“Newsstand” VS “Direct Edition”19082
 Collector
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trooperTK602 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Okay, let’s just get it out of the way now. I’m a NOOB to comic book collecting. There, my shame is now out. Lol So here’s my question. I know the difference but does it effect value if a comic book is a “Newstand” or a “Direct” edition. Is one more rare or preferred amongst collectors and investors? |
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| Post 1 • IP flag post | ||
 past performance is no guarantee of future actions.
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KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user | |
| 100% yes It's a crazy world though...when direct first started to appear they were a relatively small part of the print run - but they don't see the bump that news stand do. I'm sure someone will post it but there are resources that show the % of news stand to direct over the years - and even though at some points they are about 50/50 news stand will often go for more in the same grade - argument being that on a news stand they were more likely to be pawed at!!! CPV are even better!!! (Canadian price variants!) I have some books coming back soon (I hope) where I know my direct will be a higher grade than my news stand - but there is a good chance that even a 9.0 news stand vs a 9.4 direct will be "worth" more! |
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 Collector
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CatCovers private msg quote post Address this user | |
| No shame. Everyone starts sometime. Welcome to the hobby that eats your life. There's not exactly a straightforward answer to your question. Thousand-yard view is that all comics used to be newsstand. The direct market started in the late '70s, when only a few comics were sold that way. By the mid-'80s it was half and half and by 2000 the direct market accounted for almost all sales. Here's a much-used (and sometimes debated) chart put out a while back by Mile High Comics.  A quick reading of the chart and it's obvious a book that came out in 1981 (let's say X-Men 141) had a lot more newsstand copies produced than direct, so you'd think direct would be more desirable. Not necessarily - newsstand copies tended to be stocked by people who didn't care about comics condition and often bought by the same, while direct were more often handled with care in the stores and bought by collectors. So the argument goes that while more newsstand copies were printed, it's harder to find one in high grade than it is a direct copy (even if there are fewer direct copies in existence). Of course, move forward a decade or two and newsstand copies get more and more rare. Newsstand copies do definitely go for more money, but at this point it's mostly a matter of preference. Overstreet doesn't differentiate. Yet. Online guides like gocollect are beginning to. For a hobby that thrives on segmentation, it's no surprise. I expect in the long run newsstand books will be like Marc Jewelers insert books - not technically worth more but commanding a higher price from those who want to collect them. Does any of that help at all? |
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Collector
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trooperTK602 private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by CatCovers That actually does make sense. Thanks guys Oh and @ KatKomics hope you get your books soon. I’ve been waiting six months. I know Ive got a ways to go still. |
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| Post 4 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
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sigep815 private msg quote post Address this user | |
As a kid of the 80s/90s I hated newsstand issues and only wanted direct. I wanted that extra art that some artists did. Would you rather have a upc or this? |
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| Post 5 • IP flag post | ||
 Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @sigep815 I totally get it. McFarlane had a blast with that UPC box and so did Walt Simonson when he was on Thor. I like the newsstand editions now just because of the rarity, though, and I'm all over the foreign cover price editions! |
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| Post 6 • IP flag post | ||
 Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @trooperTK602 the difference in price often diminishes with the grade, particularly with the books from the pre-90's. The idea being that there may not be very many 9.8 newsstands, but there should be plenty of 7.0's. | ||
| Post 7 • IP flag post | ||
 I'm waiting.... (tapping fingers).Splotches is gettin old! |
Nuffsaid111 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| There are times to actually go against the "logic" percentages, as well. Example: ROM 1 in a 9.8 December 1979 publishing so you'd expect a 94% Newsstand to 6% Direct split. However; take a quick look at the 9.8 population available for sale (and prices) The 9.8 in Direct is easier; despite the heavily biased split. The reasoning (belief) is they just were not handled well from the newsstand rack in 1979. |
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| Post 8 • IP flag post | ||
 SpongeBob Comics #1 sells for $991!
