XXXPHOENIX

Here they are my two "Which way to the John" Stickers... 

I own both 1* and 2** variants!!!

On 10/1/2018 at 11:54 PM, wormboy said:

Excited to receive this today!

Uncut sheet of checklist cards from the 1975 Topps set:

 

Wormboy...

I was just looking at the checklist uncut sheet images again and I realized it might be the checklist cards for the second test issue with the Topps 1975 / Marvel 1975 copyrights! I think there is a test commodity code of “T-47-3” or maybe “T-47-4” on the right side of the checklist side of the sheet! Better images would really be helpful or if you can confirm the copyright info and the code info.

Thanks

Federico

Hello everybody!!!

These are my two little boys...

I bought them back in 2006 for amounts that back then looked very high...

Giant Size X-Men #1 - CGC 9.4            $1800
X-Men #94 CGC 9.2                            $1095

but if I look at GSX1 CGC 9.4 nowadays prices after all they have been a good investment...:

Here I am again....

As you may have noticed in my first reply, I am looking for some very rare variations:

1974 Test Issue #1 Checklist 9-card SET released for the 1975 22-sticker test issue #1 tan back without character names SET

1975/1975 44-sticker tan back Test Issue #2 SET

1975/1975 Checklist 9-card SET released for the 1975/1975 44-sticker tan back Test Issue #2 SET

I have posted some pics that show these variations below...

I took the following pictures from this very interesting site:

http://www.bubblegumcards.org/Topps Super Heroes/CBHeroes.html

http://www.bubblegumcards.org/Topps Super Heroes/Marvel.html

Hello everybody!

I noticed this interesting thread only today...

I own a quite complete 1975 and 1976 Marvel sticker collection. These sets are among the best Marvel collectibles ever made!!

In the first posts I noticed that wormboy cited copyright/trademark variants and caption variants in 1975 and 1976 stickers.

To be precise in 1975 set there are 4x copyright/trademark variants:

Hulk-1 (Vertical copyright at same position of “A” of USA of horizontal)

Kazar (Copyright on one line)

Submariner (upside down Copyright)

Thor-1 (upside down Copyright)

There is a Dr. Doom Variant with Vertical copyright on the right side, but exclusive to 1975/1975 Test Issue #2 SET

and 2 caption variants (only for white backs):

Spider-Man-2 “Bug Off”

Captain Marvel “Which way to the John”

in 1976 set there are 6x caption variants, but no copyright/trademark variant:

Conan - "Shall we dance?"
Hercules - "Look, I Have a Hang-Nail!"
Loki - "Who says I'm bull-headed?"
Luke Cage - "Two All Beef Patties Please!"
The Hulk - "Help cure athlete's feet!"
Volstagg - "Fat is beautiful!"

My Marvel Stickers 1975 collection is now composed of:

1x 1975 22-sticker test issue #1 tan back without character names SET

23x 1975 acetate sample stickers + 5x "authenticated and encapsulated"

1x 1975 1* asterisk tan back SET + 4x copyright variants, no caption variants exist

1x 1975 2* asterisk tan back SET + 4x copyright variants, no caption variants exist

3x 1975 1* asterisk white back SET + 4x copyright variants + Spider-Man-2 “Bug Off” variant

3x 1975 2* asterisk white back SET + 4x copyright variants + Spider-Man-2 “Bug Off” variant

1x 1975 1* asterisk white back – Captain Marvel “Which way to the John” variant

1x 1975 Checklist card SET: white back, 1* asterisk, no copyright on cards 7 and 9

1x 1975 Checklist card SET: white back, 2* asterisk, no copyright on cards 7 and 9

1x 1975 Checklist card SET: white back, 1* asterisk, copyright on cards 7 and 9

1x 1975 Checklist card SET: white back, 2* asterisk, copyright on cards 7 and 9

1x 1975 Checklist card SET: grey back, 1* asterisk, no copyright on cards 7 and 9

1x 1975 Checklist card SET: grey back, 2* asterisk, no copyright on cards 7 and 9

1x 1975 Checklist card SET: grey back, 1* asterisk, copyright on cards 7 and 9

1x 1975 Checklist card SET: grey back, 2* asterisk, copyright on cards 7 and 9

1975 3x different wrapper variants + 1x sample wrapper + some sealed wrappers

1975 large uncut sheet + some 6-sticker uncut sheets

1x 1975 Vendor sheet

1x 1975 sealed BOX with all wax packs

My Marvel Stickers 1976 collection is composed of:

