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I don’t know if I’m in the right place to put the question, this is kind of an up to an existing thread,
I’m in the same section so I hope I’m right.

My question is how many of these insert cards of old black star promos are in total, I’m collecting the english versions which seem to be the best ones (confronting to the Italian versions at least…)

So started my first thread on the forum.
I’ve made a little update in hope to improve it for the readers and to also categorize the various inserts we’ve found and we’re still finding on our ways.

Summary

I’ll add the italian variant cause I know of them. If someone is aware of other country variant and can provide front&back, I’ll add them too

Thank you, everyone!

Questions?
This insert were on some decks from the base set, but looking at various unboxing from youtube it seems not every deck has it. I think it depends on the release date, but it’s still foggy to me.

First Movie Inserts
These comes in different variants, depending on the country release and I guess the timing itself of the release. The Card with this insert are Black Star Promos #2, #3, #4 and #5

Second Movie’s Ancient Mew
The first weeks (?) it was given the ancient mew in the cinemas.

Second Movie’s Legendary Birds
Later within the same release it was given the 3 birds instead with this insert.
As pointed out, the UK variant has a different contact number than the US version.
The cards given with this are Black Star Promos #21, #22 and #23.

I’ll put the infamous Australian version aside cause it need its own space. And I need to have the back of this one also.

GS2PIECESFRONT
GS2PIECESFRONT1920×2880 573 KB

Third Movie’s Entei
This was given with Black Star Promo #34 in the cinemas.

Fourth Movie’s Celebi
Given in cinemas with Black Star Promo #50.

Pokemon Center / Lucky Stadium
With Black Star Promos #40 and #41.

First Movie’s VHS
This was given with some VHS of the first movie with the sealed copy of Black Star Promo #14.
Not with every release I suspect.

Dark Arbok W Stamp
This is slightly bigger than a regular TCG card, it’s similar to the various “Master The Game” on one side, but has different text and background. It was given with the Arbok at the Hong Kong Pokemon League in 2001.

Team Rocket On The Loose
We’re still trying to figure out a year later when and where exactly this comes from, but it’s from tcg merch (binders, deck boxes etc…).

World Hobby Fair 2000
This was given with the Johto Starters from Neo Genesis at the event.

20th Movie’s Pikachus
This was given in cinemas with SM Promos from 108 to 114.

Detective Pikachu
This has nothing artistic on it. I was in doubt to put it in or not honestly.

V Star Marker
Another add-on that kept me thinking. But that pokeball on black background is so elegant I’ve decided to put it in.

I’ll keep updated now that I’ve cleaned the things up a bit, let me know what you’ve found, I’ve enlarged from old WOTC stuff to modern to make the thread look more complete.
It has started with a selfish request for my own collection, but I think like this it should be better, we can all give and take from this in a better way.

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Two cards missing in your list, both mentioned by me in the thread you’ve linked:

The Australian Game Boy Color insert:

3648×5472 2.22 MB

The Iron Giant insert, which was one of two inserts in the WB promos:

608×1000 135 KB

You can see it in between the promo and “Collect All Four Cards In This Unique Pokémon Series” insert in the third variant on the right:

1067×800 316 KB

The Celebi promo has a “Get In Your Zone!” insert:

900×1125 152 KB

I also have a picture of an insert card saved on my PC, but I have no idea where it was from again. Probably not from a promo tbh, but maybe someone knows where it’s from?

441×532 281 KB

I assume it’s an insert from some kind of obscure English deck. But this is just a wild guess based on another unique insert in UK Zap! Theme decks, which has a regular English back (you can ignore this one, since you were only looking for promo inserts):

3024×3024 852 KB

Also, I assume you’re looking for actual English insert cards? Not inserts in potential other languages, released with English promos? Otherwise there are also Norwegian, Swedish and Danish insert cards:

1080×1920 226 KB
310×550 58.1 KB
4032×3024 3.72 MB

Greetz,
Quuador

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How do I start…
thank you a lot for this!
I said i collect the english versions but seems to me that some kind of inserts does not exists in english…
Like the one sponsoring the soundtrack from the other topic and the others in the last 2 pics.
I’d like to see more of these but finding some pictures of not sealed inserts it’s kind of hard to me, tbh even sealed ones are hard because I don’t even know how to research, we called them “insert cards” but they don’t really have a name nor someone really interested in them (except me) maybe

