Did potf mocs make it to uk shelves ?

[Heith]

Depends on how old that list is, if it is 30 years old then there was already a market for vintage Star Wars, the first POTF figures I come across were in the corn exchange Manchester circa 87/88 in a small collectors shop that later became toyhobbies?, this was around the time that local markets were selling boxes full of trilogo cards

 

[Joe]

Although we did receive a certain amount of US stock, POTF carded figures with coins were definitely never sold at retail in Europe. Memories are just memories and are never enough to confirm anything in this hobby. Any US POTF figures found on this side of the pond would have come from toy dealers in the late 80's and early 90's.

 

[Richard_H]

Would that include ones with UK price stickers? We think we may have tracked some down and are awaiting photos.

 

[Joe]

I'll await the photos but if I'm honest it would take a lot more than a price sticker to convince me otherwise at this point. I've not been around as long as some but in the last 15 years I've never once seen any POTF carded in childhood photos, never seen any price sticker evidence before now on MOC or cardbacks, never picked up or seen any POTF coins in UK childhood collections etc.

 

[Mini99]

I'll await the photos but if I'm honest it would take a lot more than a price sticker to convince me otherwise at this point. I've not been around as long as some but in the last 15 years I've never once seen any POTF carded in childhood photos, never seen any price sticker evidence before now on MOC or cardbacks, never picked up or seen any POTF coins in UK childhood collections etc.

I totally agree with this, I'm sure that what Joe is right and memories are memories.
Even with a Uk price ticket these could all be stock from toy dealers/market stalls.
I am sure that POTF were never retailed here.

 

[jayums]

I definitely saw them for sale in the UK - I refused to buy them because as a kid the change of packaging made them look like knock offs :lol: ... BUT it was an independent toy store.

 

[Darth Bobby]

I'll await the photos but if I'm honest it would take a lot more than a price sticker to convince me otherwise at this point. I've not been around as long as some but in the last 15 years I've never once seen any POTF carded in childhood photos, never seen any price sticker evidence before now on MOC or cardbacks, never picked up or seen any POTF coins in UK childhood collections etc.

I totally agree with this, I'm sure that what Joe is right and memories are memories.
Even with a Uk price ticket these could all be stock from toy dealers/market stalls.
I am sure that POTF were never retailed here.

I can't remember last week, nor much of the nineties so I'm willing to concede that I may have dreamt seeing them when I was a kid. Interesting thread though.

I definitely saw Last 17 figures, must have been Tri-logo's? Wish I bought them!

 

[Darth Bobby]

I definitely saw them for sale in the UK - I refused to buy them because as a kid the change of packaging made them look like knock offs :lol: ... BUT it was an independent toy store.

That pretty much ties in with my memory. There was so much counterfeit Star Wars rubbish out there that I thought "the packaging looks crap, maybe they aren't real".

The plot thickens. Just out of interest how do we definitely know they weren't sent here?

Like I say, I wouldn't swear on the bible but I thought I saw them.

 

[Mini99]

I can't remember last week, nor much of the nineties so I'm willing to concede that I may have dreamt seeing them when I was a kid.

True, but my memories of the 90's are clearer than yesterday.
It's a very strange thing memory, it plays tricks!

 

[Joe]

I definitely saw Last 17 figures, must have been Tri-logo's? Wish I bought them!

Yes they would have been Trilogos, all other carded packaging styles across Europe were phased out in 1984 in favour of the multi lingual Trilogo card.

Just out of interest how do we definitely know they weren't sent here?

UK Shipping assortments from the early ROTJ period show that Palitoy (and in turn Clipper) routinely received US Kenner carded action figures which were then mixed in and sold alongside the new Trilogo design. Once the POTF figures were released though it was all Trilogo.

I remember seeing some POTF Ewoks with coins in the 90's in a toy shop in Romford but a lot of dealers back then were travelling over and bringing back stock from the US.

 

[edd_jedi]

I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility, but there is a big difference between them being officially distributed to the UK and some random bloke going over to the States, picking up a few and selling them in his seaside souvenir shop. The latter doesn't really count as an official sale IMO.

 

[Darth Bobby]

I definitely saw Last 17 figures, must have been Tri-logo's? Wish I bought them!

Yes they would have been Trilogos, all other carded packaging styles across Europe were phased out in 1984 in favour of the multi lingual Trilogo card.

Just out of interest how do we definitely know they weren't sent here?

UK Shipping assortments from the early ROTJ period show that Palitoy (and in turn Clipper) routinely received US Kenner carded action figures which were then mixed in and sold alongside the new Trilogo design. Once the POTF figures were released though it was all Trilogo.

I remember seeing some POTF Ewoks with coins in the 90's in a toy shop in Romford but a lot of dealers back then were travelling over and bringing back stock from the US.

Very interesting, thanks.

 

[laurencedyer]

I definitely saw Last 17 figures, must have been Tri-logo's? Wish I bought them!

Yes they would have been Trilogos, all other carded packaging styles across Europe were phased out in 1984 in favour of the multi lingual Trilogo card.

Just out of interest how do we definitely know they weren't sent here?

UK Shipping assortments from the early ROTJ period show that Palitoy (and in turn Clipper) routinely received US Kenner carded action figures which were then mixed in and sold alongside the new Trilogo design. Once the POTF figures were released though it was all Trilogo.

I remember seeing some POTF Ewoks with coins in the 90's in a toy shop in Romford but a lot of dealers back then were travelling over and bringing back stock from the US.

