Biting Insanity: 1998 France World Cup Marbles

Maybe it was all the talk of Uruguay's Luis Suarez seemingly biting Italy' Giorgio Chiellini, but it I scoured the collection for the objects that symbolize losing ones sanity. Voila, Marbles !

 

For some reason, these are my favorite non-card soccer collectible. France had issued standard size marbles with their French Ligue in the 1997-98 season. So when it came time for the hosts (and eventual Champions) to be featured, another marble set was made.

 

1998 FRANCE TEAM PLAYER MARBLES

  

 

Apparently, there were 8 series of packs containing 3 marbles each. Although I do not have a complete checklist, I assume that this included all 23 players plus Manager Aime Jacquet.

 

 

 

Each set of 3 marbles came on a green rack inside a carded window package.

 

Current Paris SG Manager Laurent Blanc and former Manchester United Champion, Fabian Barthez.

 

Current France World Cup Manager Didier Deschamps and Arsenal Champion, Patrick Vieira.

 

Former FIFA World Player of the Year and World Cup Champion, Zinedine Zidane.

 

These are the ones I have -

 

Laurent Blanc

Stephane Guivarc'h

Fabian Barthez

 

Franck LeBoeuf

Zinedine Zidane

Alain Roche

 

Didier Deschamps

Patrick Vieira

Bixente Lizarazu

 

Christophe Dugarry

Christian Karembou

Robert Pires

 

 

1998 Jeff de Bruges - Team FRANCE

When your become a super collector (or a nut case, depending on who you ask) you can often loose track of your possessions. When you move, things disappear. They find their own hiding place just to avoid having you paw them, stare at them and truly admire what you have.

 

At least that's what nut cases like me believe. I was looking to find one of my favorite soccer sets and they went into hiding. You see, this week MLS Spring Training begins and the New York Red Bulls are coming to town with the legendary THIERRY HENRY.

 

Henry was a World Cup Champion with France in 1998 and a runner up in 2002. He was European Champion in 2000 and a Premier League record holder with Arsenal.

 

But I digress. I wanted to checklist this set - which are actually chocolate wrappers rather than cards. I couldn't remember if Henry was in the set. Well he's not.  But the set is fantastic anyway !

 

The great Zinedine Zidane imortalized

 

I was at a Paris airport when I found these - JEFF de  Bruges L'Equipe de FRANCE (Team France) Chocolates. I purchase as many as I could. They were available in a cardboard window box of 16 chocolates and a limited edition metal tin with 36 candies. I got both.

 

There were 4 flavors of chocolates which corresponded to the wrapper colors. Each wrapper had a reproduced painted portrait of a player, the Manager or the French Federation Crest. 

 

 

Among the many host countries that made collectables for the FIFA Tournament, the French payoff was one of the most talented teams in their history.

 

The side panels of the metal tin feature facsimile autographs of the players. These are repeated on each of the player wrappers as well.

 

1998 Jeff de Bruges - L'Equipe de France (set of 20)

 

- white -

Laurent Blanc

Marcel Desailly

Bernard Lama

Frank LeBoef

FFF crest

- carmel -

Didier Deschamps

Aime Jaquet - (Manager)

Bixente Lizarazu

Robert Pires

FFF crest

- dark -

Vincent Candela

Christophe Dugarry

Christian Karembeu

Patrick Viera

FFF crest

- hazelnut -

Fabien Barthez

Youri Djorkaeff

Zinedine Zidane

FFF crest