During the 1970's monster collecting was at the height of popularity and companies like Lincoln International, Tomland, Azrak-Hamway International and Remco certainly provided us with the goods to keep us all happy for years to come. Monster collectors have been on the hunt ever since for the simplistic yet detailed figures that help bring out the child within us all. Although many of the monsters that you are about to see are extremely difficult to obtain, they somehow find their way into the collections of the people who enjoy them the most, says long time monster collector, Ray Castile.
Unfortunately, not much is known about Lincoln International, but that hasn't stopped legions of fans who surf the web daily looking to add these classic monsters to their collection. The Lincoln Monster series included six characters which were released in both boxes and on cards. The carded monsters were released solely in the United States while the very rare boxed monsters were released in the European market which makes them highly coveted for not only their elusiveness but also for their charming package art. The carded monsters were exclusive to the U.S. market which featured art work that depicts each character alongside their spooky habitat. The series included Dracula, Wolfman, Mummy, Frankenstein, Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Phantom of the Opera and also the very scarce Mr. Rock. It's obvious that Mr. Rock was included in the assortment to capitalize on the popularity of Star Treks Dr. Spock complete with his trademark blue shirt and pointy ears. Mr. Rock hardly every comes up on auction as he is the focus of many monster collectors eye. Just recently a discovery of an entire two cases of Lincoln Monsters was found in the United Kingdom. Apparently the sellers grandfather had the foresight to purchase and then put away two full cases which he eventually passed on to his grandaughter. The recent availability of these U.K. cards gave the illusion that these are readily available, but that is very far from the truth. It seems that once these monsters make it into a collection they very rarely every come out. An interesting note is that Mr. Rock was absent from the U.K. sealed cases which is certainly intrugueing. It's mysteries like this that helps keep monster collecting exciting and fun for all involved |
