Does anyone know...?

[sith-smith]

Does anyone know when/how and buy whom, all the card descriptions came about and started to be used (12, 20, 21 etc)

For all the time I've been collecting MOC they've been there (since 2001) but I guess at some point they weren't the standard, universal descriptors that they now are.

I know there are many collectors on here who have bought MOC long before I started so figured someone might have an idea.

 

[theforceuk]

It's a good question, I started collecting MOCs about the same time as you and just presumed they had always gone by those names. :?

 

[edd_jedi]

Do you mean like '12 back'? That phrase was being used when I started buying MOCs in 1994 so it has been around for a long time, possibly even since retail but I can't confirm that. Although the addition of a,b,c etc came much later, it was RS that introduced me to those I think.

 

[SublevelStudios]

Agree with Edd, I first started collecting back in 89' and there was no distinct classification for cards back then, simply SW, ESB or Jedi, not even Tri Logo to my memory.

It was only a couple of years later that I started hearing these descriptions, like 12 backs, last 17 etc...in fact we used to refer back to them as last 15 as we never counted the 2 ewoks as part of the last phase!

I had given up serious collecting by the mid 90's so could not give you a definitive answer to the question but I only ever recall 12 backs as being mentioned as a card classification.

 

[jedisearcher]

Never remember those terms used at retail so post-85 would be my guess.

 

[sith-smith]

Thanks for the posts guys.

I does seem logical obviously to have the names according to the figures on the back. Interesting to know that at leat some of these terms we being used in the early 90's

 

[theforceuk]

While were on this subject I've been meaning to ask for ages, is their any way to tell what back a card is just by looking at the front? I just mean 77 or 65, not a, b or c. :?: :?: :?: :?:

 

[edd_jedi]

While were on this subject I've been meaning to ask for ages, is their any way to tell what back a card is just by looking at the front? I just mean 77 or 65, not a, b or c. :?: :?: :?: :?:

Sometimes, eg the Palitoy logo can be smaller, or the age rating can be different.

 

[Joe]

You can also identify some of Kenner US and Canadian cards with printed offers from the front.

 

[mr_palitoy]

In Palitoy land, the commonly used system came from John Ford on palitoy.org:-

http://www.palitoy.org/cardback/palitoy.html

12A 12B 20 30A 30B 41A 41B 41C 45A 45B 45C 65A 65B 65C 65D 70A 70B 70C 70D

I added sub variations to that so that the numbering system stayed the same:-

http://www.freewebs.com/mrpalitoy/

12A 12B 20 30A 30B 41A 41AN 41B 41BN 41C 45A 45AB 45AC 45AD 45B 45BD 45BN 45C 45CD 45CG 45CN 65A 65AW 65AG 65AT 65B 65C 65CC 65CG 65D 70A 70B 70BC 70BW 70BX 70BI 70BM 70BE 70BH 70BK 70C 70CC 70CM 70CX 70D

Of course, AFA did there own numbering for Palitoy which isn't as granular:-

12 BACK - 12A 12 B
20 BACK - 20
ESB 30 BACK-A - 30A
ESB 30 BACK-B - 30B
ESB 41 BACK - 41A 41B 41C
ESB 45 BACK - 45A/45B
ESB 45 BACK-A - 45A
ESB 45 BACK-B - 45B
ROTJ 45 BACK-C - 45C
ROTJ 65 BACK - 65A 65B 65C 65D
ROTJ (TRI-LOGO BACK) - 70A
TRI-LOGO - 70B 70C 70D

Some are often mislabelled.

cheers Jason

 

[theforceuk]

Thanks for help chaps, any more info would be grately appreciated.

 

[edd_jedi]

I forgot all about John Ford's site, blast from the past anybody know what he's up to now? 10 years since the last site update!

 

[sith-smith]

Did he create the Palitoy cardback descriptors?

 

[Clarkspie&chips]

I have a copy of the sue cornwell and mike kott star trek and star wars collectables book From 1991 and they only refer to mocs as star wars, empire, Jedi, potf, and Tripple logo. There's no distinction between the various backs and I don't remember them being classed this way either at the time.