Amazing Spider-Man 667 1:100 Dell'Otto Variant

[rjrjr]

This is from marvel regarding the wolverine /deadpool

 

http://marvel.com/news/comics/13520/sneak_peek_j_scott_campbell_wolverine_variant

 

Siege #3 was similar. Except the only way for retailers to get it was sending in DC covers.

 

Both of these books sell for 3k in 9.8. It is coveted books for J Scott Campbell cover collectors. Myself included.

 

 

BTW this appreciation thread has been derailed. Hopefully it will get on track again.

 

Having retailers send it covers from a competitor's books make a lot of sense to me. Having them send in covers from your own books doesn't make any sense to me. Why would you want to have retailers destroy your own product?

 

Yeah, this thread was derailed. I think the fighting has moved over to Comics General though.

[jreezy]

I like reading the opinions and thoughts of boardies. So it was at least entertaining.

 

I gotta check the general forum.

[RockMyAmadeus]

RMA- Are you referring to all marvel variants or just ratio variants? What about Convention variants? Even convention variants have a print run of 1k-2k?

 

He doesn't know.

 

You should probably let me speak for myself, and I'll let you speak for yourself, Jay. I would never be so presumptuous as to tell someone you don't know the answer to a question someone directly asked of you. You shouldn't, either.

 

Go read the other thread in Comics General, and see what Bedrock has to say.

 

Convention variants are a different animal. There is no limit on how many the publisher prints, or who they give them to or where at.

 

I'm assuming you're wondering about your UXM 510 sketch?

 

Estimates on that one are around 500. That book has only 15 slabbed copies as of now. However due to the way they were distributed that book is less likely to be slabbed as it was handed out to fans at a convention and not sold to dealers through an RI program.

 

So, you don't know what happened with this particular book, X-Men #510 Sketch, then...?

 

 

I'm guessing the answer is "no", even though you posted in that thread:

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=8790832

 

500 to SDCC....500 to Heroes....= 1,000 total.

 

Again, that is the flaw in RMA'S statements about the 667. Retailers and re-sellers had to order so many copies of the regular cover just to get one copy, they have every incentive to immediately slab a rare variant that heats up so they can recoup their investment and maybe make a little more on top.

 

That assumes that 1. retailers and "re-sellers" (whoever those people may be) know what book is going to be "rare" at the time of issue (they don't), and 2. that they'll "immediately slab it" even if it is "rare." There are very, very, VERY few books out there that have been "slab worthy" from beginning. Even with fast track, there's still a chance that a book will have cooled off by the time it's for sale. I have lots of 1:100 variants that are $5 books, and 3. that these retailers didn't simply sell them to their best customers when new, and most of them do just that. I can't think of a single store that "holds back" their 1:X variants when they can have a direct sale, at whatever price, just to wait to "slab" it. That's not how retailers work.

 

In fact....you'll be hard pressed to find a lot of retailers slabbing BACK issues. Slabs, for the most part, are ONLINE and CONVENTION beasts...and always have been. They aren't store beasts, generally. Yes, of course there are exceptions.

 

You still haven't answered these questions:

 

1. What sort of evidence do you have that proves this book was known to be "rare" from the time it was distributed?

 

2. What sort of evidence do you have that states that Marvel has ever printed a book to the tune of only 200 copies? (Again...I would be THRILLED to find out this was actually true.)

 

3. What do you base "(t)here is an extraordinary likelihood that far, far more than just 10% of remaining copies of sandman 8b are slabbed. Far more." on?

 

You've made several errors, you don't understand the Marvel variant ratio program, and you've backpedaled already a bit. If you have answers, share them. If all you have is speculation, then just say that. There's no shame in that.

[vaillant]

Please couldn’t we have this discussion ongoing in one thread alone?

 

Just for information, here’s the italian edition, where the cover was used as the main cover, and thus it is a normal book:

 

[Jaydogrules]

Please couldn’t we have this discussion ongoing in one thread alone?

