UK Version of Comics - more/less desirable?

[Waylander]

From the perspective of a UK collector, I think it's worth mentioning the effect that the Internet had on this subject.

 

Collecting US comics in the UK during the 70's and early 80's was a labour of love, (with emphasis on the labour). It was very difficult to purchase consecutive issues or build runs. A stack of books would mysteriously appear at the local newsagents shop at random intervals and it was generally pot luck as to what would be in there, so I would buy as many books as my meager pocket money would allow. This meant my fledgling collection was made up of random copies of Marvel's DC's and Charlton's.

 

I was aware that there was a difference between cents and pence copies but I really didn't care at the time. I was just happy to have even restricted access to this stuff.

 

As another boardie has said, the few UK mail order dealers stocked mainly pence copies so it wasn't really an option to even buy back issue cents copies and I certainly wasn't going to risk sending off to a US dealer using an already out of date stock list and waiting 6 weeks for delivery.

 

But come the Internet and suddenly a computer and credit card gave you full, real time access to US dealer inventories. That was the moment IMHO that pence copies became less desirable to UK collectors. Or should that be 2p?

That is a very good point, Phil. Cents copies in the UK were quite few and far between pre-Internet.

 

You still had some shops that stocked them, but when I was younger, I was even more of a puriest and it was ALL about the story and the art - I never distinguished between pence and cents.

 

As an adult I find my collection is a mixture of both, but I am still not bother, as when completed, I will still have a high grade complete UXM run. But then my OCD kicks in and I think maybe I should I get both cents and pence copies where available??!??

 

[gaz973]

That is a very good point, Phil. Cents copies in the UK were quite few and far between pre-Internet.

I remember the thrill of finding cents Defenders issue on a market stall in the seventies.

 

Darryl of silver acre once asked me why I made a distinction between cents and pence as he didn't - simply because customers wanted to know I said.

 

Typical Darryl, doesn't care what the customer wants.

[Tamwood]

I think I have 2 UK priced comics, but it's not for lack of wanting them. It's just that I don't seem to find them available that often. Perhaps I would need to check out the UK's eBay site or something.

 

I will admit to being more of a purist, tho, and I definitely would rather have direct market covers over anything else ... UK price covers, Canadian price covers, newsstand covers ... gimme the DM covers, please.

[porcupine48]

I wonder why I seem to have found so much 9d SA growing up here in Ottawa?

[Semicentennial]

Other than the price, is there any other difference between US/UK? If not then what wouldn't it be easy for someone to buy a lower grade/demand UK copy (at 1/2 of US version), remove the pence price from the cover, and then sell it as a low grade key with a chunk missing from the cover without even disclosing it as a UK version?

 

 

[Kevin.J]

Other than the price, is there any other difference between US/UK? If not then what wouldn't it be easy for someone to buy a lower grade/demand UK copy (at 1/2 of US version), remove the pence price from the cover, and then sell it as a low grade key with a chunk missing from the cover without even disclosing it as a UK version?

 

 

You would have to get rid of the Thorpe & Porter on the inside of the cover too.

You would probably still lose money on the deal or at best break even.

Who would purposely damage a comic, let alone a key just to make a few bucks.

If anything, you could do what some bellend did to this one

I am sure none of you need a clue

 

[Semicentennial]

Other than the price, is there any other difference between US/UK? If not then what wouldn't it be easy for someone to buy a lower grade/demand UK copy (at 1/2 of US version), remove the pence price from the cover, and then sell it as a low grade key with a chunk missing from the cover without even disclosing it as a UK version?

 

 

You would have to get rid of the Thorpe & Porter on the inside of the cover too.

You would probably still lose money on the deal or at best break even.

Who would purposely damage a comic, let alone a key just to make a few bucks.

If anything, you could do what some bellend did to this one

I am sure none of you need a clue

 

Probably the same people who would cut up a key, like Batman #1, and sell slabs of individual pages.

 

Well if there is a stigma against UK books, removing all signs of it being a UK would certainly increase the marketability of the book.