UK Version of Comics - more/less desirable?

[KilbaneMills]

Every now and then, when I order old back issues, I get a UK version of the book. Whenever that happens, I get kinda thrown off, as the item is usually not described as such, and I prefer the US (Original...kinda) versions.

 

So I did some reading up and realise, that the UK versions are basically published at the same time, albeit with a pence price description as opposed to a $ one. Furthermore the print run for these comics is said to be far lower than the UK counterpart.

 

Which leads me to the question:

 

In your opinion, should the UK version of a book be more or less desirable than its US counterpart? And by that measure be worth more due to the lower print run?

 

What do you think?

[Dr. Balls]

Foreign editions are kinda fun for completists - but they definitely don't or shouldn't have the same value as the red-white-and-blue-all-American versions.

 

Why? Well, I liken it to the .COM/.NET discussion. .COM is the original, the most-used, the easily-recognized and highly-used domain in use. .NET - even though it's a top-level domain - is not nearly as popular or memorable. It just isn't because the majority of people have gravitated to .COM.

 

Same thing with comics. The majority of collectors gravitate to US editions and they see anything else as inferior simply because of human nature, even if it truly is almost the same, or in some cases - more rare.

[Comicopolis]

Foreign editions are kinda fun for completists - but they definitely don't or shouldn't have the same value as the red-white-and-blue-all-American versions.

 

Why? Well, I liken it to the .COM/.NET discussion. .COM is the original, the most-used, the easily-recognized and highly-used domain in use. .NET - even though it's a top-level domain - is not nearly as popular or memorable. It just isn't because the majority of people have gravitated to .COM.

 

Same thing with comics. The majority of collectors gravitate to US editions and they see anything else as inferior simply because of human nature, even if it truly is almost the same, or in some cases - more rare.

 

Foreign editions are usually reprints, no?

 

Pence copies are not reprints.

[KilbaneMills]

Foreign editions are kinda fun for completists - but they definitely don't or shouldn't have the same value as the red-white-and-blue-all-American versions.

 

Why? Well, I liken it to the .COM/.NET discussion. .COM is the original, the most-used, the easily-recognized and highly-used domain in use. .NET - even though it's a top-level domain - is not nearly as popular or memorable. It just isn't because the majority of people have gravitated to .COM.

 

Same thing with comics. The majority of collectors gravitate to US editions and they see anything else as inferior simply because of human nature, even if it truly is almost the same, or in some cases - more rare.

 

Foreign editions are usually reprints, no?

 

Pence copies are not reprints.

 

That's exactly my point. I get, that a foreign reprint would satisfy the niche collector, but pence versions are (at least to my knowledge) printed and distributed at the same time...

[lscomics]

Foreign editions are usually reprints, no?

Not in a lot of cases. There are quite a few publishers out there that would make editorial changes based on culture or sometimes just because of preference. Once the original cover/content is altered it no longer qualifies as simply a reprint IMO.

[gaz973]

Every now and then, when I order old back issues, I get a UK version of the book. Whenever that happens, I get kinda thrown off, as the item is usually not described as such, and I prefer the US (Original...kinda) versions.

 

So I did some reading up and realise, that the UK versions are basically published at the same time, albeit with a pence price description as opposed to a $ one. Furthermore the print run for these comics is said to be far lower than the UK counterpart.

 

Which leads me to the question:

 

In your opinion, should the UK version of a book be more or less desirable than its US counterpart? And by that measure be worth more due to the lower print run?

 

What do you think?

This kind of question usually gets asked on the boards once every couple of months but pence copies usually sell for about two thirds of the price of cents copies (those this obviously varies) and pence copies have become more sought after over the last few years.

 

The reasons for the difference in prices is mostly down to collectors liking uniformity in their collection, collectors liking the format that they were familiar with when they were younger and also there are still many people who are misinformed and still believe incorrectly that the pence editions are reprints.

[Define999]

Oh god this is a loaded question... my mouth is zipped....

[CBT]

less, but only because its not "the original", not because of the country. If there were a UK original comic, that had a US alternate version, the UK one would be more desirable.

[KilbaneMills]

Every now and then, when I order old back issues, I get a UK version of the book. Whenever that happens, I get kinda thrown off, as the item is usually not described as such, and I prefer the US (Original...kinda) versions.

 

So I did some reading up and realise, that the UK versions are basically published at the same time, albeit with a pence price description as opposed to a $ one. Furthermore the print run for these comics is said to be far lower than the UK counterpart.

 

Which leads me to the question:

 

In your opinion, should the UK version of a book be more or less desirable than its US counterpart? And by that measure be worth more due to the lower print run?

 

What do you think?