 

Just for information, here’s the italian edition, where the cover was used as the main cover, and thus it is a normal book:

 

 

Yes and it's ironic, they may not even realize that by bumping this thread a hundred times in TWO different forums they are only creating a greater awareness of the book with a likely commensurate demand, especially among those collectors who enjoy the challenge of tracking down and snagging an impossible to find and valuable variant like this one.

 

That Italian edition looks just as pretty to be sure. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't it have a different interior?

 

-J.

[RockMyAmadeus]

RMA- Are you referring to all marvel variants or just ratio variants? What about Convention variants? Even convention variants have a print run of 1k-2k?

I'm wondering about convention variants in general. In addition to the uncanny Xmen 510 sketch and the black panther #1 sketch by Campbell.

 

Also, what about those "redemption variants" like the wolverine #1 deadpool mashup or the Seige #3 cover. Those also have a 1k-2k print run?

 

The Michael turner sketch of UXM #500? Wolverine Nabisco Variant?

 

If so, why are all the census numbers so low on these books if there are a minimum of 1500 copies for all marvel variants?

 

 

The best answer to all of that is this: maybe.

 

 

There are, of course, exceptions to everything...but...it is true that when you get print runs for books under 1,000, they're generally more trouble than they're worth. For example: Harris/Anarchy has printed their Royal Blues in numbers of 100, but they've also charged a substantial amount for them: $59.95 when new, for each one, for most of them.

 

Marvel hasn't wanted to go that route, because they're so expensive to produce in such small numbers as a per unit cost, so they've stuck to the 1,000+ print runs for just about everything, if not everything.

 

The Wolverine Nabisco is an interesting case. Remember, you had to send in proofs of purchase for this book, and that was in 1999...one of the very lowest years for the comics industry. Did Marvel print up quite a few? Yes, absolutely...they had to have a "potential" amount covered. They probably printed 5,000 or more, and they wouldn't have wanted to go through the additional cost of a second printing if they didn't have to.

 

The tricky part, then, came in the distribution. These were mailed, one by one by one, to the people who sent in redemption. They achieved, then, very, very wide distribution, and there was a complete inability to "hoard" these on any distribution or retail level. Plus...they were "free", which tends to make people not care for them *as much* as they would something they paid for.

 

So, on top of not having a high redemption rate, and copies going out that could very easily have been trashed by their owners...this book didn't have a very high survival rate. That's not to say, at all, that there aren't a few cases stuck in some warehouse somewhere. There could be. Not likely, but possible. But, certainly there were much more than 1,000 copies printed.

 

And, after the redemption period was over, it's certainly possible that Marvel did, in fact, trash the remaining copies (keeping in mind that 1999 was a completely different world in comics than it is today.)

 

The modern redemption books...Siege #3, Wolverine #1...I have little doubt that they were printed to higher numbers than were redeemed, and are sitting at Marvel warehousing waiting for an opportunity to be distributed.

 

Remember...Spiderman #1 platinum. New Dimension Comics bought over 300 copies from Marvel, as late as 2005-2006.

 

As for the others...convention books are usually printed to the tune of 2,000-5,000 copies, just to have enough for con goers. There have been some exceptions, but I have yet to see a DOCUMENTED case of a Marvel book with less than 1,000 copies printed, even including the DF variants of yesteryear.

 

I would be thrilled to find a book that was DOCUMENTED to have a print run of a few hundred...but, knowing what I know about Marvel variants, I doubt that will ever be the case. It just doesn't make sense for them to go about things that way.

 

Why is the census so low on these books...? Because, as odd as it might sound to those on the CGC board, not everyone wants to slab their books.

 

The census is only the very broadest of indicators of what is out there. It doesn't even give us an exact number. It only tells us the most that MIGHT exist that have been slabbed. If there are 37 copies on the census...it doesn't mean there are, in fact, 37 different copies in slabs.

