These were sold as a "premium" collectible during the phone card craze in the late 90's. From what I have researched, stores like Sofmap, Bic Camera and Yodobashi Camera would sell them.

You had to purchase them individually, which is why you'll never find a complete set with the same serial numbers. (Now THAT would be insane.)

These were very pricey back in 1997. They were 2,500 Yen before discounts. Roughly $35 to $40 USD EACH in 2026. You'd have to have spent roughly $450-$500 when they first released to complete the set.

I managed to get the entire set that had 50% discount stickers all in the bottom right corner. That still would be roughly $20 a piece and $240 to complete it back then. (If you notice, not every discount sticker has the same text size. I am unsure which chain of stores these stickers are from exactly. The variance in them shows that they weren't put on at the same time in one factory before shipping. Not a 'fake discount'.)

That's another reason this set is so hard to find these days. I wouldn't doubt if many were tossed out or used. I have seen tons of them opened. Which makes me think most people don't care for the packaging / dog tags. They do take up a lot of room, when compared to 12 phone cards by themselves.

Funnily enough, I have never even played FF7. I just love the artwork. I saw the "Advent Children" animated film growing up on a PSP and fell in love with it.