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Do Date Stamps make keys less desirable?

Started by mosconi,

100 posts in this topic

Erndog

Erndog

Posted
Posted

You just gotta wonder what some of these people were thinking regarding the placement of some of these stamps.

 

My OCD wouldn't have allowed it.

 

I would pick a nice convenient corner, or white patch, or non-abtrusive spot to settle the stamp on. I would never smack the middle of the paper with a stamp upside down or on a 65 degree angle or something haphazard like that. Anyways...

 

 

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deadleg

deadleg

Posted
Posted
You just gotta wonder what some of these people were thinking regarding the placement of some of these stamps.

 

My OCD wouldn't have allowed it.

 

I would pick a nice convenient corner, or white patch, or non-abtrusive spot to settle the stamp on. I would never smack the middle of the paper with a stamp upside down or on a 65 degree angle or something haphazard like that. Anyways...

 

 

They weren't thinking. They were trying to get there job done. These are convient store clerks we're talking about, not comic book shop owners.

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Dr. Balls

Dr. Balls

Posted
Posted
You just gotta wonder what some of these people were thinking regarding the placement of some of these stamps.

 

My OCD wouldn't have allowed it.

 

I would pick a nice convenient corner, or white patch, or non-abtrusive spot to settle the stamp on. I would never smack the middle of the paper with a stamp upside down or on a 65 degree angle or something haphazard like that. Anyways...

 

 

They weren't thinking. They were trying to get there job done. These are convient store clerks we're talking about, not comic book shop owners.

 

True. In the 60's it was like $1.25 an hour for minimum wage. For $1.25 an hour, I don't think they got paid enough to care where to put it, even if they were perfectionists.

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Secret Son

Secret Son

Posted
Posted

 

86issnI.jpg

 

:cloud9:

 

 

At the risk of going off-topic, Gil Kane was a Jedi master. (worship) Look at the Iron Man face helmet which -- instead of being a stoic mask -- conveys an expression of struggle. (worship)

 

Gene Colan drew Iron Man like that as well. :cloud9:

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mosconi

mosconi

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I like date stamps, dislike hand written. I think a nice stamp is cool and historical, unlike the slop

on some of the Signature Series books I see.

I'm not a fan of Signature Series myself. I would never buy a book with them. To me, it just defaces the beautiful vibrant covers with ugly, scribbled signatures in the worst of places, right in the middle of the cover! Maybe this has been debated many times before on previous threads, but why not have artists just sign the back cover and enjoy the front cover without the intrusive signatures??

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Dark Knight

Dark Knight

Posted
Posted

I think date stamps are neat and provides some historical value to them. Neatly placed date stamps should not affect the value at all, but if there are a bunch all over the cover or if placed obstructing the art of the book, then it may lower the value. Just remember that it is all about eye appeal in determining value. Sometimes the grade doesn't matter anymore on determining value.

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smithdatura

smithdatura

Posted
Posted
I like full date stamps. :)

 

+1

 

I think they're cool, and as others have stated, add a certain historical context to the books. That said, a stamp that's missing the year on the right holds less appeal to me.

 

But on the flip side, the style of actually writing the arrival date in grease pencil, with the month/day ("7/18" for July 18) that some sellers used back in the day, I also find neat if they're done tastefully on the cover, so go figure.

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Wally's Comics

Wally's Comics

Posted
Posted
+1

 

unless its somebody's birth date. Then it's a special situation. I might buy one

 

I was quite happy to find a book on my want list with my birthday. Otherwise they don't bother me. Unless it's one of those book that are literally covered with them.

 

SS3_zpsff110bb2.jpg

 

That's a badassed book too!

 

Great Read from start to finish and the art is smoking!

 

 

(worship)

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Michelangelo

Michelangelo

Posted
Posted

Saw this old thread and wanted to ask a related question:

 

I recently saw an early X-men issue with a date stamp reading - July 9 1962

 

Since X-men 1 wasn't even released until Sept 1963, why would someone put that stamp on it.. ?Surely the book didn't arrive at stores more than a year before release....