 

But it tells us absolutely nothing, obviously, about what exists independent of the slabs...that number is a complete unknown, and always will be.

 

Remember: we're talking about things like "potential" and "possible"...the truth is, we DON'T know, and so we have to extrapolate...but that extrapolation has to rely on a basic understanding of the entire process. Looking at the census and what's available on eBay is only a tiny, tiny part of the whole picture, and many erroneous conclusions result from doing that.

[vaillant]

Please couldn’t we have this discussion ongoing in one thread alone?

 

Just for information, here’s the italian edition, where the cover was used as the main cover, and thus it is a normal book:

 

 

Yes and it's ironic, they may not even realize that by bumping this thread a hundred times in TWO different forums they are only creating a greater awareness of the book with a likely commensurate demand, especially among those collectors who enjoy the challenge of tracking down and snagging an impossible to find and valuable variant like this one.

 

That Italian edition looks just as pretty to be sure. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't it have a different interior?

 

-J.

Yes – It was a commemorative issue for the 25 years after the relaunch of Marvel titles in Italian (which happened in 1987: from 1984 to 1987 we did not have any italian edition). It contains the What If ("What if Uncle Ben had lived?") and a Punisher story from Spectacular Spider-Man #1000 (I don’t even know what is that?) –

[RockMyAmadeus]

I've been following the back and forth on this thread for the past 24 hours or so and I'm at a loss to see how this thread isn't going to end like every other thread of its kind.

 

If everyone insisted on everyone else remaining above board, and not making the discussion personal in any way, there's no reason this has to "end like every other thread of its kind."

 

 

 

Yeah, this thread was derailed. I think the fighting has moved over to Comics General though.

 

There's no "fighting" from my end. Unless you classify any disagreement as "fighting"...?

 

[vaillant]

BTW, for those interested, the italian edition can be found for about cover price (plus shipping) in the FN to FNVF range – higher grade copies are less common as it is always with italian books: harder to find simple because people are not so picky about condition here: a VF+ is more or less the same of a NM for the average collector.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Yes and it's ironic, they may not even realize that by bumping this thread a hundred times in TWO different forums they are only creating a greater awareness of the book with a likely commensurate demand, especially among those collectors who enjoy the challenge of tracking down and snagging an impossible to find and valuable variant like this one.

 

 

I'm not so sure this discussion will "raise commensurate demand", but it certainly raises the level of awareness, for sure. I'm not sure who the "they" you're referring to would be. Aren't you bumping it as many times as anyone else...?

 

 

And who knows? Maybe it will shake some loose out of the trees.

 

Or are you not aware of my Hulk #377 3rd Print experiment....?

[Jaydogrules]

Please couldn’t we have this discussion ongoing in one thread alone?

 

Just for information, here’s the italian edition, where the cover was used as the main cover, and thus it is a normal book:

 

 

Yes and it's ironic, they may not even realize that by bumping this thread a hundred times in TWO different forums they are only creating a greater awareness of the book with a likely commensurate demand, especially among those collectors who enjoy the challenge of tracking down and snagging an impossible to find and valuable variant like this one.

 

That Italian edition looks just as pretty to be sure. Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't it have a different interior?

 

-J.

Yes – It was a commemorative issue for the 25 years after the relaunch of Marvel titles in Italian (which happened in 1987: from 1984 to 1987 we did not have any italian edition). It contains the What If ("What if Uncle Ben had lived?") and a Punisher story from Spectacular Spider-Man #1000 (I don’t even know what is that?) –

 

I like it because you can see more of the artwork. As far as I have seen the Italian book is the only other way to get this cover in any form, anywhere. So it's definitely a neat curiosity. Marmat sold me a NM+ copy for $40. Seemed like a decent deal. I have never opened it though because it seems to be composed of a different kind of stock that is more prone to creasing if I try to open it.

 

-J.

