What Qualifies as a "News Stand" Variant?13253
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 Collector
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mscheel15 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I know this is a total newbie question but I'm trying to pin this down. Is this simply an edition that didn't get distributed thru the direct sales market? I was buying almost everything off the news stands (local mom & pop shops) up thru around 1985. My whole collection is that up to that time. Is there really a premium in the collectors market for this? It seems odd to me & I don't know why there would be any type of premium on this. Or is this something else entirely? Discuss... | ||
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Cowabunga_Kyle private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @mscheel15 the newsstand variants were sold anywhere that was NOT a comic shop, a newspaper stand (hence the term newsstand), a drug store, what have you. The reason ppeople find these more appealing and why they fetch a higher price is they tended to be reader copies and not nearly as well preserved as issues that came directly from comic shops. Especially since the people who stocked them did not treat them with any kind of care, they were just the funny books. So it's increasingly rare to find high grade newsstand variants. Most newsstands are easy to spot where one copy of a book that came from a comic shop would have a drawing or Spidey in the square on the bottom of the book, the newsstand would have the UPC code in that spot. Example:  |
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PixelPanda144 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Yup. I know the newsstand variants from the early ‘80 have barcodes in the box on the lower left corner of the cover, while the direct editions tend to have a picture in that box (Spider-Man’s head for example...) Interestingly, I used to buy most of my comics at local candy stores but it turns out they’re direct editions. I guess the candy store got them from one of the direct distributors? EDIT: I don’t know if anyone on the forum has read the book “Comic Shop” but it’s a great history of how the direct distribution system came about and who all the various players were, the early conventions, etc. |
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 I bought a meat grinder on amazon for $60 and it's changed my life.
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kaptainmyke private msg quote post Address this user | |
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Huntergreene2 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Another thing is there was no direct market prior to about 1978 or so. So, I hate when I see a book from 1974 touted as a news stand variant. | ||
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Collector
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mscheel15 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Thanks for the replies. Appreciate it. | ||
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 Not trying to be an ass since February 12, 2020.
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HulkSmash private msg quote post Address this user | |
FYI When you see a barcode with with a Strike Through (diagonal line through it) that is an early “Direct” edition. This is when the comic shop market was being distinguished from newsstand and an early attempt to reduce fraudulent buybacks of non newsstand copies clickable text |
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 Collector
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Firehawk2069 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @kaptainmyke sir you are a wealth of knowledge! | ||
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 Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| There are also books that have barcodes that were both direct and newsstand. Certain issues of Alpha Flight and Nam come to mind. | ||
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 SpongeBob Comics #1 sells for $991!
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Joosh private msg quote post Address this user | |
| After around 1995 or so, both djrect editions and newsstand editions had barcodes, actually 2 barcodes next to each other. They are identifiable by looking at the barcode area itself. The easiest identifier that works 99% of the time is the smaller barcode for newsstand editions is 2 digits; direct editions are more. Sometimes “DIRECT EDITION” is printed by the barcode, but not always. Marvel newsstand editions from about 2011 thru 2013 actually state “NEWSSTAND” next to the barcode. |
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