ENGLAND SQUAD 1996

This was Corinthians inaugural series of football figures, it all started here!

 

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An idea which started in a pub had finally come to fruition. The official launch took place at the Compleat Angler in Marlow, Buckinghampshire, where David Seaman was signing 12 player box sets, very few of those packs remain in circulation today.

 

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The figures were released in August 1995, with the range being made up of 16 figures, all painted in the England national home kit, complete with official team badge, sponsor's logo and authentic name and numbering on the shirts. It was an ideal time to launch the figures due in large to the fact that England was to be the host nation for the upcoming European Championships.

 

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With this being the very first range all the sculpts were first time originals and all were used again in various subsequent ranges. All the figures were instantly recognisable by their distinctive facial features, it was clear for all to see that a vast amount of work had gone into producing the figures, there really was nothing like this on the market at the time.

 

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The figures were released on a variety of different packaging formats. All 16 figures were available as single blisters, 4 different 4 player packs produced and 12 player box set was also released. In addition to those each figure was also released as a single window box, inside each box was the figure and also a single display podium, along with 4 player packs with 4 figure display stand too.

 

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Corinthian also released sealed secret sachets of the 16 figures. A secret sachet is the figure inside a sealed bag, you had no way of telling which figure it was you were buying. Each box contained 16 sachets, 1 of each player, so buying the full box meant you would get 1 of every figure released. The secret sachet format was often used in smaller retailers, like newsagents for example, as the box simply sat on the counter and took up very little space, whereas all 16 blisters would need a much bigger area dedicated to displaying them, this format meant Corinthians could be sold practically anywhere!

 

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Corinthian teamed up with Supermarket chain Sainsburys to produce 2 special figures in the away kits. The 2 figures chosen were Alan Shearer who was painted in the grey away kit, the other being goal keeper David Seaman who was painted in the colourful Red away kit. These 2 figures were sold along with an official England signed football and were only available for a limited time. This special pack very rarely appears for sale and is a real collectors item.

 

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Following up from the success of the first England national series, Corinthian released the much anticipated series 2, in April 1996. The set consisted of 24 brand new figures, all painted in the England home kit. This set saw the release of the first ever manager to be made as a Corinthian, that being the then England manager Terry Venables. El Tel, as he later became known, has never again been released by Corinthian and his figure is still sought after today, no surprise given the fantastic likeness achieved. The other 23 figures were all sculpts used in the FAPL Collection range, some were released prior to this England release, others shortly after.

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Not all figures were released as single blister packs, some were only available within one of the 4 different 4 player packs or the 12 player box set. In addition to that Corinthian also released a 14 player pack. The figures were also available as secret sachets, for those collectors who just wanted the figure and collector card, these sachets were priced at £1.99 each and were ideal for smaller retailers who did not have the necessary space required to stock and display the full range in blister format. The secret sachets came in boxes of 16, with a guarantee that a figure would not be duplicated in the box.

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As a result, many of these figures are a little on the scarce side, due to them being largely available in multipacks and the prices they sell for reflect this. Initially the Robbie Fowler blister pack was thought to be very rare indeed and was being regularly sold for in excess of £25. however it soon became apparent that the Fowler was no rarer than the others but the stock was just taking longer to filter through.

 

 

Each figure came with a collector card and there was 1 collector's information file for series 1 and another for series 2.