTOGRAPHED OLYMPIC CARD - WEIGHTLIFTING | $4.50 | |
| TOMMY KONO Autographed Signed 8x10 Photo Summer Olympics 1952 1956 GOLD MEDAL | $49.00 | |
| Tommy Kono autographed USA Weightlifter Legend Olympics Sports Rare COA LOOK! | $34.99 | |
| Tommy Kono Olympian Signed 3x5 Index Card | $19.99 | |
| TOMMY KONO PHOTO AUTOGRAPHED | $30.00 | |
| TOMMY KONO PICTURE AUTOGRAPHED | $30.00 | |
| tommy kono signed autograph card olympic weightlifting many medals | $3.55 | |
| Tommy Kono signed US Olympic Hall of Fame trading card | $9.99 | |
| Tommy Kono signed USA Weightlifter Legend Olympics Sports Rare COA LOOK! | $34.99 | |
| Tommy Kono US Olympic Gold Silver Weightlifter Signed Autograph FDC Post Car COA | $19.99 | |
| Tommy Kono US Olympic Gold Silver Weightlifter Signed Autograph Photo Card | $9.99 | |
| US Olympic Weightlifting Champion Tommy Kono signed autograph & photo set RARE! | $16.99 | |
