Identifying WotC Base Set Booster Packs
This is a guide to help identify all known versions of booster packs for the original Wizards of the Coast (WotC) Base set. The Base set was first released in Japan in 1996 via Media Factory and then later released in English and other foreign language versions via WotC in 1999. There are already extensive guides on the Japanese booster packs so this will not cover those. I have started making videos which cover the packs in detail:
Languages
WotC released Base set booster packs in several languages for distribution around the world. Base set can be found in the following languages:
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English
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Spanish
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French
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German
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Dutch
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Portuguese
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Italian
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Korean
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Chinese
What to look for
1st edition stamp
The presence of a first edition stamp on the booster pack is the easiest way to determine if the cards inside will contain the 1st edition stamp or will be Unlimited. Each language released a 1st edition and an Unlimited version. Spanish was the only variant to release two unique versions of 1st edition. The 1st edition stamp appears differently depending upon the language. The 1st edition stamp on the booster pack may not match the stamp that appears on the cards inside the booster packs.
Crimps
Base set booster packs come in 3 different seal or crimp types. These are known as long crimp, short crimp, and hanger. The long and short crimp packs are found in various languages, the hanger packs are only found in English. One important identifying factor when looking for Shadowless cards is that they are guaranteed to come from English long crimp booster packs and have a chance appearing in short crimp packs. There are no foreign language Shadowless cards. It is common to find slits in the long crimps and it is not indicative of tampering.
Text on front
Shadowless cards can be found in booster packs that look slightly different from Unlimited. One key identifier is the text on the front of the booster packs. On the older versions which are more likely to contain Shadowless cards you will find different verbiage and placement of text on the front of the cards. Another important thing to look at is the thinness or thickness of the front on the front. This will vary between variants and languages. “11 Tradeable Game Cards” will be found on the Shadowless packs, and “11 ADDITIONAL GAME CARDS” is found on the Unlimited packs.
Wizards of the Coast logo
You can find the WotC logo on the top right corner on the backs of all Base set booster packs. The logo changed in October of 1999 from a rectangle to a curved version. The logo can be used to help determine the authenticity.
Nintendo copyright seal
You can find the Nintendo copyright seal in the top right on the back of most of the Base set booster packs. There are a few exceptions where the seal is not present, but the vast majority all have the seal. The seal came in two different versions depending upon if the product was for US domestic distribution or international distribution.
Copyright date
You can find the copyright date under the flap on the back of all Base set booster packs. All packs will be copyright dated either 1999, or 1999-2000.
“Made in” location
You can find the manufacturing location under the flap on the back of all Base set booster packs. There are many versions of it due to the different languages, but all packs were manufactured in either USA, Australia, UK, or Belgium.
The variants
Depending upon slight variations, there are somewhere between 34-38 unique booster pack variants. Below is a list of the variants, pack identifiers, as well as the what cards you will find inside.
English
| # | Language | Crimp | Copyright | Card Copyright | Made in | WotC logo | Nintendo Seal | Pack Font | 1st Edition? | 1st Edt Pack Text | 1st Edt Card Text | Shadowless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Long | 1999 | 1999 | USA | Rectangle | USA | Thin | Yes | 1st Edition | 1st Edition | Yes |
| 2 | English | Long | 1999 | 1999 | USA | Rectangle | USA | Thin | No | - | - | Yes |
| 3 | English | Short | 1999 | 1999 | USA | Rectangle | USA | Thin | No | - | - | 50/50 Chance |
| 4 | English | Hanger | 1999 | 1999 | USA | Rectangle | USA | Thin | No | - | - | No |
| 5 | English | Short | 1999 | 1999 | USA | Rectangle | USA | Thin | No | - | - | No |
| 6 | English | Short | 1999 | 1999 | USA | Rectangle | USA | Thick | Yes | 1st Edition | Unlimited | No |
| 7 | English | Short | 1999 | 1999 | USA | Rectangle | USA | Thick | Yes | Black triangle | Unlimited | No |
| 8 | English | Short | 1999 | 1999 | USA | Rectangle | USA | Thick | No | - | - | No |
