JR Web-Head

I would love to know if there was a path they got involved trafficking them somehow.

So then I wonder how did the Mob get involved in this?

Hi everyone,

I have another question for everyone about Stripped Cover Returns.  Does anyone out there know anything about them?  Like the following.

When did they start doing this to comics?

Who did they do this?

I heard that the Mob profited off of this somehow, How?

I have attached n image of what I am talking about.

On 11/18/2017 at 9:35 AM, Marwood & I said:

 

Sorry @JR Web-Head, I didn't know you'd responded. 

When you want to call someone, if you type an @ symbol, and then the first few letters of the persons name you want to call, a drop down list will appear like so:

 

Just select the person you want and they will appear bold like this @JR Web-Head in the body of your post - that means they'll get a flag and know that you've 'called them'.

Don't worry about asking questions - the answers may well be here on the boards but it's a great way to get new threads / traffic going, and for additional info to come to light. If people don't want to join in, they don't have to. Your thread has proven that asking questions works, as lots of people have joined in.

So ignore the moaners and ask away! 

 

Thanks @Marwood & I I wondered how you did that.  Thank you for the encouragement yeah if you don't ask questions you do not learn and I love to learn.  Plus we have to keep this history alive so that future generations know about it.   

Cor, this has moved on quite a bit from yesterday! Well done @JR Web-Head for bringing this up - it's the kind of thing I like to see on the boards, people with inquisitive minds, chipping away at the little nuances in the hobby that most ignore. You're my kind of guy. 

I used to have a near full run of Amazing Spidey NDS/MJI's back in the day and I kept pictures of them all. I just checked them and, funnily enough, the majority of them did not have the star stamp on them. But I always interpreted the stamp as a sign that they probably would have an insert, when I was collecting them.  I would often scan eBay looking for the star on the cover scans and picked up a few MJI's becuase of it (I found that if you contacted a seller who hadn't noted in their listing whether there was an insert they would often add it to the listing when you asked them to check and you'd then get competition!)

Here's an example of one of my old books that had it, and a few that didn't (always end a post with pretty pictures):

Marwood & I 

Yes it has moved a little and I'm happy to see that because people are Interested and helping out.  I have a few more questions about things, that's me for sure an inquisitive mind.  That's what makes this hobby so inserting there is always new things to learn about other then getting the next HOT book.  Your my type of guy too someone who will help out in finding history and knowing people that can help with that too.

Man those are some nice books you had there I love 122, 134 & 138 I need a better copy of 134.  That helps my question out if they were tied together, the "Star Stamp" and the MJ inser.  I'm glad I came here to talk about it.  That's cool that you contacted them to see if there was a MJI I will try that next time I buy books on ebay.  Yes it's always great to end a post with pretty pictures.  

Thank you @rjrjr and everyone else for helping me with this mystery.  This is what I love about this hobby there are so many interesting things that has happened to books over the years.  Don't worry I have a lot more question about books and what has happened to them.  I hope I can use everyone knowledge in solving out more mysteries.

54 minutes ago, JR Web-Head said:

So you had a star and an insert together or could you have one without the other???  Because I thought the MJ insert started in 1971?

The only reason I ask that is because I was talking to a person on a FB page and he has an Amazing Fantasy 15 with a Star Stamp.

2 hours ago, rjrjr said:

 

 At Kaiserslautern (the housing location for Ramstein AFB in Germany), the AAFES bookstore was separate from the commissary and had its own counter near the front of the store when I was there in the 1970s.  The comics were stamped  by the person behind the register in the bookstore when you bought them.  The stamp was used as proof that the book was purchased.  Stamps could be found on the back or front of books.  (I have examples of both.)

Unfortunately, I would only be speculating on anything beyond that.  Without an insert, the books could have been insert books that had the inside removed (which was a common practice with my circle of friends growing up), they could have come without the insert, or they could have received the stamps another way unrelated to overseas military bases entirely.

So you had a star and an insert together or could you have one without the other???  Because I thought the MJ insert started in 1971?

8 minutes ago, mschmidt said:

I'd be more upset about them stickering your book - ouch.

Yeah, that is the third no I am most upset about.  I have been thinking about taking it off but I don’t know if a safe way of doing that.

7 minutes ago, 01TheDude said:

I would doubt the color of the stars has any significance-- the star however is significant. Everything I've read on these forums mentioning these stars are a definite indicator that they were sold on military bases- typically in the PX. Can't recall why it is done exactly but it could indicate either the book was paid for or that the book was sold at a PX and should be treated similarly to duty free goods.

Not an expert but that is what I've culled from following similar discussions.

I’m guessing your right on the color but you just have to ask the question to make sure.

Also I was wondering about the “Stars & Stripes” store is the same as the “AAFES” = “Army & Air Force Exchange Services”.  Does anyone know?

1 minute ago, cortown71 said:

No inserts.stamps colors look dark blue,navy blue...hmm ?