Very interesting, thanks.

I definitely saw Last 17 figures, must have been Tri-logo's? Wish I bought them!

"Yes they would have been Trilogos, all other carded packaging styles across Europe were phased out in 1984 in favour of the multi lingual Trilogo card."

I am certainly one not to be argumentative but I will have to disagree here regarding the phasing out in 1984.

I acquired two Emperor carded figures from my Palitoy loft find amongst others. One of these was a Trilogo and the other one was a Kenner 77 back.
The Kenner 77 carded figure was released in 1984 as far as I am aware, although I am more than happy to be corrected if I am stating a misfact here.
I also acquired a large selection of baggies. Those of you who remember the find will remember that they came from a hoarders loft who's best friend was a factory manager for Palitoy. The story and research I undertook for those not aware of it is on my signature below so take a gander by all means to bring you up to speed.
The baggie find was quite significant in the baggie collecting world as it confirmed that baggie supplies to the UK where a mix of both Palitoy and Kenner baggies before being carded at the factories. Some of these baggie's type and figure combination's had never been seen before including both Palitoy and Kenner variants. Further more these baggies also clarified a few other unknowns. The no coo Luke Bespin was able to be identified as being made in Hong Kong.
The POTF Trilogo Playsets previously mentioned in this thread contents where able to be identified. At the time Kevin Bletsoe had a Biker Scout Baggie that had been unconfirmed and had a question mark over it until 11 further examples of this baggie style showed up in the case. The Biker Scout in the Endor Chase has a unique baggie style that is seen no where else. The Hoth Rescue Playset also has this baggie style more often than not for Han and Luke although they are also found withPalitoy-a baggies and sometimes a mix of the two. I have determined that this baggie style is a Palitoy self made baggie as it has a similar bag texture and tape seal to a Woolworths 8 pack and that these extremely rare baggies where created by possibly taking figures off of the cards already processed and stored for shipping for the repackaging of the Playsets and also for sale of second's as to term it at a much reduced price to employees through the staff shop in Baker Street.
The find also had 3 undocumented Kenner baggies that hadn't yet been documented. All 3 where in ROTJ-h baggies and where common carded and loose figures being Admiral Akbar, Bib Fortuna and Ree Yees.
The whole find clarified that both Palitoy baggie and Kenner baggies and carded figures made it into the UK as and when demand required it from the market place.

As to whether POTF carded figures made it into the UK or not through the official supply chain of Palitoy I cannot add any clarity on this. I personally have not seen any evidence of this and as Joe has stated already I doubt it as when the market for Star Wars turned the huge supply of Trilogo had many an interest from the US and huge volumes where purchased and shipped overseas.

That said, New discoveries are still being made all of the time but I would suspect that if a POTF carded figure does turn up then that will have been shipped back the other way by an entrepreneurial toy dealer.

And would also make a mockery of the farmers field

 

[laurencedyer]

Both Emperor cards from the find and also 2 Leia Bespin Turtle Baggies. The Leia Bespin Turtle neck is regarded as a catagory 5 baggie according to the SWCA guide and is thought to have only come in multi packs yet makes it's way to Coalville along with a Palitoy Turtle neck in a baggie that had not previously been seen.

 

[Joe]

"Yes they would have been Trilogos, all other carded packaging styles across Europe were phased out in 1984 in favour of the multi lingual Trilogo card."

I am certainly one not to be argumentative but I will have to disagree here regarding the phasing out in 1984.

Sorry, rather badly worded on my part: "Beginning to be phased out" would be more accurate. They were introduced in 1984 but hadn't taken over at that point, not really until 1985.

 

[laurencedyer]

"Yes they would have been Trilogos, all other carded packaging styles across Europe were phased out in 1984 in favour of the multi lingual Trilogo card."

I am certainly one not to be argumentative but I will have to disagree here regarding the phasing out in 1984.

Sorry, rather badly worded on my part: "Beginning to be phased out" would be more accurate. They were introduced in 1984 but hadn't taken over at that point, not really until 1985.[/quote]

Lol, at least you gave me a starting point to blab on from :lol:

 

[Cardbackkid]

Some really interesting posts ! Blows my mind the knowledge and research some collectors know

 

[jedisearcher]

If they came from Palitoy they'd have been in the last Palitoy catalogues and on the order forms but they aren't. We'd also see them in the big retail catalogues and they aren't. So mainstream retailers never had them but like Edd says, there's no reason that a toy wholesaler couldn't have picked up a pallet or two and sold them off on a local level. It can't be ruled out.

I'd lost interest by then but I do remember a friend telling me he'd seen figures with coins being sold at a Manchester market in the 80s. I clearly remember thinking they must be blag because I'd never seen them before. I think it's probably a true story but impossible to prove and not really evidence that anything was sold at retail.

 

[Vernon]

I definitely saw them for sale in the UK - I refused to buy them because as a kid the change of packaging made them look like knock offs :lol: ... BUT it was an independent toy store.

That pretty much ties in with my memory. There was so much counterfeit Star Wars rubbish out there that I thought "the packaging looks crap, maybe they aren't real".

The plot thickens. Just out of interest how do we definitely know they weren't sent here?

Like I say, I wouldn't swear on the bible but I thought I saw them.

Same here....I remember seeing them in a small independent toy shop in Scarborough.
Didn't recognise the figures and the packaging looked so different I just assumed they were dodgy!!