1x 1976 1* asterisk white back SET + 6 caption variants

1x 1976 2* asterisk white back SET + 6 caption variants

1x 1976 1* asterisk Blue markings on back UK SET, no caption variants exist

1x 1976 2* asterisk Blue markings on back UK SET, no caption variants exist

1x 1976 Checklist card SET: white back, 1* asterisk

1x 1976 Checklist card SET: white back, 2* asterisk

1x 1976 Checklist card SET: grey back, 1* asterisk

1x 1976 Checklist card SET: grey back, 2* asterisk

1976 All nine wrapper variants + some sealed wrappers

1x 1976 sealed BOX with all wax packs

WANTED:

1974 Test Issue #1 Checklist 9-card SET released for the 1975 22-sticker test issue #1 tan back without character names SET

1975/1975 44-sticker tan back Test Issue #2 SET

1975/1975 Checklist 9-card SET released for the 1975/1975 44-sticker tan back Test Issue #2 SET

2* asterisk white back – Captain Marvel “Which way to the John” variant

Best regards!

Federico - Italy

T H A N K S !!!!!

sorry BUT ... I can barely find few of my older journals.... all the other ones seem lost.

Only these are present... missing the other 28!!

so?

Unfortunately my parents didn't allow me to buy Marvel comics when I was a child... so I read Topolino (Mickey Mouse) 'till the age of 10

I started reading Marvel stories very late... I remember that during the summer on the Adriatic Riviera ...it must have been 1985...there were TONS and TONS of Corno Marvel comic books at the local newsstands selling... like 10 for a penny (£100)

Ciao!

Federico

And for our foreign friends...a glimpse at one of my UOMO RAGNO (1st series, ed. Corno) Collections...(This one is composed by VF/NM to NM+ books only)

This series lasted from 1970 to 1981, and saw 283 issues printed.

For us it has a very important hystorical importance because it contains the very first Spidey appearances in Italy...in italian language!

In my pics you can see the different ways the stickers were attached to the books and some of the posters.

Ciao!

Federico

I do remember you

My first posting here! Greetings to all other italian collectors here!

My congratulations for what xxxphoenix showed us (we traded some stickers and cards some time ago, remember?)! Really wonderfull!

 

I'm not sure if anybody already spoke here about Italian edition of Star Wars #1, the newest Marvel Series.

Simply I'd like to inform all foreign collectors interested, that Panini Comics (Italian publisher) pubblished issue #1 with some variant covers, exclusive for Italian edition.

They are by Lee Bermejo, Greg Tocchini, Renato Guedes and Paul Renard.

You can have a look here: Star Wars #1

 

Panini Comics did the same for Darth Vade#1. Exclusive covers by Francesco Mattina, Matteo Scalera, Ramon Perez and Carlos D' Anda.

You can see them here: Darth Vader#1

 

What about these?

Fantastici Quattro Corno 154 shrinkwrapped with the Supereroi sticker album...less than 3 in existance!!!

and.....drumroll:

Uomo Ragno 179 shrinkwrapped with the Supereroi sticker album...less than 2 in existance!!

:-)

Hello guys.... Look at these CORNO Beauties sitting in my collection ...

This is a full "Medalcalcio" set on 9.4/9.8 books

This is the rare Corriere della Paura #1 with the golden medallion still Shrinkwrapped with the book ( W O W... probably just 2-3 copies still exist in these conditions!):

This is the rare Corriere della Paura #1 with the silver medallion still Shrinkwrapped with the book ( W O W... probably just 2-3 copies still exist in these conditions!):

Sorry but I totally disagree:

Posters and stickers form integral part of CORNO comics and a collection of mint books complete with all gadgets possesses an immense economical and hystorical value.

Collectors (mainly italians) who hate CGC are normally hypocritical older guys that very well know their books are not mint as they have been claiming all life but mid or low grades and with plenty of hidden restoration (colour touch etc etc) and oppose to this serious way of collecting and preserving comics with ridicolous excuses like "Comics are made for reading" or "Grading is relative"...

Come on!!! I still have to see somebody browsing the pages of his original high grade AS1!...If you want to read it just get a reprint!!

When I started collecting CGC ( I currently rank 95th (!!) in the world ranking) and submitting books I understood my grading standards were ridicolously low and since then I became extremely selective and picky in terms of conditions of what I wanted to collect.

