Perceived rarity of newsstand editions?

[Rip]

A lot of what's rare is a learning process. When the price goes up it starts kicking out more copies. Based on the current market, we have found there are certainly some rare Whitman's just as there are some rare newstands. (thumbs u

Like DC Comics Presents 22 Whitman.

[revat]

Just to make sure I'm following along - I haven't paid attention to direct and newsstand for many years - we ARE talking about a difference in the little box on the cover, whether it says "Direct" or not, perhaps in the case of the '80s or '90s the presence or not of a bar code?

 

And there are people who care about such things?

 

Takes all kinds, I suppose.

 

certainly its not so unreasonable to think that if two different copies of given comic exist, and that comic is a favorite of someone, that a person would want both copies. Or if a person was a completionist collector, that they might want both the newsstand and the direct copy. Also not unreasonable to think that there's more than 1 of those people out there in the world. Given those VERY reasonable assumptions, and the very obvious fact that some newsstand comics are OBVIOUSLY more rare (in high grade and/or in general) than SOME direct editions, doesn't it also follow that SOME people are willing to pay more for SOME newsstand copies of SOME comics?

 

It doesn't sound that strange to me. It doesn't apply in every case, of course.

[Lazyboy]

Exactly like 70's Whitmans these books are not desirable until dealers that have been hoarding them start pimping them out. They are less common than their counterparts (but not rare) and a lot of comic collectors only want certain books when hype starts building, even though they are yesterday's dollar books they had zero interest in.

 

Yeah, that's the one that mystified me when I became more active again in my collecting pursuits. We considered the Whitman reprints as essentially worthless, something to fill a hole in your collection until a "real" copy came along.

What Whitman reprints?

[Rip]

 

My point, as to the three "key", hot books that I randomly selected and cited \-J.

 

How do you randomly select three key hot books...?

 

I guess, among the subset of key, hot books...but that's an awful narrow subset.

 

In any event...New Mutants #98 and ASM #300 were both produced in an era where the newsstand operated pretty much at parity with the Direct market, though it was certainly on the decline.

 

They are not useful examples for this discussion.

 

BA #12 is on the decline some more, but still, within the timeframe of widespread newsstand distribution.

 

Now...if you were to discuss, say....Random Key Marvel Book of 2006...if there will be such a thing...then yes, you will find that the newsstand versions of such a book...if it was printed at all...will be exceedingly rare, in any grade, compared to its DM counterpart.

 

So...no, it is not accurate in any way to say "No newsstand books are "rare" and they don't sell for more than DM copies."

 

That's simply not true.

 

The vast, vast, vast majority of newsstand books from 1999 to the present day are, with the exception of Archies (which thrives on the newsstand) exceedingly rare relative to the Direct market (and the DM at this point wasn't so hot, either.)

 

Someday, when someone gets the bug, they will attempt to gather all the newsstand versions of everything....and we may discover that some books from the late 90's/early 00's as newsstand versions are extant in the low 100s, if not the 10s.

 

Will it matter? Maybe. Probably not. Marvel and DC haven't created many characters in the last 20 years that have sparked the imagination.

 

Here's an example: NYX #3. If it exists as a newsstand at all, it will be excrutiatingly rare, and will, eventually, command a substantial premium. It may not exist.

 

I like this post. I think we still have a lot to learn about the later newstand variants and its future market.

[oakman29]

I don't care what anyone says There is a collector for everything whether it be Whitman,direct,newstand, posters or toy trains,with that there will be demand.

Blanket statements never work out with collectibles.

[valiantman]

Since May 4, 2013... two years ago today... there have been 1,704 completed eBay auctions containing "CGC", "Spider" and "300". I've eliminated any auction titles that also contained "chromium", "niagara", "ross", "gwen", and "homage" (for later books).

 

Of those 1,704 completed eBay auctions for CGC ASM 300, the word "news" in any form (newsstand, newstand, news stand) appeared in 29 of them.

 

That is... 1 out of 58. If there's no difference in the price, then that is probably a temporary phenomenon. 1 out of 58 seems like SOMETHING would be different vs the other 57.