Sweet, so it looks like these are Military Stamps as listed above with no link to MJ inserts.  They stand alone.    Now I wonder if color have anything to do with anything?

2 minutes ago, cortown71 said:

Here's two more early star stamps on FF 73&76 I'm pretty sure I have one or two more FFs with stamps before inserts were used.

I feel these are also military designations.the stamps match what my other mark jewlerys stamps look like.their stamp locations generally tend to be by the price boxes.

 

So your FF (shown) do not have MJ inserts in them?  Are your stamps are Silver?

I’m curious on books i’ve seen with the stamp on the cover of the book that CGC has graded why is there no mention of the star?

Ah, okay.

5 minutes ago, Jaydogrules said:

NDS books came before MJI and they can also have the star stamps if sold overseas. 

Alas, I believe your inserts have simply been removed.   

-J.

**Correction, these are actually not insert books at all.  Just books with star stamps on the covers.  

So do you know about the colors of the stamps?  I have heard they had different colors did that have anything to do with the branch of Military the book was sold at?  Like Blue =Navy, Red =Air Force, so on and so on?

33 minutes ago, reddwarf666222 said:

Happens all the time windowbox your Comic where you want the creator to sign. I try to do it for every item I send out a comic or a record for a facilitator or even for myself when I am getting them signed myself.

Like the item I got signed below Olivia canceled her meet and greet, but I had front row seats to her concert at the end of the show when she was saying hi to everybody she said she would sign it for me. I had it Window Box the area walked over to where she told me to her guy took it to her around the corner she signed it quick the guy walked it back to me. The guy immediately knew where I wanted her to sign it because of the box there. The record is still sealed.

I though the man could see and read at the time.  It wasn’t until last year that he came out and said that he couldn’t read anymore.  It was my fault all the way I thought about putting a window on it but I didn’t.  Oh well it makes for a great story for sure at least I have his signature.

You really have a great signature there.

34 minutes ago, PunisherPunisherPunisher said:

Ouch that hurts

Good old Stan is out here in Australia at the moment making a absolute fortune signing without saying a word to anyone 

Yeah it did hurt but what’s done is done.  I just look back at it and say I have a great story to go with the book. 

26 minutes ago, Jaydogrules said:

The star stamp usually means they were sold on a military base, probably even at an overseas one. The cashiers would typically stamp them as proof the items were paid for. 

Unfortunately it looks like somebody has already pulled yours out- something that we usually done to books with those inserts as they made the book themselves cumbersome to read (and the earlier books with the national diamond inserts included sexy lingerie ads, in which case the comic was probably the thing that was in the way  ).

-J.

I don’t think my books had the MJ insert in them.  The earliest MJ insert was in Amazing Spider-Man #96 and the month & year was (May 1971). My books came out in (July & November 1968) two years early.  I really want to pick up an issue with the sexy lingerie ad in it. 

Okay here is my signature story I had a friend of mine take my Amazing Spider-Man #300 that I had signed by Todd McFarlane a few years earlier to Comikaze Expo in 2015 to get Stan to sign it for me.  So when my friend laid it down to get it signed Stan did not see that Todd had signed it so he started to sign over Todd's "T" in his name.  Stan's handlers did not catch him until he signed his "S" over the "T" until it was too late.  They had Stan stop signing over Todd's name and then Stan signed on the lower left of the book.     

1 minute ago, W16227 said:

So - the armed forces inserts - the "stamps" look very similar.

For books with inserts - the stamp and insert make them more desirable. The common assumption is that the stamps were from books at overseas stations/foreign deployment. The stamps look  similar to what I have seen on thee later books.

 

one of the better pages for the inserts - ) by the boardie mentioned above)

http://www.awe4one.com/NDS-MJ Inserts/Insert webpage.html

So the "stamps" are different from the inserts correct?  Because my two books do not have the inserts.

Hi everyone,

Today is my first day on the site.  I'm a huge Spider-Man fan and right now I'm trying to put a book or something together about comic books and the things that they have been through,  I'm researching the following.  Star Stamps, Subscription creases, Military Ad pre Mark Jewelers, Mark Jewelers inserts, Stripped Comic Returned and Distributor Spray and anything else that comic book have gone through, lol.  If anyone can help me with any of the above listed or anything else you can think of I would really appreciate it. 

Just now, Marwood & I said:

You're welcome. Spidey books with stamps are cool. I see you asked this question in the SA section also, and you're probably get a response there. Last invite from me, to the man who knows everything on inserts - calling @awe4one  

Yeah I didn't see a the main thread question section until I posted it over there, my bad.  I love any kind of stamp on any Spider-Man books it makes things so interesting to learn about.  Thank you for your help I really hope to find the answer out about these little red stars.  Thank you for adding @jrjr to this thread too. 

Just now, Sweet Lou 14 said:

Same thing with this copy?  (At the top of the "H" in "THOR")

Exactly.    

I hope to find out the mystery of these darn little "stars".

Thanks "Marwood and I".