I hope your friend is not one of those who love the nauseating modern Marvels.... Modern heroes stories are written by no-brainers, art (ahaha can you call it art anymore?) is amateurish and the computer coloring makes me sick after 5 pages .

Federico

I have to correct you: 98% of italian collectors would not want a slabbed book.

 

In fact, there is a friend of mine that has said that if I get involved in trying to introduce pro-grading in Italy, he would stop actively collecting. I know it’s a provocation, but it gives you a good picture.

 

As for the poster and stickers, I believe they are historically important and for many kids they gave additional "magic" to the comics, but personally I would go after just a few issues which are tied to strong personal experiences, especially considered they are now so expensive.

I am still undecided if I should keep my Defenders posters (I have all three of them, both from ASE, Hulk e i Difensori and I Difensori), and I think I might end up giving them away.

I gave away my italian ASM #31 which included a super-cool Ant-Man poster, so I raised some money to buy 1930s and 1940s italian comics, but I somehow miss it (I never attached it to a wall, it was pristine mint).

Hi!

Yes the amateur techniques used to "clean" a returned book are:

1. Trimming (this is the case with the book I sent to CGC)

2. Cleaning with solvents

In my long experience...both techniques are uneffective due to the aggressive red/blue paint that never goes away completely and because in most cases the paint stained the internal pages and gadgets too.

What are "returned" books you may ask?

Comics in Italy were distributed ONLY through newsagents 'till the early 90s. The unsold books normally went back to distributorrs or publishers who would then paint the edges and throw them into special discounted packages called "busta".

Most of us were super happy about this because we could buy comics at half the cover price.

The italian terms for the painted-edge books are "busta" or "resa" comics.

Most of these "busta" books were distributed in touristic cities in summer!

CGC doesn't even know about posters or stickers so they considered my books "complete".

Actually if you carefully check the words on the covers you fill find the word "MANIFESTO" which means large poster not stapled to the book.

a "POSTER instead is normally a 2-page sized poster stapled to the center of the book...

Thor1 had stickers + manifesto

Devil1 had a manifesto

Uomo Ragno1 had a manifesto

Fantastici Quattro 1 had stickers + manifesto

In the next few days I could post some MINT examples from my collection if you are interested!

Federico

Hi!

A mint copy with a mint poster (VF according to US standards) range btw 800-1000€.

It's a HARD task to find it in high grade....

 

Lower grade copies with the poster can be found at 500-600€ .

 

The poster alone can be found anywhere between 300-600€.

 

BUT you must be VERY careful when purchasing Editoriale Corno Books.

Early books and their posters may have a reddish or bluish paint on the top and bottom edge meaning they come from distributors'returns (resa). These sell for significatively less than the untouched books and posters.

Also beware to trimmed books(typical trick to remove the paint)...

 

I can help you in case you want to find a Uomo Ragno 1!

 

Ciao

Federico

 

I have some casual interest in a comic book. I am looking for a copy of Amazing Spider-man 1 (Italian Series) with the poster. (I do not know what the poster actually looks like.) I know the cover looks like this and it was published in 1970. Are these readily available meaning do they turn up from time to time? I have not seen a complete one on eBay with the poster in awhile.

 

l'uomo ragno 1

 

 

That is VERY good to know and I thank you. I noticed that you have a 7.0 trimmed. I was wondering if that was due to a return book like you mentioned. Also I notice that your CGC copy does not indicate anything about a poster. Is that because your copy has one or is that because CGC does not consider the poster as part of the comic?

Since you are so interested in Corno books...

These are the scans of the lowest graded first issues I owned...that a couple of years ago I decided to submit to CGC to test their grading standards on italian books and see if they could spot the trimming and restoration....

And yes they do spot anything eheheh

But NO ...they don't know anything about posters and stickers so no green labels!

P.S. I own ALL MARVEL Corno books with ALL gadgets (posters stickers etc etc) in 9.4/9.8 and it has been a 30-year-challenge to get them all.

I.E. I had to buy multiple complete series of UOMO RAGNO (at least 6/7) to build a Mint collection according to US standards.

Ciao

FEDERICO

Hi!

A mint copy with a mint poster (VF according to US standards) range btw 800-1000€.

It's a HARD task to find it in high grade....

Lower grade copies with the poster can be found at 500-600€ .

