Type 1
Type 2
1997 Studio Framed Collection Prototypes
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Type 1 |
Type 2 |
As I mentioned in the previous page - I've obtained 2 different prototypes for the '97 Studio Portrait Collection Frank Thomas Frame (try saying that three times fast). You'll note that both frames share the same elements but in different arrangements.
I had to admit at being shocked at seeing a second different prototype. It was then that I realized Pinnacle had tested various formats in an effort to find the "best" design. And with the discovery of the second frame I now believe there were at least three variations considered by the design staff.
I speculate that the third version is a vertical display with the large print on the top and the two smaller elements placed underneath. Again, this is pure speculation on my part, but given that these two prototypes prove different variations were in fact being tested - I believe that a third prototype is a very real possibility.
Collector's Note: The images seen above in the two prototypes were not used for any 1997 Studio or Pinnacle product. However, it was selected a year later for the 1998 Studio release (#219 the checklist card). These prototypes, using platinum holofoil, are the only ones known using this image of Frank in a 1997 design - and therefore should be considered extremely rare.