[nolemmings]

Like Chris6net, I had at least one complete set very early, and probably two or close to it by the end of the school year in May. This by a teenager who was not exactly able to buy them by the case. The cards came on schedule in March--no later than any other year-- and the packs I opened had players from all 5 series in them. There were no series packs in my home town in Southern Minnesota. Like the box topper said, the all 660 series was available ALL SEASON, so unless other parts of the country had series 1-5 issued throughout February, with what, a series issued every week (which seems unlikely), then the all in one series did not come last but was contemporaneous with the cards being available by series.

Actually, I will back off somewhat to say that I can't expressly recall if each pack had cards from all series-- I only know that when I opened my usual five pack or more purchase, I had cards from all five series out of the same box. I suppose it's possible one pack had all series X and the next pack all series Y. I doubt it and think I would have remembered that as unusual, and I note that the article Howie just posted made no mention of that as relates to OPC. Also someone buying just one pack would find the all-in-one advertising to be false or misleading if each pack had just one series for contents. As a 14 year old I just knew that the set was quickly and easily completed, and there were no series (note that the checklists make no mention of the word "series" either, just card nos. 1-132, etc., which is further evidence, to me anyway, that the all in one series was intended from the outset).