Edit:
I forgot there was this japanese insert I’ve found on ebay times ago displaying an entei from the “2°gen starters Promo 11th World Hobby Fair 2000” which basically are the starter from neo genesis set, maybe neo files 1 or 2


So back on it, there are more inserts that never came to be english, so we can make it more international

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I’m also a collector of these types of cards. I call them inserts too and have been trying to track down the WOTC black star promo ones in English. I have most of them from childhood, and am only chasing the “celebi” one that came with lucky stadium and Pokémon center. Saving up to buy a sealed copy so I can get that glorious red card. The rest I think you’ve already mentioned; legendary bird (US + UK), gameboy (Australia version) not a massive fan of this one because it’s is aesthetically different to the others and is cut in half, blastoise that comes with e-reader celebi, ancient mew, catch mew, master the game, neo with unown and pichu. I don’t really count iron giant, although technically an insert it is not Pokémon related. I also don’t count those that are not cards like Sabrina’s abra Nintendo power paper insert, dark Persian paper insert and rapidash/ho-oh paper insert.

I do however have this rather rare insert in my collection, from childhood, but have never been able to find more information about it. Perhaps someone can see this and help. It is very similar to ‘master the game’ but does not have a blank back, instead it has team rocket stuff on the backside. Ps. If you ever see a red insert card from 40 and 41 lucky stadium and Pokémon center going spare I’d snap it up in a heartbeat, it’s my grail haha.

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This is so interesting. I consider myself pretty brushed up on WotC promos but I’ve never seen this before. :open_mouth: I want it so bad!! Omg!!

I am currently racking my brain to determine where this could possibly be from.

The insert from Mewtwo #14, which was distributed in a VHS, is also square cut. Mine has an ad on the back for something called “Pokémon Jr”.

Perhaps differing releases of Mewtwo Strikes Back contained variations of the insert. You say you’ve had the Rocket version since your childhood - do you remember having this movie on home video?

Going to see if I can turn this up ASAP.

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@stagecoach,trying to upload an image but new to this forum haha, hope this works

Yeah I’ve been slowly collecting WOTC black star stuff but this insert was specifically from my childhood collection. I really can’t remember but would say there is a really strong likelihood I did have that. Things I can definitely remember from my childhood was going to the movie theatre multiple times and getting cards there, including special birthday parties where you would go ‘behind the scenes’ and visit the projector room and stuff before watching the movie. I also had the movie soundtrack CD and all video games. Other stuff is more hazy, but no recollection of what or where this was attached too. Somebody on Imgur just said he got one from a convention, but I never did Pokémon league stuff as a kid (yet somehow still have so many cards that were Pokémon league related).

Would be really cool for me to know where it’s from. Hopefully some more people have clues.

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Never seen that insert before but pretty cool!

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Discussing all the likely origin over DM, our strongest lead is that we think it might be contained in this deck box.

However I obviously don’t want to open mine and these are quite rare. I am going to comb the internet and see if I can confirm this is where it comes from. While it wouldn’t be a promo insert, it’s a unique insert nonetheless that deserves to be documented. (And collected! :stuck_out_tongue:)

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That’s super interesting! Please do update this thread if you make any progress on the origins. :blush:

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I got this in a w stamp dark arbok in the red envelope a while back. I can’t upload without the link because I’m a boomer.

imgur.com/a/SpvMxLG

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Well damn! That sure is lovely, gonna have to pick one of those up for myself now. This insert hunting is slowly expanding from just WOTC promos and now I want everything! That really does blow open the mystery about where I got mine from. This is so similar but with round corners instead of square. It’s advertising a new set release and has the same ash/red graphic. So this is from a Hong Kong promo I see. Thanks for sharing!

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I’ll DM you to a comparatively inexpensive listing for one of these.

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I’m on the hunt for the one that came with the lucky stadium/pokemon center promos.

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Me too! But I would not even know how to go about valuing it. A sealed version of 40 or 41 goes for a lot, so would you just half it? Curious if anyone has ever seen them sold separately, probably too weird of a thing to do though. I have asked sellers before and it takes a few reiterated questions for them to realise what I’m asking.