| 9 | English | Short | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | USA | Curved | USA | Thick | No | - | - | No |
| 10 | English | Long | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | Australia | Curved | International | Thick | No | - | - | No |
| 11 | English | Long | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | UK | Curved | International | Thick | No | - | - | No |
| 12 | English | Extra Long | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | UK | Curved | International | Thick | No | - | - | No |
| 13 | English | Long | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | UK/Poland | Curved | International | Thick | No | - | - | No |
Foreign Language
| # | Language | Crimp | Copyright | Card Copyright | Made in | WotC logo | Nintendo Seal | Pack Font | 1st Edition? | 1st Edt Pack Text | 1st Edt Card Text | Shadowless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | German | Long | 1999 | 1999 | Belgium | Rectangle | International | Thick | Yes | 1st Edition | 1st Edition | No |
| 15 | German | Long | 1999 | 1999 | Belgium | Rectangle | International | Thick | No | - | - | No |
| 16 | French | Long | 1999 | 1999 | Belgium | Rectangle | International | Thick | Yes | 1st Edition | 1st Edition | No |
| 17 | French | Long | 1999 | 1999 | Belgium | Rectangle | International | Thick | No | - | - | No |
| 18 | Spanish | Long | 1999 | 1999 | Belgium | Curved | International | Thick | Yes | 1st Edition | 1st Edicion | No |
| 19 | Spanish | Long | 1999 | 1999 | Belgium | Curved | International | Thick | no | - | - | No |
| 20 | Portuguese | Long | 1999 | 1999 | Belgium | Curved | International | Thick | Yes | 1st Edition | 1st Edicao | No |
| 21 | Portuguese | Long | 1999 | 1999 | Belgium | Curved | International | Thick | No | - | - | No |
| 22 | Dutch | Long | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | Belgium | Curved | International | Thin | Yes | 1st Editie | 1st Editie | No |
| 23 | Dutch | Long | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | Belgium | Curved | International | Thin | No | - | - | No |
| 24 | Italian | Long | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | Belgium | Curved | International | Thin | Yes | 1st Edizione | 1st Edizione | No |
| 25 | Italian | Long | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | Belgium | Curved | International | Thin | No | - | - | No |
| 26 | Korean | Short | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | USA | Curved | - | - | Yes | 1st Edition | 1st Edition | No |
| 27 | Korea | Short | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | USA | Curved | - | - | No | - | - | No |
| 28 | Chinese | Short | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | USA | Curved | - | - | Yes | 1st Edition | 1st Edition | No |
| 29 | Chinese | Short | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | USA | Curved | - | - | No | - | - | No |
| 30 | Spanish | Short | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | USA | Curved | USA | Thin | Yes | 1st Edicion | 1st Edicion | No |
| 31 | Spanish | Short | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | USA | Curved | USA | Thin | No | - | - | No |
| 32 | German | Short | 1999-2000 | 1999 | USA | Curved | International | Thin | No | - | - | No |
| 33 | French | Short | 1999-2000 | 1999 | USA | Curved | International | Thin | No | - | - | No |
| 34 | Italian | Short | 1999-2000 | 1999-2000 | USA | Curved | International | Thin | No | - | - | No |
| 35 | Portuguese | Short | 1999-2000 | 1999 | USA | Curved | USA | Thin | No | - | - | No |
Polish Booster Packs ( UK Sticker )
There are also 3 known versions of the sticker variant. The sticker variant were packs that were intended for distribution in Poland. Rather than making an additional foreign language pack, they just applied stickers to them. They were found in booster boxes with the same sticker on them.
Made in the UK Booster Packs
The made in the UK booster packs may have a few unrecognized variants. While collecting I noticed that there appear to be two versions with different lengths. One has additional space between the artwork and the long crimps and is noticeably longer.
Comparing the two side by side:
Comparing the two and a Polish sticker pack on the right. The Polish one has slightly lighter coloring so I don’t believe the pack on the left is just a Polish sticker pack with the sticker removed.
Foreign Language USA Booster Packs
There are 6 known versions of USA-made foreign language Base set booster packs. These packs are copyright 1999-2000 but some contain 1999 copyrighted cards. They feature short crimps, older styled artwork, and are noticeably different looking compared to the standard Belgium made foreign language booster packs. It is unknown if a 7th variant exists for Dutch, there have been no pictures found of a Dutch short crimp USA-made variant. The foreign language packs were manufactured in Belgium so it is unlikely they would have needed a USA variant to be made.
Manufacturing Error Booster packs
There are a few examples of manufacturer error booster packs. They can be miscut vertically, horizontally, or the artwork can be offset.