[WoWitHurts]

I am getting ready to sell my ASM variant collection. ASM vol 3 #1 cured me of my variant addiction. After checking ebay I was surprised that some books were selling well especially this one. For years my LCS pulled one of every ASM for me including extra prints and variants.

 

I was wondering what made this one so special and I found your discussion. I think it is a cool cover for sure and hearing what some of you were all discussing decided to put my 2 cents in.

 

I worked for all of the comic companies in the 90's and pre pres houses and printers so I know a bit of how these processes work.

 

1. Yes small print runs are usually more difficult to get good books because of the time it takes to set up everything and get good registered copies shooting out. However this is not the case for variant covers as all they are doing is swapping out 1 plate (4 actually for process color). The printer charges a small fee sometimes around $500 for a plate swap. So I can totally see them printing basically what they need.

 

2. Publishers usually order an overage of around 10% for various reasons but mainly to cover their order if there is a counting issue.

 

3. Publishers are in the business to make money and when I would visit my Marvel editor he had a tiny office and space would be at a premium. They would usually get one box of 25-50 books to hand out to other editors and the artists to hang on to and keep a couple for his/her reference. Why are books from the late 90's so much harder to get? Marvel was hurting and they were only printing what was ordered. I was around the day Marvel lade off 1/3 of their staff in '95.

 

Is it possible they are storing them in some warehouse somewhere? Sure. Is it likely? NO. Especially give the digital era.

 

4. Given the scarcity of which they appear in the market at conventions and what have you it could very well be a very low print run and those people who have one went out of their way to get one and are not letting it go.

 

Also, artists used to be on comp lists with all the printers and get one of everything that is printed. I had a room in the studio that was just stuffed to the ceiling with these books. It was a good way to see what people were up to.

 

To me arguing over syntax and whether something is rare is moot. If this is a book that is indeed scarce/rare and people continue to be variant hunters and completionists and collectors there will be a strong demand because people will not want to break up a collection.

 

My only decision is do I sell my 200+ ASM variant collection as a whole or piece it out.

 

Dell'Otto did a good job on the cover, its pretty cool.

[RockMyAmadeus]

I am getting ready to sell my ASM variant collection. ASM vol 3 #1 cured me of my variant addiction. After checking ebay I was surprised that some books were selling well especially this one. For years my LCS pulled one of every ASM for me including extra prints and variants.

 

I was wondering what made this one so special and I found your discussion. I think it is a cool cover for sure and hearing what some of you were all discussing decided to put my 2 cents in.

 

I worked for all of the comic companies in the 90's and pre pres houses and printers so I know a bit of how these processes work.

 

Cool. Which ones?

 

1. Yes small print runs are usually more difficult to get good books because of the time it takes to set up everything and get good registered copies shooting out. However this is not the case for variant covers as all they are doing is swapping out 1 plate (4 actually for process color). The printer charges a small fee sometimes around $500 for a plate swap. So I can totally see them printing basically what they need.

 

 

Got any documentation for any specific books...?

 

3. Publishers are in the business to make money and when I would visit my Marvel editor he had a tiny office and space would be at a premium. They would usually get one box of 25-50 books to hand out to other editors and the artists to hang on to and keep a couple for his/her reference. Why are books from the late 90's so much harder to get? Marvel was hurting and they were only printing what was ordered. I was around the day Marvel lade off 1/3 of their staff in '95.

 

Is it possible they are storing them in some warehouse somewhere? Sure. Is it likely? NO. Especially give the digital era.

 

As has been stated before, this isn't true. Marvel and Diamond have had a variant program going back many years, whereby unsold variants are offered to Diamond account holders at a substantial discount.

 

Remember: Marvel came within a single judgment of shutting down altogether in 1997...and even then, they still had several hundred, if not a couple thousand, copies of books like Spiderman #1 Platinum lying around, waiting to be purchased in the intervening decade.

 

I wasn't aware they laid off 1/3rd of their staff in 1995. Do you have any further information on this?

