The 1st Knight of Malta?

[Sir Gareth]

It's now nearing the time that I start to sell again on ebay and get out there looking around carboots. I already have a few bits to sell on and I was going through them the other day and came across one of those black Malta knights. So as always I start to give him a klicky health check and begin to remove all of the accessories for cleaning starting with the cape. Underneath the cape I found a promo print for "Valletta European city of culture June 1998" so I wondered if all of these knights where the same and checked mine MIP.

 The one I have now not MIP doesn't have this on it and comes with a minicat dated 2001 and now that I think about nearly all of the ones I have seen MIP have the same minicat of 2001 in them.

 So is this 1998 Valletta Knight the first to be released made to celebrate the city of culture thing and the rest are a reissue for the Malta fun park in 1991?

 Does anybody have one with an earlier minicat in it?

[Meg]

Brain/Corkscrew would be the best informed.
Maybe a PM or email to him would solve this quandary.

Of course, since this one is special, you arent going to sell him, are you?

[playmofire]

My understanding is that the knight of Malta was issued initially when Valetta was the European City of Culture.

[Sylvia]

I was going to post much the same as Meg - Brian would probably be the best person to ask about this.
He has had computer problems recently which have kept him offline, but hopefully he will be able to answer your query.

All I know is that the figures with the 'Valetta' imprint are much harder to come by these days than the standard Maltese Grandmaster knight figures, so you would probably get a higher price for a specially marked one at auction, even if it isn't still bagged.

According to information long ago obtained from Richard, the first grandmaster knight was released before 1998 and could be obtained through a donation to Valletta.

[Corkskrew]

Back on the net again! 

I cannot recall when the grandmaster was actually first created. I'll try check. However he was not originally made to be sold. In 1998 Valletta (our capital) was the european city of culture (Presume they choose a european city every year?) and they gave the klicky away in the capital. They then sold the extras at a ridicolous price at the funpark. Seeing they sold well, they continued producing them, and increasing the price 

Of course the klicky is not that hard to find. Some German tourists have been buying them by the box 
This promo however is, unless you get to visit some maltese carboot. Note that they were made in a limited edition for a local purpose. And considering the size of Malta, that would make them a limitedlimited edition. 

[Sir Gareth]

Hi Brian,

 Nice to see your back on line.

 I looked back to see where this one came from and I bought it of an ebayer who found it at one of my local carboots before I got to it just over a year ago.

 So it does look like this one was probably the 1st Knight of Malta and made in low numbers.

I don't have it anymore, it was of no interest to me, so another colllector now has it in their collection.

[Sylvia]

Thanks for the additional info, Brian.

I shall definitely be hanging on to my "Valetta" knight, especially now that I know just how limited an edition they really were.

Great to have you back!

[deadeye dick]

Of course the klicky is not that hard to find. Some German tourists have been buying them by the box 
This promo however is, unless you get to visit some maltese carboot. Note that they were made in a limited edition for a local purpose. And considering the size of Malta, that would make them a limitedlimited edition. 

Do you mean that there are also grandmasters without the promotional stuff on their back?
I'm lucky to have a 1998 version, but I would like to have more of them and the red ones...
So, what are 'rediculous prices' exactly? Just to know how much money I should take with me when visiting Malta 

[playmofire]

I can't remember the prcie when we were in Malta last year, but they weren't expensive.

[Corkskrew]

So, what are 'rediculous prices' exactly? Just to know how much money I should take with me when visiting Malta 

As i said, their price did go up together with popularity. Their original price was 25cents (maltese cents). They now cost Lm1.50 which would be something less than 4euros. More than 2 specials. Expensive considering it doesn't come in a box, but just a plastic wrap. 
You'll be able to buy the Grandmaster (black) at the funpark. The red one is unavailable i'm afriad.