The new 3D set for 2021 is growing on me. I still think the border is a great improvement on the 2005 set, but I am also starting to appreciate the hex size being standardised with the flat game.
To identify which set a hex has come from Catan uses a small pale grey watermark on the hexes. There help people sort out sets after playing larger games using different expansions and extensions.
As well as collecting Catan games, I am also a huge fan of collecting Catan advertising and memorabilia.
In 1996 a limited number of Catan base sets with the yellow Kosmos logo featured a wood hex with text on the back. This text promoted the newly released 5/6 player set to expand the game for more players. I have only seen this is the yellow 1996 sets and it does not appear in any of my later yellow logo sets, nor in the later blue Kosmos sets.
Card trays have been a useful accessory for Catan for many years. The demand was such that in 2020 Catan partnered up with Gamegenic to release a great quality custom "Trading Post" card tray.
I decided as 25 years was a major milestone for Catan that I would collect the different 25th Anniversary sets for my collection. It has been released in 8 languages at this point, but I will keep checking to see if others are added to the list.
In 2006 I bought my first Catan 3D 10th Anniversary set.
When I saw the 2005 set I was just enthralled by the design and quality of the whole package. The entire presentation, including the sea chest carry case and hand painted pieces had me hooked and I had to have one. It was the most expensive game I had ever bought and I did not mind one little bit.