 

Also...Marvel didn't begin to "print to order" until Joe Quesada took over as EIC in 2000. Marvel books from the late 90's, even though they are certainly as "rare" as anything else out there, aren't "hard to get", because there's currently very little demand for them.

 

4. Given the scarcity of which they appear in the market at conventions and what have you it could very well be a very low print run and those people who have one went out of their way to get one and are not letting it go.

 

What does "very low print run" mean to you, and do you have any documentation to support this?

 

Also, artists used to be on comp lists with all the printers and get one of everything that is printed. I had a room in the studio that was just stuffed to the ceiling with these books. It was a good way to see what people were up to.

 

To me arguing over syntax and whether something is rare is moot. If this is a book that is indeed scarce/rare and people continue to be variant hunters and completionists and collectors there will be a strong demand because people will not want to break up a collection.

 

There are an awful, awful lot of ASM variants that aren't worth cover price....

 

 

My only decision is do I sell my 200+ ASM variant collection as a whole or piece it out.

 

Dell'Otto did a good job on the cover, its pretty cool.

[Jaydogrules]

I'm wondering about convention variants in general. In addition to the uncanny Xmen 510 sketch and the black panther #1 sketch by Campbell.

 

Also, what about those "redemption variants" like the wolverine #1 deadpool mashup or the Seige #3 cover. Those also have a 1k-2k print run?

 

The Michael turner sketch of UXM #500? Wolverine Nabisco Variant?

 

If so, why are all the census numbers so low on these books if there are a minimum of 1500 copies for all marvel variants?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took a look at 6 different well known rare and expensive variants that were released within 5 years of each other, just to do a quick comparison. The results reveal that there are two that are markedly rarer than the rest (though for different reasons):

 

3/07: Wolverine Origins 10 (Third Claw), 1:100 RI Variant: 9.8's- 94; Total Slabs- 157

 

11/10: Wolverine 1 (Campbell), RI Variant, Sending in Covers of other Comics: 9.8's- 53; Total Slabs- 134

 

5/10: Siege 3 (Campbell), RI Variant, Sending in Covers of other Comics: 9.8's- 61; Total Slabs- 104

 

3/12: ASM 678 (VenoMJ), 1:50, Low Print Run Main Cover: 9.8's- 25; Total Slabs- 104

 

10/11: ASM 667 (Dell'Otto), 1:100 RI Variant: 9.8's- 11; Total Slabs- 19

 

7/09: UXM 510 (Partial Sketch Version), Convention Giveaway: 9.8's- 9; Total Slabs- 15

 

 

From the above data is is evident that two books stand out with a freakishly low population on the census. The ASM 667 and the UXM 510.

 

The 510 is partially explainable due to the fact that it was a convention book handed out directly to fans who may indeed not have any knowledge or desire to slab the book. Still, 15 total books for a book that sells for $1100 in a 9.6 slab and up is very, very scarce.

 

The ASM 667's low numbers, given that it was an RI variant appears to be an even greater anomaly, as its numbers pales massively in comparison to the other RI variants that went directly into retailers' hands. As can be seen, the Wolverine 1, Siege 3, VenoMJ, and Wolverine Origins 10 all have over 100 copies on the census. Still a low number to be sure, given what they all sell for, but more than 5 to nearly 8 times the population of the 667.

 

No, I don't believe that collectors are holding tight to their 667's because they love them so much, as some have suggested as a means of attempting to explain why they very rarely come up for sale. As we have seen when the VenoMJ spiked in value, when there is easy money to be made, sentimental value rarely enters the equation.

 

Rather, there is simply just that scant of a supply of this book. There was quite clearly a glitch in the matrix when this book was printed/distributed that has lead to its extraordinarily unusual degree of scarcity. I freely admit, this may not be the norm for Marvel. However, as I said earlier, it is precisely this kind of occurrence that can make something highly collectible, not to mention expensive.

 

-J.

