Get Marwood & I

Don't worry about it - the Jimmy #46 was good, another off the list. I saw the DD thread, yes. Will add something later.

Thanks Robot. Darryl's pictures are rubbish aren't they. They don't enlarge. And that isn't #56, he misnumbered it. Gets me every time I search...

....and notwithstanding my earlier arguments, is it reasonable to expect that this comic, cover dated November, and released a month later, would beat the October dated Batman #127 to the UK by two shipments All good fun

More on this, Albert. Mike's Comic Newsstand has The 10/59 cover dated Superboy #76 (for which we currently have no stamped examples) and the 10/59 cover dated Batman #127 (for which we have several) as being 'on sale' one week apart: Actual copy shows 18/08 arrival date: Actual copy shows 25/08 arrival date: Given how many US retailers would have been returning their unsold copies, and from different locations, could the onward UK distribution process really have been so precise that one week would make a difference and inform the UK distribution cut off point? I doubt it so, in theory, it's reasonable to expect there to be a stamped Superboy #76 out there, assuming both titles followed a similar path (i.e. unsold in the US then shipped to the UK).

Keep going Albert, we'll soon fill that table up. I bet Green Lantern used that ring to just reduce the layers every once in a while, if you know what I mean....

Speculation is what it's all about, but there are some physical things which are difficult to ignore. I feel like we are willing the first sixes to be second cycle sixes rather than just accept the obvious. We have absolutely no idea how the contract was entered into originally or the arrangements that were made. And in my experience, saying things like "they knew what sold" rarely plays out - the early days are littered with things that make no sense to our retrospective eyes. We're talking about some of the earliest comics to arrive here in the UK ever. Numbers would be next to non-existent for so many natural reasons. When I get back into the fairs and live hunting, I'm sure more examples will turn up. The first slot may be small, and lacking in high profile titles, purely because it was the first. The further you go back, the scarcer surviving issues would be. That makes sense to me.

Good luck. When you get to the 50 minute mark and still have a bit to go you'll find it gets quite stressful. No pressure though

Don't you find it odd though. They are all stamped a 6, and they are exactly how you would expect a natural sequential grouping to be - within a month or so of each other. If we look at the second cycle six stamp group... ....all are May and June 1960 books. Merging in the first cycle lot creates a complete anomaly. No other grouping has that many late / out of sequence books. Add to that that there are recollections of some of the six stamped books being 'the first ever' distributed (Duncan for one). If people remember Adventure Comics #266 as being one of the first to land, how does placing that six stamped book in the second cycle fit wit that recollection? That would mean it was nine months later and, therefore, nowhere near being one of the first. Are we not missing the obvious? Doesn't all the evidence imply that first set of six stamped books are indeed the first, and of the first cycle not the second? Maybe T&P just lost the seven stamp for a while? Or maybe that shipment just had no DC comics in it for operational reasons long since lost in time.

Cheers Albert!

I found it on eBay USA as it goes. And I then found a second image on Duncans site (a rare occurrence!). Superboy #76? Duncan doesn't think so: So I expect to find it soon!

Have any of you got T&P 9d stamped copies of the following lurking in your collections? Adventures of Bob Hope #57 All American Men of War #83, 85, 87 Blackhawk #150, 153, 155, 159, 160 GI Combat #79, 81, 86, 87, 88, 89 Green Lantern #5, 7 House of Mystery #94, 95, 101, 102, 106, 108, 114, 116 House of Secrets #29, 42, 47, 50 My Greatest Adventure #52 Our Army at War #94, 99, 103, 105, 107, 108, 112 Our Fighting Forces #55, 56, 59, 62, 63 Pat Boone #3 Showcase #26 Star Spangled War Stories #91, 96, 98 Strange Adventures #116, 118, 119, 124 Sugar & Spike #29 Superboy #84 Jimmy Olsen #42, 46, 48, 51, 53 Tales of The Unexpected #52, 55, 58, 61, 68 Tomahawk #70, 72, 73, 75 Wonder Woman #115, 117, 118 Here's the latest 'first stamped copy' table: And looking at the latest first cycle page, do we still think that those six stamped copies are actually late second cycle copies, or are there enough of them now to justify a conclusion that they represent the first ever sequential UK delivery?