The poster alone can be found anywhere between 300-600€.

BUT you must be VERY careful when purchasing Editoriale Corno Books.

Early books and their posters may have a reddish or bluish paint on the top and bottom edge meaning they come from distributors'returns (resa). These sell for significatively less than the untouched books and posters.

Also beware to trimmed books(typical trick to remove the paint)...

I can help you in case you want to find a Uomo Ragno 1!

Ciao

Federico

I have some casual interest in a comic book. I am looking for a copy of Amazing Spider-man 1 (Italian Series) with the poster. (I do not know what the poster actually looks like.) I know the cover looks like this and it was published in 1970. Are these readily available meaning do they turn up from time to time? I have not seen a complete one on eBay with the poster in awhile.

 

l'uomo ragno 1

 

Print runs varied a lot along the years....

Issues from the early 70s probably had a 50.000 print run...

In mid 70s many books like Uomo Ragno and Fantastici Quattro reached a 100.000-200.000 print run.

Sales quickly dropped 'till 1982/1984 (5.000-10.000 copies) when Editoriale Corno went into bankrupcy.

Many late books are even rarer because most of the warehouse copies were "re-Covered" by distributors or collected into 3-book paperbacks thus leaving in place very few original intact copies!

Ciao

Federico

Maybe "micro print run" was overstating it. I only meant in comparison with how many american copies are published. Do you have any kind of estimate of the print run on these early 70's Italian editions?

Tadaaaaaaammmmmm ITALY's Wolverine 1st appearance from Incredible Hulk 181

Wolverine 1st appearance was printed on:

UOMO RAGNO 193 - Editoriale Corno - Printed in Italy on 22/09/1977

The book typically contains two issues and a half :

Amazing Spider Man n.152 (01/76) "Shocker colpisce ancora"

(wein / andru / esposito - giacoia)

Incredible hulk n.181 (11/74) "Ed ecco... Wolverine!"

Daredevil n.127 (11/75) "Hai ucciso, Torpedo... e ora pagherai" (part 2 of 2)

GREAT PERSON TO DEAL WITH!

I had around 300 books pressed and it seems that the easier-to-correct defects with professional pressing are:

1. bumped corners

2. Rolled spines

3. Stress lines that do not break colour

I noticed that recent books with glossy paper have a great success ratio because the paper is very elastic.

Silver age books can be improved to up to 3 grades

In my opinion, the worst results are obtained on 1980-2000 books due to the poor materials used: stress lines and creases are here to stay even after pressing!

and yes...even italian books can incredibly improve their appearance :

Second series and First Series #100-250 Corno books tend to improve much more than earlier issues!

Ciao

Federico

Marmat you should send that to CGC...

 

A press would also help the top right corner

 

It would be highest in census for a long time to come...Beautiful!!!!!

 

The copy I sent to Matthew is pretty remarkable too, I think a 9.0 or so.

 

I’m not sure about pressing. Federico (XXXPHOENIX) told me he pressed some books, but I don’t know if he was talking about US books or italian ones.

YKOil told me he wished to press a pair of Corno books I sent him, but from what I recall I think he had them graded without pressing because they are structurally different and the person who should have pressed them advised him to leave them as they were.

 

I think the highest grade I have among Corno books (so far) is my Fantastici Quattro #12, which I tentatively graded as a NM. One of the few I am keeping.

 

HI!

It's not a color copy...because the original doesn't exist...it's a re-creation of a book that was never published!

CGC can be very unprecise...

Actually the technical realization is incredibly professional.. it's not a cheap amateur production, because this friend of mine works in a typography.

And it's not cheap...if you can find somebody willing to sell a copy, expect to pay anywhere between €350 to €500... !!

CIAOOO

FEDERICO

XXXPHOENIX,

 

this is very interesting....

 

so was this book in fact a color copy made or actually published?

 

what is the "street" value of this book over in Italy?

 

i love rare and odd books like this thanks for sharing my friend

 

 

Typically CGC gets foreign labeling incorrect due to lack of review/knowledge

 

perfect examples of a Spain GL76 labeled as "Mexican" and several ASM300s labeled as "Finnish Edtion" when the language is clearly not Finnish

I have just published a new journal that I thought you may enjoy ...:

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7569393#Post7569393

MY FIRST NOGRADE (NG)... and the strange story of the mysterious UOMO RAGNO (Spider-Man) #59

While I am still waiting for CGC to award me with my first 9.9 (almost 1000 books submitted and no 9.9 to date ), I would like to entertain you with the strange story of the misterious UOMO RAGNO (Second Series) #59 italian edition.

