The Strange Dilemna: Pirate's Lookout, set numbers 1464 and 1696 - Is One Actually a UK-Exclusive Promotional Item? (Ongoing Investigation)

[kelceycoe]

Recently I made a list of all the known North American exclusive sets and even polybags, etc. However, when researching sets released in 1992 I found myself running into a problem: There is no evidence that 1696 - as a boxed set with 1696 - was EVER released anywhere outside of Europe. I also am suggesting that 1464 was the North American version.

However, I only have one 1994 SAH US catalog and none from the UK and it does not mention which set number appeared in the 1994 Value Pack numbered 1900.

https://brickipedia.fandom.com/wiki/1900_Special_Bonus_Pack?file=1900-1.png

So as of right now, I can only speculate. Why? Because the Brickipedia listing for 1900 claims its 1696 that's included in this bundle. However, there is no evidence suggesting which set number and the one catalog entry at Brickpedia is unsourced:

https://brickipedia.fandom.com/wiki/1900_Special_Bonus_Pack

What's worse? Bricklink has a conflicting date for this Value pack as 1993:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=1900-1#T=I

However, this directed me to search the 1993 SAH catalogs and, of course, Brickipedia is wrong and Bricklink is right. In the Spring 1993 SAH Catalog, on page 17 you can see this set listed - but by its name, NOT its number. What's worse... NONE of the catalogs in 1992 I have and NONE of the two in 1993 even mention 1464 (probably why Brickset lists it as a retailer set since those eventually made the catalog a year after they were released).

https://brickset.com/library/catalogues

Can ANYONE verify is this Bonus Pack was even made available to sell since it was only seen once and does anyone have any other information - besides the polybag for 1464 and box from 1696 showing them for sale anywhere?

If not all we have to go by is what people have listed on Ebay and past auction sites and I stand by my original statement...

1464 is the number for the US REtail polybag

1696 was available only in Europe in a box

Set Bonus Pack #1900 contained Pirate's Lookout - we do NOT have a specific set number listed for the Pirate set and ultimately it's irrelevant since, as far as we can tell, the sets are the same but packaged differently.

HOWEVER

I believe this find on E-bay suggests I am correct and that 1696 was available as a special promotional item in France  (this seller is from Germany):

https://www.ebay.com/itm/127351700076?_skw=lego+6266&epid=22053598830&itmmeta=01K5SZ924NM4PMAAWG809PWKKR&hash=item1da6c0ba6c:g:xrgAAOSwRXtn7RR7&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1evtSILJWgO3Zi%2B6OueICT6X1MIDDJKeOcuXmmx%2FMEdmt%2FvWn47jz2ieQlklqoNwAADfGAFjBWnlpJyBKgu62eTijhKGqZbk8sbobBJqz9m1ERpjQ%2FoZ0LFLDCfGwQaIIhAoUebwqaWygPvlpmB2Rjuh9ED%2FQ9bWeBrFspmTxGUBGApz4DtUoWh5roRNbuUMBXCa1KHSLzxeu4WcI0Ot1jeQw3m6miLQN6PEa7ozj7NI7SEah7IIG9nKobWAfRMKEA%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR7iipL-uZg

 

FURTHER UPDATE:

As I was searching for 1464, other sets with the numerical sequence 146* popped up and I noticed these were the same sets in the Bonus pack. My discovery also led me to find 1695, which also has a polybag that lookes similar to 1463.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/205708200682?_skw=lego+1463&itmmeta=01K5T3PN1TVJ5EM8NHSF15A7DR&hash=item2fe52a0aea:g:4vgAAOSwho5i7VVM&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1d8B7h1SqHo0yJ9BizjTqSEqNO%2B2MJrl8Z6DhTOWFnfVcdDyVU3twBroaP0QcNcNbuONiggfM0uaPc6di%2BLmRGyoLCo9mbJtncenp584%2FJvXYmuH4hHEr8lQriaYYzZ8ibAH3OisMcmNFATTHHpfm7eDNdiT7DSTa1kkTeknZM3mkG39rFQUDRC5PUzTvYuvJhqTGnqcpK67zJo7CjNCTJqgoJdRrsl3Q8f%2FbDiQO8LWIDghVh5pheiPWnX8LynSSD4rsZOSE7Zn98MRznLeGRltprZMcTI%2BbDTclCNHr3%2Flw%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR5TR2sOuZg