 

So if a date makes no sense (i.e. above mentioned) would that deter people from buying that copy? (even if you like date stamps)

 

 

 

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rodan57

rodan57

Posted
Posted
Saw this old thread and wanted to ask a related question:

 

I recently saw an early X-men issue with a date stamp reading - July 9 1962

 

Since X-men 1 wasn't even released until Sept 1963, why would someone put that stamp on it.. ?Surely the book didn't arrive at stores more than a year before release....

 

So if a date makes no sense (i.e. above mentioned) would that deter people from buying that copy? (even if you like date stamps)

 

 

 

X-Men #1 hit the newsstand on July 2, 1963. The 3 must have shifted over to a 2 on the stamper and the original vendor never noticed.

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Action252Kid

Action252Kid

Posted
Posted
Saw this old thread and wanted to ask a related question:

 

I recently saw an early X-men issue with a date stamp reading - July 9 1962

 

Since X-men 1 wasn't even released until Sept 1963, why would someone put that stamp on it.. ?Surely the book didn't arrive at stores more than a year before release....

 

So if a date makes no sense (i.e. above mentioned) would that deter people from buying that copy? (even if you like date stamps)

 

 

 

I would say the "1962" should've been "1963" when it was stamped -- either an error by the stamper, or maybe the "3" actually just looks like a "2" in the scan. That would account for the year difference. And the month difference is typical, as the books were always released a few months earlier than the cover date.

 

I accidentally typed the year as 2014 a few days ago, so it happens!

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Artboy99

Artboy99

Posted
Posted

The date stamps as long as they are not intrusive I tend to like.

 

Other stamps also do not bother me if they are not intrusive, example: Has a date stamp which I like, also has another stamp lower down that doesn't bother me.

 

Mask1_zpsc27cab02.jpg

 

However I would prefer if this stamp was not there:

 

PlanetComics8CGC75front_zpsde596836.jpg

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rodan57

rodan57

Posted
Posted
Saw this old thread and wanted to ask a related question:

 

I recently saw an early X-men issue with a date stamp reading - July 9 1962

 

Since X-men 1 wasn't even released until Sept 1963, why would someone put that stamp on it.. ?Surely the book didn't arrive at stores more than a year before release....

 

So if a date makes no sense (i.e. above mentioned) would that deter people from buying that copy? (even if you like date stamps)

 

 

 

I would say the "1962" should've been "1963" when it was stamped -- either an error by the stamper, or maybe the "3" actually just looks like a "2" in the scan. That would account for the year difference. And the month difference is typical, as the books were always released a few months earlier than the cover date.

 

I accidentally typed the year as 2014 a few days ago, so it happens!

 

Marvel released their September 1963 titles on the 2nd (X-Men #1) and the 9th. The dealer must simply had waited to the 9th to put all the books out at the same time and mucked up the 3 with a 2.

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Michelangelo

Michelangelo

Posted
Posted

It's very possible the stamper just messed up a '2' for a '3'

 

The fact that books hit newsstands 2-3 months before their official release makes sense and explains the 'July' stamping. I figured they hit stands before the official (i.e. Sept) release, but I didn't know it was up to 3 months early.

 

I don't mind date stamps myself personally - I think they tend to add character to the book's history

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jools&jim

jools&jim

Posted
Posted

 

I love date stamps on old comics, including keys (hand-written arrival dates...not so much).

 

If it's a choice between a stamped copy and an un-stamped copy of the same book in roughly the same grade, I'll go with the stamped copy every time...

 

 

 

 

 

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rodan57

rodan57

Posted
Posted

I love date stamps on old comics, including keys (hand-written arrival dates...not so much).

 

If it's a choice between a stamped copy and an un-stamped copy of the same book in roughly the same grade, I'll go with the stamped copy every time...

 

Same here.

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Michelangelo

Michelangelo

Posted
Posted

I had no idea so many collectors LOVE date stamps...

 

anything hand-written... I can see how that isn't so appealing... but I don't mind it if it's small, and doesn't interfere with artwork...

 

names written on the cover - forget it

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