Spider-man and all other Marvel Heroes were published in Italy from April 1970 (almost 8 years after AF15!) by a publisher named EDITORIALE CORNO. Marvel comics flooded italian newsstand with print runs of over 200.000 copies in mid 70s... But the advent of MANGAs and ANIMEs and the low quality of the late 70s' Marvel stories quickly lead EDITORALE CORNO to bankrupt.

UOMO RAGNO (First Series) terminated with issue #283 in March 1981 but the publisher attempted to relaunch the character with SETTIMANALE DELL'UOMO RAGNO (3/1981-1/1982) and finally with UOMO RAGNO Second Series. The Second Series resisted a couple of years (3/1982-2/1984) until issue #58, due to EDITORIALE CORNO bankrupt.

But, for many years a real mistery fascinated italian collectors: somebody claimed that #59 had been printed but never distributed. In fact, the last page of #58 had a preview of the #59 cover (the same of Spectacular Spider-Man's #58 "Ravaged by the Ringer" in the original USA version).

The "Golden Age" of Italian superheroes had ended leaving all italian Marvel Fans orphans...for years! Later somebody found some of the printing plates of issue #59, but other sources later confirmed that it never made it to the printer...

Three years passed and in 1987, STAR COMICS restarted to publish Marvel Comics (after another unsuccesfull attempt by LABOR COMICS in 1985), but guess what... issue #1 of UOMO RAGNO Third Series came out with the same cover (Spectacular Spider-man #58) that should have had to be used for #59 Second Series...

The demand for #59 Second Series remained high, also because a collector (and friend of mine) kept maintaining the mistery alive by claiming he had some copies...

His hoax continued until 2004, when that same guy produced issue #59....in 59 copies (could it be otherwise??). The uniqueness of this production is the total originality of this book: not to be confused with a reprint as it is not the reproduction of something that already existed. The book, instead is a recreation with the same graphic, structure (stories of Spider-Man and Captain America, Fan Club insert, central poster, ads)and paper of a 1984 book that was never published.

The big hype created by this event is still alive today, some people love and other people hate this initiative but perpetrating a joke like this to us collectors for 20 years has been devilishly ingenious!!!

I submitted my #59 (37/59) in 2013 and CGC sent it back to me...slabbed but with a nefarious NG (NO GRADE)... probably the fame of this story had already reached the atlantic too!!!

CIAO!

FEDERICO - ITALY

UOMO RAGNO Second Series #59

UOMO RAGNO Second Series #59 before being graded

UOMO RAGNO Third Series #1

Spectacular Spider-Man #58

ehheeh...I partially disagree with you...

– Magazzino from NM9.4 to NM/M 9.8 but sometimes people call Magazzino the so called "copie di resa" : colored sides and found in special gift bags used to clean the publisher warehouses. These colored-sides copies are worth no more than the "Buono".

– Edicola anything between VF+8.5 and NM9.4

with Edicola minus being NM- 9.2

with ottimo/edicola being VF/NM 9.0

– Ottimo the entire range F/VF 7.0 to VF+8.5

with Ottimo plus being VF+ 8.5

– Buono from VG 4.0 to 6.5

– Discreto from G to VG

– Mediocre in the FR to FRG range

...my intervention is just to underline the confusion in Italian Superhero collectors...

In some cases people overgrade the books, but most of the times grades are erratic because 90% of the collectors were born and will die as readers...

You can understand how difficult it is to build a real HIGH grade marvel collection....

I have seen a similar attitude in UK too!

PS my Marvel italian collection is one of the largest and most complete of Italy and I tend to grade with the american standard....The minimum grade I purchase for 70s books beeing 9.2!

Ciao Federico

As far as the terminology goes, there are generically a lot less "grade" terms.

More or less:

 

– Magazzino (this should stand for "Mint", but it’s debated)

– Edicola (literally "Newsstand", means the comic is in high grade, VF to NM);

– Ottimo (the equivalent of F);

– Buono (a rough equivalent of GVG to VG);

– Discreto (more or less a G);

– Mediocre (in the FR to FRG range).

 

Terms may vary a little, but you get the picture.

 

I thing germans have developed a way better numeric system for grading comics.