 

Obviously, sellers don't have to say "newsstand" in the auction title... but there's little chance that it was anywhere near a 50/50 ratio just because they didn't bother to mention it.

 

Spot-checking ASM #300 on eBay usually results in at least 30 Direct to every 1 Newsstand, or for those confused, 30 Spidey-head Box for every 1 UPC Barcode box, among those already CGC graded.

[revat]

I don't care what anyone says There is a collector for everything whether it be Whitman,direct,newstand, posters or toy trains,with that there will be demand.

Blanket statements never work out with collectibles.

 

wrong, blanket statements ALWAYS work out with collectibles.

[Aweandlorder]

Just from breezing through eBay quickly I can tell you that most sellers who sell newsstand editions copies dont bother to notate them on their listings, which means that generally speaking there is not a big awareness of their perceived value. Of course, there are always a few exceptions to the roles. But I think thats how it is with most older variants.

Unlike, if you go to Chucks store, youd see newsstand variants blown out of proportion. Its almost as if Milehigh was created to demonstrate how more valuable newsstand editions are. I dont know of any other site that even bothers with creating a second listing for newsstand in such a large volume.

Will I prefer to have 9.8 newsstand over DM? absolutely!

Will I bother with getting a 9.6 or less newsstand over DM? Absolutely not

Just me

[porcupine48]

Newstands sometimes get a slight increase. But also depends on book title and year.

 

But there are six data points to the contrary.

 

I wish I was a newstand edition,then I could be cool too!

A cool hot book!

Spicy cool ranch!

[ttfitz]

Just to make sure I'm following along - I haven't paid attention to direct and newsstand for many years - we ARE talking about a difference in the little box on the cover, whether it says "Direct" or not, perhaps in the case of the '80s or '90s the presence or not of a bar code?

 

And there are people who care about such things?

 

Takes all kinds, I suppose.

 

There are some people that care about the price, like the guys who chase the covers with "35¢" instead of the more common "30¢" price on them. I mean, it is a one-number difference, a 5 instead of a 0. That's the only difference between the two.

 

So indeed - it does take all kinds! And they are all accepted.

 

 

 

 

-slym

 

You are right, I shouldn't be judging - although my understanding of the price variant is that the 35¢ were available in very limited markets, whereas newsstand books were available all over the place.

 

But yes, I guess it makes some degree of sense - hey, I had an eBay sale recently simply because the comic had a subscription offer that included the word "Blackhawk". So I guess there are all kinds of collectors out there.

[jaeldubyoo]

Folks, don't forget - newsstand copies were returnable, and returned copies were destroyed. So even if the DM v/s NS copies were printed in the same numbers, there are less of the NS copies on average because not all survived the experience.

 

For that reason, I have noticed a small premium attached to newsstand copies. It might not be anything of significance, but newsstand copies can & do sell for (again) a small premium over DM copies for the hotter books.

 

(thumbs u

 

 

 

-slym

 

Not all returns were destroyed. Mile High II collection, anybody? I wonder how many were kept and sold later? Maybe there are still some stashes undiscovered and stored somewhere. Fraud seem to be rampant, especially with the mob involved. There were distributors claiming more returns than they ordered.

[porcupine48]

I know a fellow that kept all his books from his newstand biz,unsold or neglected pulls.he ate the cost.he was not a huge business,but has like 500 longboxes of untouched stuff going back 25 plus years.

[slym2none]

Just to make sure I'm following along - I haven't paid attention to direct and newsstand for many years - we ARE talking about a difference in the little box on the cover, whether it says "Direct" or not, perhaps in the case of the '80s or '90s the presence or not of a bar code?

 

And there are people who care about such things?

 

Takes all kinds, I suppose.

 

There are some people that care about the price, like the guys who chase the covers with "35¢" instead of the more common "30¢" price on them. I mean, it is a one-number difference, a 5 instead of a 0. That's the only difference between the two.

 

So indeed - it does take all kinds! And they are all accepted.

 

 

You are right, I shouldn't be judging - although my understanding of the price variant is that the 35¢ were available in very limited markets, whereas newsstand books were available all over the place.