‘So just to be sure, you’re asking about only the red card…’

‘yes…just the red one…i know…it’s weird…’

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It’s difficult because the insert itself has no value to most collectors. Only niche collectors like us would ever search and pay up for them. Any sales records you come across will probably be the insert tacked on to a listing of the promo it came with. With very niche items like this, you’ll have to cast a wide net and check ebay and mercari regularly just in hopes of some fluke listing. Sometimes you find little bundles of insert cards which might include it. Or you might find an open version of the promo that contains the insert as a bonus, which would be a lot cheaper than sealed.

However, as with most fringe things, people who might have it probably aren’t even thinking about it. With any luck someone will come across your posts here and message you because maybe they have some left over from when they sent previously sealed copies of the promos for grading. And when you hit the criteria, it wouldn’t hurt to make a buy thread.

EDIT: Another secret method is look for a YouTube video of someone opening the sealed pack(s) online, or getting their copies back from PSA, then message them and see if they retained the inserts.

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I have found some listings in the past that have opened versions of 40/41 with the red insert cards with them. Seller (rightfully so) does not want to part with it, or they were being sold as a whole black star set (which is a lot of money for a lot of dupes). I’ve got the patience to wait, but at some point I may pull the trigger on a sealed version. Sadly, the first thing I would do would be to rip that seal open so I can see the celebi side of the card in my WOTC promo binder haha. An expensive “pack” but would be guaranteed the pull I want.

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UPDATE – Still searching for the original source of this insert card

Our best guess was that it could have come with the WOTC Team Rocket Themed Deck Box, as I had one as a child and the insert is Rocket themed.

I have since raided my childhood collection of related stuff and pulled out four VHS tapes and a VHS double set. I am now leaning more towards the idea that it could have been from the UK version of: Pokémon The First Movie

Will post some additional info and pictures about all these VHS tapes in case anyone has more suggestions or is mad enough to go hunting. But most likely the WOTC Deck Box or Pokémon The First Movie (UK VHS) is the best current guess.

These VHS tapes have not been opened since the early 2000s, anything I took out from the boxes as a kid is lost to my shoddy memory haha, the remaining stuff has been sat there for over two decades.

Up First: Pokémon The First Movie
The actual Mewtwo Promo 14 has been removed. I know this because it sits in my collection.

This is the remainder of what was inside:

Up next: Pokémon The Movie 2000
Well, I got quite emotional opening this one up, surprising me inside was the Pikachu 27 Promo card. Who knows why childhood me did not take this out of the case, and I have a couple of these in my childhood binder anyway. I do not own a single graded card, it has never been my thing, I’m a binder type of collector. But WOW, I am going to get this graded just for nostalgias sake, do not care what score it gets and it will be my only ever graded card. Unfortunately, it was just the tape and the card inside. The card was loose though, and I have now put into a top loader. Does anyone know if it came loose originally, or was it sealed in plastic? Perhaps younger me ripped it open then left in in the box.

Up next: Pokémon The Movie 3

Again, any card that was in here was taken out by me as a child and present me now holds in a binder. There is a leaflet though.

Finally, two that I think were unlikely to have had this insert, but worth posting just in case and for documentation purposes:

-Mewtwo Return The Movie + Free Tape
-Pikachu’s Winter Vacation

Well that’s pretty much my leads on where that insert came from exhausted. I have a LOT of Pokémon memorabilia stuff, but these seem the most logical source as they are linked to the TCG.
Hope somebody will eventually pull a copy from somewhere soon! Absolutely dying to know where it came from.

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@livindavido, I think we need to track down this PAL Mewtwo Strikes Back VHS. This is a solid lead.

  1. Mewtwo #14 came with a “Master the Game” blinder card similar to the insert you have.
  2. The other contents of the VHS which you retain contain information cards with similar artwork plus an advertisement for the Rocket set.
  3. This yellow version seems to be a rare copy of the movie and a lot of them I’m seeing do not reference the Mewtwo promo, possibly indicating they were only available in this edition for a short while.

Time to start sleuthing either for a sealed one to open or a more complete one with the insert included.

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The reference to the mewtwo promo is a sticker that is placed on the outside, so quite possible some copies have just lost theirs over time from peeling. The sticker on my movie 2000 version is slightly aged and peeling now too that you can kind of make out in the picture. Could also have been placed on specific copies only too, but probably best to search for those that also have the sticker mentioning the promo to keep it matched exactly.

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Thank you everyone!
I like it when I think I’m almost done with collecting and then someone on the internet prove me wrong.
More cards to find now