I've made a start, but it's one of those scenarios that proves difficult to clearly plot, once you get going: If you study that closely, you'll see what I mean. Lots of issues around dates, stamps and absences such as: The earliest cover date we have is October 1959 but we only have two examples - Pat Boone #1 is stamped a 6 but Batman #127 is stamped a 9. And Pat has a dual month indicia The dual month vs indicia month is problematic in itself The 'on sale date' aspect is perhaps more relevant, but less possible to quantify So I'll ponder on it a bit more, I think, as to how best to present it. I really just want to try and prove what issues could exist, within the first four cycles, and then what does exist. One thing I've noted, as I've said before, is how unreliable the UK Price Guide site is. Apart from the very confused descriptions - the use of 'pence copies' and 'pence variants' to describe stamped cents copies - there are so many factual errors that you just can't rely on it. For example, for Rex the site says "Non-distributed in the UK": Wrong, here it is: For 'A Date With Judy', it says #77 is the first distributed: Although there are no details in the main section for the relevant issues: And here we have #73-76 with stamps: But no #77. Got the number wrong didn't he. If we look at some of the romance titles, Duncan says they were distributed but provides no examples. We are expected to take his word for it that 'Girls' Love Stores' are scarce but exist as 'UK pence copies' (aaarrrgghhh).... ....when between us we can only find a single example: What is the point of a refence site - and one that asks you to pay to join - that is based on no more than a persons recollections? I post actual verifiable data here for free. Every single thing I post about pence copies and what exists I can prove. And Duncan charges £14.99 for his recollections. That is slightly annoying. But I'm over it!

Morning all I'm working through the first four cycles of the DC T&P numbering tables this morning, looking for the missing stamped issues. I'm putting a table together so we can all see which issues are currently absent. I spotted a new 'first' in doing so, Adventure Comics #266: Another 'six stamp' to strengthen the Nov 59 potential first UK delivery pot slot: I'll post the update later today hopefully, along with some analysis of the contents of the UK Price Guide site.

Mine was the minute I opened the box. Hope the others were too...

Deslabbed copy I used to own...

Bopper

Don't be too proud of this technicolour jigsaw you've constructed - the ability to beat the time of Marwood's mum is insignificant, next to the power of the fawce.

Tracking says delivering today - by Jedi, probably

Me too - I can remember buying the first issues as a kid. Good luck with the badge hunt - a few have sold on eBay recently - here's one (no additional info alas): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Very-Rare-Vintage-c-1980-039-s-039-Captain-Britain-039-Plastic-Badge-Comic-Excellent-/265071948604?hash=item3db784f33c%3Ag%3AD6MAAOSwVD9gPDsO&nma=true&si=mJw%2BJQe%2FjV%2BbSu7hmO34NHO%2By7s%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 And here's a picture of the back: Some other cool CB goodies here, if you haven't already seem them: https://downthetubes.net/?p=107405

Of course! Thank you Inferos

Hello Infernos Looks like size matters to CGC, doesn't it! https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/topic/471153-the-impact-of-uk-distributor-price-stamps-on-grading/ Are you from Italy I wonder? I'm based in the UK and have a few comics with what look to be Italian distribution / import stamps on them. In the example below, the stamp has a sterling £100 price: Would you happen to know anything about that, or have any local knowledge about these types of stamps? I'm wondering why an Italian stamp would have a sterling price on it. Cheers

Some of the comments imply the mystery is solved: "The badge was one in a series of Marvel & DC superheroes badges produced in 1977 or early 1978. They did Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Captain Britain, Hulk, Captain America? plus one or two others. It wasn’t ‘given away’ – you would have purchased them in stationary/toy shops and possibly in some newsagents. It would have been presented on a very large laminated & perforated card featuring different characters, and you would have torn off the badge of your choice – resulting in you holding a square perforated card containing the badge (but ‘sealed’ in the laminate). I still have one or two ‘sealed’ in the perforated card, but there are no makers mark on the cards (that I have) – I think manufacturer details would have been present on a section of the large card not containing a badge."

https://thecaptainbritainblog.wordpress.com/2013/07/07/my-mysterious-captain-britain-badge/

Well done Gary Current Uptown Top Rankings: Marwood's Sister - 54 minutes Garystar Gary – One hour and 30 seconds (for the right puzzle) Marwood's I - One hour and 3 minutes Garystar Gary – One hour and 7 minutes (for the wrong puzzle) Marwood's Mum - One hour and 55 minutes (with a nap in the middle, she now tells me) It's all on you now Reggie

Good luck