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Joosh private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Good info already presented. There are nuances within the the world of newsstand edition collecting. The value and scarcity aspects vary greatly depending on years, publishers, and even titles. My question is: Which particular newsstand editions appeal to you? |
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| Post 9 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Joosh I like high-grade newsstand editions and keys in newsstand editions. High-grades because that's the problem with newsstand editions: they get mangled, and keys because they're just that little bit more scarce.     |
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| Post 10 • IP flag post | ||
 I've spent years perfecting my brand of assholery.
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DrWatson private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I won't pay a premium for a newsstand book. A direct sale copy is fine with me, especially at a discount. I find the newsstand versus direct sale discussion reminds me of The Sneeches by Dr. Seuss. |
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| Post 11 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by DrWatson Neither will I. I keep it that way by buying my newsstand editions raw. I don't think I've ever bought a graded one. My newsstand editions are all ones that were priced the same as their direct edition counterparts. Just study the photos and when one comes up that looks really, Really nice, that's the one I buy. |
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| Post 12 • IP flag post | ||
 Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I tend to not pay premiums for US newsstand editions. If I find them, cool, but I rarely hunt them down and a premium on a distribution method isn't my cup of tea. The question of more value needs context provided to it. High grade newsstands, especially of key issues, have more value to a certain segment of collectors. My guess is most collectors don't give much of a distinction between newsstand and direct. Some do. One LCS owner I spoke with told me the majority of his collection is newsstand despite owning and LCS for 30 years. He bought his issues from a friend who ran a magazine & bookstore in downtown Cincinnati. Other people I've spoken with don't care for barcodes because they look fugly. While I wouldn't pay the premium, I'd be lying if I said I haven't tried to get some newsstands in high grade. For example:    At the end of the day, it just comes down to collecting preferences. I might pay a little extra for Canadian and UK price variants (still first prints), but not for US newsstands. Best of luck to the OP in however you want to do things. |
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| Post 13 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Studley_Dudley Like this. I'll pay a bit extra for the foreign price editions, but I won't pay a premium for direct vs. newsstand U.S. editions. There's a reason I still don't have a newsstand edition of Spawn #1. I don't want to pay for it. |
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past performance is no guarantee of future actions.
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KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Byrdibyrd lol..located where I am I tend to not pay extra for CPV. When I was a kid they were just what was on the shelf....now they litter back bins, most stores don't bother pulling them or pricing them different |
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| Post 15 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @KatKomics Dang, send some of that down here!  |
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| Post 16 • IP flag post | ||
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Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
@KatKomics I'll send you a want list  |
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| Post 17 • IP flag post | ||
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past performance is no guarantee of future actions.
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KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Byrdibyrd @Studley_Dudley lol!! Once in a while I'll go through the bins ..maybe 6 months ago I picked up a few daredevil cpv just for fun, nothing worth anything but for a few bucks why not |
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| Post 18 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by KatKomics THUMBSCREWS!!!  Dayum! |
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| Post 19 • IP flag post | ||
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past performance is no guarantee of future actions.
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KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Salt on the wound? This was my first set...all readers and I got them signed before any grading companies were around...only a year or so ago did I realize they were almost all cpv Only 4,8 and 10 were dirty direct copies..no full set My keeper set that I didn't want signed were direct editions ;(  |
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| Post 20 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @KatKomics MUST. FIGHT. BACK!!      |
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| Post 21 • IP flag post | ||
 Not trying to be an ass since February 12, 2020.