This kind of question usually gets asked on the boards once every couple of months but pence copies usually sell for about two thirds of the price of cents copies (those this obviously varies) and pence copies have become more sought after over the last few years.

 

The reasons for the difference in prices is mostly down to collectors liking uniformity in their collection, collectors liking the format that they were familiar with when they were younger and also there are still many people who are misinformed and still believe incorrectly that the pence editions are reprints.

 

That makes a lot of sense

[lscomics]

less, but only because its not "the original", not because of the country. If there were a UK original comic, that had a US alternate version, the UK one would be more desirable.

This would be a matter of opinion, not a fact. To some people Pence copies are more desirable because they're scarcer and were printed at the same time and to others it doesn't matter either way.

[rjpb]

British collectors, foreign edition collectors, fans of oddities and rarities and perhaps even price variant collectors may all have an interest in pence editions, but for Silver Age in particular, a part of the aesthetic appeal is the 10¢ or 12¢ price on the cover. U.S. editions are what the primary audience for these books saw and bought at the newsstand, and the relative scarcity and exact printing schedule of the pence editions will never be of much importance to the average Silver Age collector.

[Comicopolis]

less, but only because its not "the original", not because of the country. If there were a UK original comic, that had a US alternate version, the UK one would be more desirable.

 

I've read that they were printed first so the US versions are obviously second editions

[lscomics]

British collectors, foreign edition collectors, fans of oddities and rarities and perhaps even price variant collectors may all have an interest in pence editions, but for Silver Age in particular, a part of the aesthetic appeal is the 10¢ or 12¢ price on the cover. U.S. editions are what the primary audience for these books saw and bought at the newsstand, and the relative scarcity and exact printing schedule of the pence editions will never be of much importance to the average Silver Age collector.

And that's why those collectors remain average.

[CBT]

less, but only because its not "the original", not because of the country. If there were a UK original comic, that had a US alternate version, the UK one would be more desirable.

This would be a matter of opinion, not a fact. To some people Pence copies are more desirable because they're scarcer and were printed at the same time and to others it doesn't matter either way.

 

How some people value them is subjective and opinion, I agree. However, that they are US comics "also" printed in the UK is a fact.

[Comicopolis]

less, but only because its not "the original", not because of the country. If there were a UK original comic, that had a US alternate version, the UK one would be more desirable.

This would be a matter of opinion, not a fact. To some people Pence copies are more desirable because they're scarcer and were printed at the same time and to others it doesn't matter either way.

 

How some people value them is subjective and opinion, I agree. However, that they are US comics "also" printed in the UK is a fact.

 

Er, I don't think so

 

Unless you are talking about something else

[Define999]

British collectors, foreign edition collectors, fans of oddities and rarities and perhaps even price variant collectors may all have an interest in pence editions, but for Silver Age in particular, a part of the aesthetic appeal is the 10¢ or 12¢ price on the cover. U.S. editions are what the primary audience for these books saw and bought at the newsstand, and the relative scarcity and exact printing schedule of the pence editions will never be of much importance to the average Silver Age collector.

And that's why those collectors remain average.

 

[thunsicker]

No matter what the case SHOULD be the fact remains that UK editions are worth half to three quarters what US editions do. If you don't agree I'd happily trade you UK editions for US editions straight up.

[CBT]

 

Er, I don't think so

 

Unless you are talking about something else

 

k, well let me know where the company producing them is based, where the writers and artists live, and where the UK printers get their source material to print from. Pretty sure the answer to all is US.

 

Also, my point is being twisted by these replies, it was in response to the earlier post implying that the value is from the fact that the US one is better because its american. They are the standard version, the UKs are alternates, whether valued more or less by the individual collector.

[Define999]

No matter what the case SHOULD be the fact remains that UK editions are worth half to three quarters what US editions do. If you don't agree I'd happily trade you UK editions for US editions straight up.

 

I could see some foreign set collectors taking you up on this offer... grade for grade possibly wouldn't even be a factor.... If I had an extra IM55 American id happily trade you for a UK pence in a grade or 2 lower.... unfortunately I do not... But then again like Tim said, im not average.... (thumbs u

[Comicopolis]

 

Er, I don't think so

 

Unless you are talking about something else

 

k, well let me know where the company producing them is based, where the writers and artists live, and where the UK printers get their source material to print from. Pretty sure the answer to all is US.

 

Also, my point is being twisted by these replies, it was in response to the earlier post implying that the value is from the fact that the US one is better because its american. They are the standard version, the UKs are alternates, whether valued more or less by the individual collector.

 

They were printed in the US and shipped over here.

 

The ones printed in the UK are different altogether and are reprints.

 

Which writers and artists do you require addresses for? Sounds stalkerish.