the data is hard to find because SE didn't really advertise it outside of the game sure game sites kept records but it was mostly the link you posted which is only the main page

http://www.warcry.com/news/view/8555...yer-Collection

your link also states in the first paragraph that 1 it's exlusive. and 2 that people buying the item would get an in-game item of the same name, re-instating my previous comments about how this item in-game and out of game should be purely kept to being exclusively only collecting the item in real life.... what's the point of it being a collectors edition item if you don't collect it?

If your mindset is that the warp is of worth and worth value why not go and collect it.... it's item's like these that create much fun and excitement, for the item itself in real life and in cases like people like me i enjoy having both the in-game item and the RL necklace; but if you want it merely for the in-game item don't ruin the fun of others by trying to make everything devalued just because you want something that matches it..

a link to a decent discussion on the exclusivity of the necklace from people who can articulate more fluently

http://wiki.ffxiclopedia.org/wiki/Talk:Tidal_Talisman

It's not in my usual attire i wear around town or in the wilds and it definately takes up space but there is a storage for it and i can grab it anytime it's needed incase i get bored of wearing the same old thing everyday or in the rare case i do need it for it's warp i use it..... It's a very powerful item when it's actually used in real scenarios... but in most normal cases i don't need it to get to where I'm going....

a link for most of the services to get around ffxi in forum talk

http://forums.ffxiclopedia.org/viewt...tidal+talisman


If you actually look around there are alot of the same discussions were having right now I'm still digging to find a link to some offical posgts this was done before dev trackers was thought of for ffxi lol.. so might be tough...

a link to some talk from around the time of the development of abyssea and announcement of the add-ons

http://forums.ffxiclopedia.org/viewt...lisman#p202113

I might like to point out this interesting bit from the link above

“I think the Tidal Talisman is one of the coolest looking pieces of gear out there.”
- Hiromichi Tanaka, Producer

When Mr. Tanaka first approached the graphic design team, he expounded his vision of a “brilliant pendant to grace the necks of all adventurers everywhere, be they in string bikinis or surf shorts.” And yet due to some unforgivable miscommunication somewhere along the line, the end product was a luxurious long-coat seemingly tailor-made for high-end players.
The original prototype was something along the lines of… (image)
But, being nothing more than a complimentary in-game bauble accompanying the actual merchandise, it was finally decided upon to create a modest, understated piece of Level 1 gear that players wouldn’t necessarily drool over. Even the enchantment was intentionally made a bit tongue-in-cheek so as not to be something players would feel absolutely compelled to have.
But, we just can’t seem to part with the original design. Maybe we’ll hang onto these graphics and reuse them for a high-end piece of gear sometime in the future…


so you can see the ingame design was intentionally crafted for people who purchased these necklaces as an item for decoration... a bauble a piece of clothing for your avatar... an extension of you in game!

While i feel bad for the players who could not buy one i do not regret and trust SE's decision in this matter.