 

But yes, I guess it makes some degree of sense - hey, I had an eBay sale recently simply because the comic had a subscription offer that included the word "Blackhawk". So I guess there are all kinds of collectors out there.

 

 

 

 

-slym

[fastballspecial]

Newsstand in high grade sell very well in the last 15 years or so. Before that in my opinion the print runs negate any higher vale a high grade newsstand should get.

 

After 2000 you see the rapid decline of newsstands. I hate to estimate what the % of print run is now, but I would say less then 15%. Anyone got any thoughts on that.

 

[fastballspecial]

I dont think Mr. 9.8 has come in here yet. He chases high grade newsstand from memory and could really shed some light on this topic.

 

The last few years newsstand in high grade are very difficult to find. If you dont get there first your chances drop quickly on finding one.

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

Just from breezing through eBay quickly I can tell you that most sellers who sell newsstand editions copies dont bother to notate them on their listings, which means that generally speaking there is not a big awareness of their perceived value. Of course, there are always a few exceptions to the roles. But I think thats how it is with most older variants.

Unlike, if you go to Chucks store, youd see newsstand variants blown out of proportion. Its almost as if Milehigh was created to demonstrate how more valuable newsstand editions are. I dont know of any other site that even bothers with creating a second listing for newsstand in such a large volume.

Will I prefer to have 9.8 newsstand over DM? absolutely!

Will I bother with getting a 9.6 or less newsstand over DM? Absolutely not

Just me

 

That reminds me, I still have to respond to your latest B&W post.

 

[Aweandlorder]

Just from breezing through eBay quickly I can tell you that most sellers who sell newsstand editions copies dont bother to notate them on their listings, which means that generally speaking there is not a big awareness of their perceived value. Of course, there are always a few exceptions to the roles. But I think thats how it is with most older variants.

Unlike, if you go to Chucks store, youd see newsstand variants blown out of proportion. Its almost as if Milehigh was created to demonstrate how more valuable newsstand editions are. I dont know of any other site that even bothers with creating a second listing for newsstand in such a large volume.

Will I prefer to have 9.8 newsstand over DM? absolutely!

Will I bother with getting a 9.6 or less newsstand over DM? Absolutely not

Just me

 

That reminds me, I still have to respond to your latest B&W post.

 

 

Can you PM me a draft so I can edit it first

Love ya

[RockMyAmadeus]

Just from breezing through eBay quickly I can tell you that most sellers who sell newsstand editions copies dont bother to notate them on their listings, which means that generally speaking there is not a big awareness of their perceived value. Of course, there are always a few exceptions to the roles. But I think thats how it is with most older variants.

Unlike, if you go to Chucks store, youd see newsstand variants blown out of proportion. Its almost as if Milehigh was created to demonstrate how more valuable newsstand editions are. I dont know of any other site that even bothers with creating a second listing for newsstand in such a large volume.

Will I prefer to have 9.8 newsstand over DM? absolutely!

Will I bother with getting a 9.6 or less newsstand over DM? Absolutely not

Just me

 

That reminds me, I still have to respond to your latest B&W post.

 

 

Can you PM me a draft so I can edit it first

Love ya

 

I'd like it to remain readable.

 

 

[Aweandlorder]

Just from breezing through eBay quickly I can tell you that most sellers who sell newsstand editions copies dont bother to notate them on their listings, which means that generally speaking there is not a big awareness of their perceived value. Of course, there are always a few exceptions to the roles. But I think thats how it is with most older variants.

Unlike, if you go to Chucks store, youd see newsstand variants blown out of proportion. Its almost as if Milehigh was created to demonstrate how more valuable newsstand editions are. I dont know of any other site that even bothers with creating a second listing for newsstand in such a large volume.

Will I prefer to have 9.8 newsstand over DM? absolutely!

Will I bother with getting a 9.6 or less newsstand over DM? Absolutely not

Just me

 

That reminds me, I still have to respond to your latest B&W post.

 

 

Can you PM me a draft so I can edit it first

Love ya

 

I'd like it to remain readable.

 

 

[mr_highgrade]

A few newsies. BTW, every single one is priced higher than it's direct edition cousins.