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HulkSmash private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Ok I was lazy and didn’t read all of the posts. The chart @CatCovers provided I love for reference. There are 2 factors for Newsstand vs Direct. 1 is rarity and 2 is cohesiveness in a collection. Starting in the 90s a Key newsstand issue (like ASM 361) in high grade will command a premium over its direct counterpart due to the survivability rate in % of copies produced vs the direct copies % of high grade survivability rate. The Newsstands are more rare. The same could potentially go for an early Direct copy, but due to the environment and clientele of specialty shops it is still more likely that an early Direct issue would have a high high grade % because they were better cared for by the collector environment. However regardless of year or being a Direct or Newsstand copy; that same issue could command a premium depending on the high grade ratio of either for that buyer who wants to keep their collection all high grade Direct or all high grade Newsstand copies. I love finding high grade 90s and newer Newsstands in dollar bins of just anything, but some of those 90s direct Marvels have just plain fun and cool art in those barcode boxes. |
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| Post 22 • IP flag post | ||
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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 | |
| Not all Newsstands will have a market. I have a Newsstand copy of X-Man #2 in CBCS 9.8; I personally enjoy it having found it in the wild for less than cover prices. I’ve tried to sell it without a single offer or inquiry. I have faith that there is a sucker for this 1995 irrelevant Newsstand copy issue who will come along and happily part ways with their hard earned cash for some black and white stripe. Until then I feel like an archeologist who discovered a rare artifact that could’ve been completely obliterated by the slightest disturbance in its surroundings | ||
| Post 23 • IP flag post | ||
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Where's his Bat-package?
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Byrdibyrd private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by HulkSmash That is absolutely true. I suspect that if a book is one that has historically attracted very little, if any, interest, popping up with a 'rarer' and slightly pricier version of it will not make people suddenly feel a burning urge to buy it when before they never gave a monkey's. |
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| Post 24 • IP flag post | ||
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SpongeBob Comics #1 sells for $991!
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Joosh private msg quote post Address this user | |
| One segment of newsstand editions I personally like are the last of them. These are historical footnotes marking the end of an era that disappeared with no fanfare. Both editions had barcodes by then, so all were ugly.   |
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| Post 25 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
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Puckster private msg quote post Address this user | |
| When Image came out and focused on high quality paper and no UPC code on the cover, I tended not to like the Newsstand versions very much. Not for those books anyway. I've had to go through my collection and re-designate a lot of books that I have logged in databases. I'm realizing that it appears the main LCS I purchased many of my books from in the late 80's and early 90's got most of their books from a newsstand distributer instead of Diamond or whoever at the time. Reason being is I'm noticing how many of my books from back then are Newsstand variants. Always good to know for the later resale down the road knowing how some people are more than willing to pay a premium for them. I'm not one of those, though. |
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| Post 26 • IP flag post | ||
 Thank you sir. May I have another?
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Siggy private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Luckily, I don't suffer over a mix of barcodes and Marvel's art-filled boxes in my collection, but I prefer art over barcodes. What I really don't like, and might actually be a factor in purchasing, are the barcodes with the line through it combined with the diamond price box. Those just look OFF to me- Like they're reprints or later prints. I don't know the reasoning behind it, but Marvel (and maybe DC?) have some Direct Edition books with no box on the cover at all.   If this were a universal difference between NS & DE, I probably would make a stronger effort at keeping to DE, because there's no denying it looks SO much better with no box at all. I'm glad my collecting focus was heavier in the pre-UPC era. |
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| Post 27 • IP flag post | ||
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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 | |
| @Siggy The line through the barcode is actually known as a “Strike Through”. Strike Throughs were the early designation for Direct copies in an attempt to eliminate false no sale returns. Newsstand distributors could return unsold copies for credit and Direct dealers were responsible for whatever quantity they ordered. The Direct market came along, shenanigans ensued, and (in a nutshell) someone figured out that unsold copies being returned did not add up to vendor orders and sales. Somewhere the unsold copies were exchanging hands and being returned for credit thus the Direct market started receiving non returnable copies designated by the Strike Through Barcode and later by whatever the publisher put in its place. Edit: Direct dealers were given a discount on orders in exchange for not being able to return unsold copies. |
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| Post 28 • IP flag post | ||
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Thank you sir. May I have another?
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Siggy private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by HulkSmash And they're fugly as hell. |
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| Post 29 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
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Drogio private msg quote post Address this user | |
| I think Newsies are fun to collect and if given the choice for about the same price I’ll go for the newsy. But I don’t “have to have” a newsy or CPV. I’m good with what I can get for the right price when it comes to the PC. |
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