Gold Flags

Gold Flags
Publisher: Europer-Edições e Comercialização de Cromos, Lda
Genre: Sticker Book
Release Date RRP Code PT 1992 FREEfree

Gold Flags is the name of a Portuguese sticker book, published in 1992 and distributed free of charge, by now defunct, Famões-based (Odivelas, Lisbon), Portuguese printing and publishing company Europer-Edições e Comercialização de Cromos, Lda (Europer-Editions and Commercialization of Stickers, Ltd), where the objective is to collect 180 stickers of country flags in order to win one or all of the four prizes offered with the collection, including a wrist watch, an electronic calculator with pen, a Sega Mega Drive and a Sega Master System II. It was sponsored by Sega, represent in Portugal by Ecofilmes, so has Sonic the Hedgehog on the front cover and official advertisements on the back.

The name of the album comes from the four "Gold Flags" stickers required to win the first and best of four prizes which was composed by all the four items (the flags of the European Union, the Organization of American States, the Organisation of African Unity and the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization all with golden margins and authenticated with an embossing stamp to avoid falsification).

The prizes were attributed depending on how much the album was completed, with the best prizes, requiring the complete album and minor ones requiring some degree of completion (i.e , with some stickers missing). The rules were the following:

• First prize - complete collection with the four Gold Flags: a Sega Mega Drive, a Sega Master System II, an electronic calculator with pen and a wrist watch
• Second prize - one Gold Flag missing: a Sega Master System II, an electronic calculator with pen and a wrist watch
• Third prize - two Gold Flags missing: an electronic calculator with pen and a wrist watch
• Fourth prize - three Gold Flags missing: a wrist watch

The book nedded to be mailed to Europer along with a bank check or a post office Voucher with the value of the respective shipping costs (1000$00 escudos for the second prize, 500$00 escudos for the third prize and 200$00 escudos for the fourth prize with the exception of the first prize whose shipping costs were, as courtesy, paid by Europer), in exchange for the respective prize.

While the stickers are (mostly) of soverign state flags, many are innaccurate, with (often unofficial) emblems placed on top (in addition to text). Some flags are also out of date - South Vietnam, a country which ceased to exist in 1976 is represented (with the flag of the PRG).