Since I've only been collecting a very short time, I'm not familiar with much right now, but, I'm trying and willing to learn.

I understand that PoA was the first set released of the HP movie card series. They sure did want to cover all of the bases, didn't they?

So far, I have pieced some information together and would appreciate any feedback that you all could give me.

1. Artbox released three US sets and a UK set.
a) There is a regular silver foil base set, and, except for the Checklist Card, the hobby and retail sets are identical.
b) The chase set for the hobby box release is numbered beginning with "R" and has a puzzle on the back of it. The chase set for the retail release is numbered beginning with "M" and has a logo on the back.
c) There are, of course, only box toppers for the hobby set.
d) There was a holo-foil set of base cards and promo cards released as a retail set. This set does not have any chase cards, but does have a set of holo-foil promo cards.
e) There was a very limited gold foil set run off but released only to people with direct involvement with Artbox. There is a set of gold foil promo cards, but, this doesn't seem to be part of the gold foil base set.
f) There was a Harry Potter costume card and a Rupert Grint costume card released in the US numbered 1-100. There were identical cards released as exclusive UK incentive cards, numbered 1-500.
It is my understanding that there was a problem when they ran off the Rupert Grint set of 500 and that only about 100-130 actually reached circulation. Is this confirmed?


2. CardsInc. also released a UK set.
a) This is suppose to be a retail set and has only the base card set and promo cards.
I have found that there are two types of base cards -- one with a shiny front and back and one with a shiny front and matte back. Does anyone know the difference in these. I have near-complete sets of both. The ones with the flat backs are definitely retail because they came in a box with a price per pack on the side. There is also at least one promo card, 01 Dumbledore, with the shiny front and matte back, because I've recieved two of them while trying to order that card for my Artbox set.
b) The CardsInc. sets are numbered starting with the Checklist (landscape) and then regular scene cards from 02 to 72. The "chase" set is 17 foil portrait cards.

I would appreciate any help or information with this set, as it is so much more extensive than any of the other sets issued. Compared to it, when they released SS and CoS, they were really simple.

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Compared to it, when they released SS and CoS, they were really simple.

Don't forget the Wizards of the Cost SS set, that was a nightmare to put together.. (20+ boxes)

on the UK Cards ink sets the best person to ask is Darren he will now the ins and outs of print variations. It sounds like two runs on differing card stock. Sometimes you just use whats available on the day. Another good source of HP info is the YakShack forum, they have a very in-depth guide to all the early Artbox HP releases, though the recent issues have not been covered as well as a lot of the member seem to have lost interest or run short of time.

Other areas for research are Allender's Checklists and of course the good old Encyclopedia of Non Sport and Entertainment Trading Cards published by NSU although it only contains details of cards issued upto 2006.

There is also a German set of the Prisoner of Azkaban. As per Ed's suggestion contact Darren at Factory Entertainment for more information re the European issues.

John

The holofoil set was an SDCC show exclusive that included the base set, promo set and a special binder. The gold set was initially in-house. I'm not sure just how limited it was. The rumor was that only 32 sets existed, but after a couple of years, many gold sets showed up on eBay. There was one US seller (who has since passed away) who had a ton of them. Once they started hitting eBay, prices dropped like a rock. I can remember sets selling for upward of $200. I bought two with the promos in sealed tins for $10 each.

There were six promo sets: blue, gold, green, red, silver and Cards Inc. In addition, there was a Gum Guide promo and two promos from the collectible tins (T1 and T2). It's unknown how many promos were produced. Some of them were case incentives for the binders. If you would like to see scans of the cards in this set, they're available in the YakShack's price guide.

There were questions about both of the UK exclusives. The Harry costume was exclusive to Cards Inc. I've been told by friends in the UK that the cards were inserted in Cards Inc. cases, one per case, but I personally don't know for sure, since I live in the US and bought from a US dealer. The Ron costume was exclusive to a particular UK dealer. No one knows how many of the 500 cards he received. At the time, it appeared that far fewer than 500 were in circulation. Artbox does holds back a certain number of every insert it makes, as a replacement when someone pulls a damaged card from a box. Whatever a card's number, less than that is actually available to collectors at the time of the release.

Artbox received the HP card license in time for the third movie. They produced a POA set and a POA update set. After that, they began to produce cards for the earlier movies. Unfortunately, the company made the POA release quite complicated (as it did the POAU set) and to this day has not provided a complete checklist.

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Originally posted by JOHN LEVITT:
As per Ed's suggestion contact Darren at Factory Entertainment for more information re the European issues.

John

I so totally need to get Harris to change my user name LOL

quote:

Originally posted by Sci-FiPlanet:

quote:

Originally posted by JOHN LEVITT:
As per Ed's suggestion contact Darren at Factory Entertainment for more information re the European issues.

John

I so totally need to get Harris to change my user name LOL

OOPs!!!! that's what happens when trying to read the screen after taking my wife out to a birthday lunch . Sincere apologies to both of you.

I write this having now recovered my wits albeit for a little while.

John

Thanks, all, for the feedback. I really appreciate it. I've used Jeff Allender's lists. They're the only thing that got me this far.

I applied to post on YackShack, but haven't heard back from them. When I try to log in with the name and password I set up it tells me the Admins have to review my request and I'll be notified. Still waiting.

I will try the resources that you all mentioned, though, and, again, thank you.

quote:

Originally posted by Sci-FiPlanet:
Don't forget the Wizards of the Cost SS set, that was a nightmare to put together.. (20+ boxes)

I think you mean 'Wizards of the Coast', although this is the best freudian slip I've seen in a long while

I haven't even thought about the WotC series, or the Artbox Tins yet. I'm pulling my hair out just trying to figure out the Artbox and CardsInc. sets.

Green foil, red foil, UK exclusives, limited-release rumors about the gold foil set and the Ron UK exclusive card...OMG.

Also, for the DH 1 series...in the other sets, from what I can tell, the cards run in chronological order along with the movie scenes. Did anyone at Artbox see DH 1 before number the cards in the base set? They have all of the cards for Bill and Fleurs wedding toward the end, after the scenes of the trio being captured. And, card 89 is Severus Snape entering Malfoy Manor...which took place in the first fifteen minutes or so of the movie. The time sequence is all off.

quote:

Originally posted by HPCollector2011:
I applied to post on YackShack, but haven't heard back from them. When I try to log in with the name and password I set up it tells me the Admins have to review my request and I'll be notified.

If you click on my user name and select public profile, you can find my email address. Please send me a note. I can help you with the Shack.