General Forum

Hello all,

First time poster on this leviathan of collectables websites.

As I am from the UK, I am more steeped in stickers than cards...but there are a few football (soccer) card sets that have captured our imagination over the years (and obviously Topps Match Attax rule the waves for the current generation).

I wrote a book in 2015 about the history of football (soccer) stickers in the UK: 'Stuck On You'.

That book is now being adapted into a TV documentary, initially to be shown in the UK this November but will hopefully be syndicated elsewhere.

My research for the documentary has taken me back to various collecting times and one of the companies that keeps coming back to me is Pro Set.

I know collectors in the US have strong memories of Pro Set from the late '80s/early '90s but what you might not know is how significant an impact the company made in the UK - albeit for a very short period.

My original book did make reference to Pro Set's UK collections but I have become more intrigued by their overall impact over the last few months - to the extent that I am now writing a tribute piece specifically about them.

I have found a few articles about them on the internet and have lined up an interview with the agent who helped get Pro Set into the UK.

If anyone here is able to point me in the direction of any specific US resources that may be able to help me with my research on Pro Set it would be a massive help.

Or if anyone would like to share their memories of Pro Set for inclusion in the article it would also be hugely appreciated.

Sorry for rambling on so long...I will sign off now.

Regards to you all.

Greg

hi Greg, i dont have much information other than what i find on UK soccer card websites as to what was released, as far as i can see only four sets were released with only the 1991 UK having two series.

this site gives a bit of background and also lists various err / variation cards which i have had listed on this site.

http://www.soccercardindex.com/

hope this helps

Thanks a lot for your reply - much appreciated. It's actually the US releases (and information about the company in general) that I am after. I was a collector of the UK sets in 1990-91 and 1991-92 so amd fairly well-versed on those. Although I didn't realise Pro Set also released several other non-football card sets in the UK until recently (on music, Guinness Book of Records and Thunderbirds for example) so I am learning all the time. Thanks again for responding.

no worries check out the listings here for checklists and i find even though all i collect is Pro Set i still find items not listed here occasionally (i just listed the 1991 Midwest Cardshow promos for hockey), also make sure you include 1991 and 1992 parkhurst for hockey and 1993 finish line for racing

cards i dont think are listed here belong to the educational pro set club

http://clubproset.blogspot.com.au/

have fun finding out about proset

Thanks - for a short-lived company they certainly did a lot! :)

Hello Greg,

From what I remember Pro Set made primarily NHL Hockey and NFL (American) Football cards here in the US.  Their hockey cards were billed as the "Hottest Cards on Ice."  For me personally I always enjoy new product and manufacturers entering the market so I was very excited when Pro Set arrived.  The cards were very reasonably priced and plentiful, they were everywhere here in western Pennsylvania.  However the first release of Pro Set hockey was plagued with errors and misprints and miscuts.  Amongst my fellow collectors here they turned into a bit of a joke.  I still have loads of those cards today but now look fondly back to the time when they were released.  My one friend still calls them tinder.

Regards.

Many thanks for those memories. I certainly get the impression Pro Set was never in short supply. Then again, for a new manufacturer you do want to get your name/products out there...and they seemed to do it brilliantly for a while.

PRO SET

I didn't realize that '90s Pro Set was so popular again. I have had trades and correspondence with aussiewayne, he knows his Pro Set....a pure collector.

Meanwhile:

Soccer - I don't collect but have some on my trade list, as well as 1990 Pro Set [English] unopened packs.

Hockey - I don't collect anymore, streamlining my collection, so boxes, packs and lots abound. The ERRS/VARS back then  as Gunny mentioned peaked my interest here.

Football - I do collect, still fascinated by the ERRS/VARS, and I have plenty. Boxes, packs, lots, errs/var....too much to handle.

SOOOOOOO, If there is any need or want for any of the above, send me a PM, and maybe we can work out a bulk trade.

Slowly back in action, ~BOB~

Thanks a lot for all that info - much appreciated. I have seen the lists of errors/variations in the US Pro Set releases...they certainly require a lot of reading. There were a few errors/variations in the UK football (soccer) collections but nowhere near as many. If I need to acquire any Pro Set for my research I will certainly be in touch. Many thanks. Greg

Another little quirky tale of Pro Set is that during the 1991-92 NHL season they decided to come out with cards for whomever was selected as the player of the month.  For November 1991 it was Kevin Stevens of the Pittsburgh Penguins selected.  I remember getting this card at one of the Penguins home games in December.