COLLECTOR'S EDITION

Corinthian released the Collectors Edition series of ProStars in February 2002 and it marked a definitive change and shift in how the product was both packaged and designed.

 

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ProStars Collectors Edition was the first series where Corinthian made public how many of each figure was produced, with each figure coming issued with an individually numbered collector card. This 'Issue Number' addition added another dimension to collecting and really enhanced the appeal of the blister pack and the need to keep it boxed, as opposed to opening it.

 

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This series was also vastly significant in the history of ProStars for another reason, it saw Corinthian totally redesign and improve the Platinum Pack

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• A new Platinum colour backing card was created, based on the design of the regular ProStars blister card.

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• A new collector certificate of authenticity (COA) which replaced the standard collector card, which would now only be used in regular released product from this point forward. This Platinum Pack Collector Card would be a generic card used in all Platinum Packs, stating that no more than 360 had been made.

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• The figures inside the Platinum Pack were now on a Silver base and carried a unique PP collector code which was only used for Platinum Pack Figures, so PRO529 in standard blister became PP529 in the Platinum Pack.

 

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This version of the Platinum Pack would be used all the way until ProStars Series 26, at which point the only change Corinthian made was to now issue each Platinum Pack with an individually numbered collector card.

 

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There are 20 figures in the Collectors Edition Series, 18 of which also featured in the ProStars 3 Packs, with the 2 blister pack exclusives being David Batty in Leeds United away kit and Sergei Rebrov in Tottenham Hotspur home kit, with Corinthian making 1,700 Rebrov but only 1,250 Batty.

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The series contained 2 Liverpool figures, both in 2001/02 away kit, those being Stephane Henchoz and Danny Murphy, with there being 1,450 Henchoz and 1,600 Murphy produced. There was a trio of Chelsea figures with Marcel Desailly and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink being in home kit, and Frank Lampard in away kit. Production wise Corinthian made 1,850 of both Hasselbaink and Desailly and 1,875 Lampard.

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Dennis Bergkamp in Arsenal away kit was the only Gunners release, there was just 2000 blister packs made, with all 2000 going to the Arsenal club shop who used this as a club shop exclusive.

 

 

There was only Neil Lennon in Celtic away kit for the Green half of Glasgow, with just 1,350 being made, however the Blue side of Glasgow saw 3 figures released for Rangers, with Stefan Klos and Michael Mols in home kit and Claudio Caniggia in away kit. Caniggia had the most released with 1,950, Klos 1,350 and there is actually only 1,000 of Mols!

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Manchester United figures accounted for over a third of the series, with a total of 7 figures, 4 in 2001/02 home kit and 3 in the popular Gold kit, which was Manchester Uniteds centenary kit and was actually reversible. The 4 in home kit are Ryan Giggs, Juan Sebastian Veron, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, complete with Silver boots and David Beckham. Volume wise Corinthian made 2,850 Giggs, 3,250 Veron, 2,850 Van Nistelrooy and just 2,000 Beckham. This was an incredibly low number for such a popular player, with all 2,000 blister packs of Beckham going to Japan, which is the main contributing factor into why the blister of Beckham is so hard to find.

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The 3 Manchester United away kit figures are Wes Brown, Ronny Johnsen and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with production for each being 1,850 for Brown, 1,650 Johnsen and a total of 1,800 for Solskjaer, with the blister of Solskjaer being surprisingly hard to find in recent times, perhaps due to an increase in demand once he became Manchester United manager.

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As detailed above this was the first series to have the new Platinum Pack design, each coming with a generic collector card stating no more than 360 of each were produced, although Corinthian never disclosed the exact amount it is largely accepted they did make 360 of each. The Platinum Packs were not sent to retail stores, this particular set was given away with the 2002 Collector Club Membership packages.

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One thing which Corinthian did detail is that they made just 50 Platinum Packs of David Beckham and Dennis Bergkamp. with all 50 being allocated to the official Corinthian Resellers. The Platinum Packs of Bergkamp and Beckham are incredibly rare!

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The ProStars Collectors Edition blister packs were sold in Collector Centres, mail order stockists and official Corinthian Resellers, however they were not available from Corinthian Direct.

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A further 2 were released under the ProStars Collectors Edition banner, with both being released at the 2003 Corinthian Convention, which was held at Villa Park on the 31st of May, with Rio Ferdinand and legend Terry McDermott both in England home kit. Corinthian made a total of 5,410 of Ferdinand but just 1,800 of those were available in the UK, while McDermott had a total of 2,170 produced but just 1,620 were kept in the UK.

 

 

Terry McDermott was at the convention to personally sign his blister pack. The blister packs of Ferdinand and McDermott came issued with an individually numbered collector card, however no Platinum Packs were made