Same thing with Galactic Scount 1462 and 1694

https://www.ebay.com/itm/136073939262?_skw=lego+Galactic+Scout&epid=24053420534&itmmeta=01K5T44QSEKSP40ECMXAWQ0NCA&hash=item1faea3893e:g:3bQAAeSwG~loYFLg&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dLfGOUIynh%2Fh4bXuV24vaH%2Blq9ryYWvt4lxbnfxgwjC2SLOPUevjeOFY2AQ1xP4WYmh1dJlwzc1Zu8FFol5c4diYBIfBfDRzvNSjm4hgrANNd7pCikvLJ7dVX95skvZrPix75uSNdj3oFLBnZ%2BDP7pw39I7bJaobbv6A7lkjNWhroHxcW030dfubcy49NBuiHkfHpGEhe0kfCaoIAE42kvMoL0HwguYcDNR7%2F7Mivv54BpzuUVsqGbdzKyrzDs2PE%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_j8ksSuZg

https://www.ebay.com/itm/317045937792?_skw=lego+Galactic+Scout&epid=18053427876&itmmeta=01K5T44QSEBBZ0J31MV1MDXB27&hash=item49d1691680:g:~1wAAeSwKc5oY~5N&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1f9wjOpsGl6Qu0CDFIpY2LwbibNI2vlZTVxzDJVlYlaSmV9%2F2YCR2YpWrWrYYiIkTm7K0VekQCzgggmXmQVt4TzlaohrEOYnIZ8hUplOG78hubHpdAnRPWsOmqD9vdlLa4azssjksa73aeDi4U9XSdMpHBby7nbgmo5N%2F5VsAfeer%2FPunXprT6VF9yLwrFyX99jWVTXuMnMAnTYSUv0C3QSnjPRNNYpK1%2Fe090Lt70PuYCLZbsBmfeSUzyOrNvphy9rct06me02uBtheHeUf0ymjFXvQu9VIcWx5ulUhNacew%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR_j8ksSuZg

LATER UPDATE:

This whole USA Polybag vs Europe Boxes dilemma extended to Shipwrecked Pirate - 1713 Polybag and 1733 Boxed AND 1747 / 1802.

Edited September 23 by kelceycoe

[Mister Phes]

On 9/23/2025 at 11:32 AM, kelceycoe said:

1696 was available only in Europe in a box

I purchased it in Australia in a box in 1992 ...  and may still have a MISB copy in my archive....

 

On 9/23/2025 at 11:32 AM, kelceycoe said:

believe this find on E-bay suggests I am correct and that 1696 was available as a special promotional item in France  (this seller is from Germany):

eBay is certainly a fascinating resource of promotional LEGO imagery not available anywhere else.

 

 

[kelceycoe]

10 hours ago, Mister Phes said:

I purchased it in Australia in a box in 1992 ...  and may still have a MISB copy in my archive....

That's good to know, photos would be nice. Did you buy yours directly from a retail store in Australia or from a seller who may have imported it from Europe? Did Australia normally get the European versions of sets, for some reason?

[Mister Phes]

16 hours ago, kelceycoe said:

That's good to know, photos would be nice.

When I find some spare time I'll go into the archive and get the set out...  but I've been rather inundated of late, nor do I live at the same location as the archive.

 

16 hours ago, kelceycoe said:

Did you buy yours directly from a retail store in Australia

I brought it from a department store named Kmart - not the  US company of the same name, but it's a nationwide retailer throughout Australia.

 

16 hours ago, kelceycoe said:

Did Australia normally get the European versions of sets, for some reason?

It appears during that period Australia used the UK versions based on the set naming.

Here's a quick photo of the Australian 1991 catalogue (which happened to be laying around my current location)

Here you'll note  the UK set names but prices in Australian dollars.

 

In the archive should also be the 1992 Australian catalogue, which in theory includes the Australian retail price of 1696...

 

 

[kelceycoe]

12 hours ago, Mister Phes said:

I brought it from a department store named Kmart - not the  US company of the same name, but it's a nationwide retailer throughout Australia.

It appears during that period Australia used the UK versions based on the set naming.

Yes when you get a chance please grab photos of the Australian 1992 catalog. Information is like is desperately needed to help collect data and provide accurate information.

I didn't want to come of as an arrogant American but in my experience Australia is somehow connected with the UK and in one of the companies I work with if you're in Australia and buy something it's shipped from a UK warehouse so I suspected Australian catalogs were almost carbon copies with only prices differing.

[kelceycoe]

Also just confirmed from a seller on Ebay...

Bonus Pack #1900 was also listed in the 1993 Summer SAH US 32page catalog. This same seller is selling 1464 - The polybag. So I imagine these were available in 1900 as polybags but also sold separately. I was more frugal as a kid so I likely opted against buying this set especially since I wasn't a fan of this pirate and its lack of accessories.

 

Neither bonus pack was listed in 1993 SAH Imagination Book, 48 pages, which only had 2 pages devoted to Pirates. It did list Rock Island Refuge, a 1991 set, but introduced as new 5059 (Pirate elements with Islanders pieces a whole year before their debut) and 6252 Sea Mates

Edited September 26 by kelceycoe

[Mister Phes]

13 hours ago, kelceycoe said:

Yes when you get a chance please grab photos of the Australian 1992 catalog.

That won't be until mid next week at the earliest.

 

13 hours ago, kelceycoe said:

I didn't want to come of as an arrogant American but in my experience Australia is somehow connected with the UK [...] Australia and buy something it's shipped from a UK warehouse so I suspected Australian catalogs were almost carbon copies with only prices differing.

That is indeed how it was back in the 80s and 90s.

Also as a slight deviation... the Transformers toyline was discontinued in the United States in 1991 and 1992 while Australia continued to receive the European releases.

As for LEGO,   in modern times things have changed... The LEGO Group has established distribution centres in Australia so now when I order from LEGO.com, it's sent from an Australian warehouse rather than the UK.

So that cuts delivery from 6-8 weeks down to 2-3 days.

 

13 hours ago, kelceycoe said:

Information is like is desperately needed to help collect data and provide accurate information.

So after the data is collected, what happens to it?  Where's stored? How's it accessed / how's it presented?

I ask because this kind of data fascinates me 

 

[kelceycoe]

Right now on here and in the minds of every archivist. I'm trying to redo my web site but at the same time having this info is helpful so the Influencers can get it right and stop passing off misleading info as correct.

For example, I just read a about about Lego that discusses the origins of Pirates. Seems like everyone thinks they conceived it in 1987... but that's when they began devising plans for the comic book. The research I'm about to gather will "shake up" the Pirate community while revealing details about the Europa theme, the never-released Romans theme, and more and I'll include photos as well.

[Mister Phes]

14 hours ago, kelceycoe said:

The research I'm about to gather will "shake up" the Pirate community while revealing details about the Europa theme, the never-released Romans theme, and more and I'll include photos as well.

I began writing an article on this subject matter around two and half years ago for Classic-Pirates.com but never found time to complete it.

It was only intended to be a quick "10 things you probably don't know about LEGO Pirates"...

But then those 10 things turned into a index for a much longer series of articles chronicling the development of the Classic LEGO Theme beginning in 197,8 and then exploding in 1984 into the myriad of themes that would be released over the next 15 years, after Nils Milan Peterson came onboard.