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

 

7/09: UXM 510 (Partial Sketch Version), Convention Giveaway: 9.8's- 9; Total Slabs- 15

 

 

From the above data is is evident that two books stand out with a freakishly low population on the census. The ASM 667 and the UXM 510.

 

The 510 is partially explainable due to the fact that it was a convention book handed out directly to fans who may indeed not have any knowledge or desire to slab the book. Still, 15 total books for a book that sells for $1100 in a 9.6 slab and up is very, very scarce.

 

As noted in the link provided above, UXM #510 sketch had a known issue, wherein a good chunk of the books were damaged beyond collectability before they were distributed.

 

And again...not everyone runs to CGC to have their books slabbed. It would be a mistake to think that.

 

The ASM 667's low numbers, given that it was an RI variant appears to be an even greater anomaly, as its numbers pales massively in comparison to the other RI variants that went directly into retailers' hands. As can be seen, the Wolverine 1, Siege 3, VenoMJ, and Wolverine Origins 10 all have over 100 copies on the census. Still a low number to be sure, given what they all sell for, but more than 5 to nearly 8 times the population of the 667.

 

Wolverine #1 and Siege #3 aren't "1:X" books.

 

No, I don't believe that collectors are holding tight to their 667's because they love them so much, as some have suggested as a means of attempting to explain why they very rarely come up for sale.

 

Why not? Why is that any more unreasonable than "they were never made" or "they mysteriously vanished"?

 

As we have seen when the VenoMJ spiked in value, when there is easy money to be made, sentimental value rarely enters the equation.

 

There's no "sentimental value" involved. If enough people want to keep their book, and they don't want them slabbed, they won't be sold and they won't be slabbed. There's nothing mysterious about this. There are other concerns in this world than "easy money."

 

Rather, there is simply just that scant of a supply of this book. There was quite clearly a glitch in the matrix when this book was printed/distributed that has lead to its extraordinarily unusual degree of scarcity.

 

That is your unsubstantiated opinion. Other people have shared different opinions, and some of those opinions have been based a lot more firmly on standard practice and understanding of the Marvel variant program than yours.

 

Until documented proof emerges otherwise, it's all just speculation.

[WoWitHurts]

Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Archie, Image, Caliber, Independents.

 

I don't have documentation on something I witnessed often. I am not trying to find the IRS emails. Believe it or not its up to you.

 

HAHA Spiderman#1 They printed millions of those various copies, McFarlane probably has a thousand himself. Mavel did a lot of stupid things in the 90's, remember Malibu comics?

 

I have seen independent publishers take the first 200 copies off the press no matter how bad they looked. I kept a copy of Big Bang number one just to laugh at because it looks like mud its so out of register.

 

I like a lot of the variants and they way they look worthless or not if your a collector of them it matters that you have them all. That's why they make so many.

 

Definitely appreciate Dell'Otto.

 

If all one only cares about is seeing documentation they will live a very sad life. Its a false argument because the moment you show it then someone will bemoan that it was faked. I am sure people will still doubt the President was born in Hawaii. Who cares he was/is President for 8 years.

 

"That's all I got to say about that"

[RockMyAmadeus]

Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Archie, Image, Caliber, Independents.

 

I don't have documentation on something I witnessed often. I am not trying to find the IRS emails. Believe it or not its up to you.

 

It's easy to make claims...not so easy to document them.

 

 

HAHA Spiderman#1 They printed millions of those various copies, McFarlane probably has a thousand himself. Mavel did a lot of stupid things in the 90's, remember Malibu comics?

 

Yes, but I wasn't talking about Spiderman #1. I was talking about Spiderman #1 Platinum. You said they "didn't have space to store things", yet they managed to hold on to the first retailer reward variant for 15+ years in hundreds, if not thousands, of copies.

 

Sooooo.....

 

I have seen independent publishers take the first 200 copies off the press no matter how bad they looked. I kept a copy of Big Bang number one just to laugh at because it looks like mud its so out of register.

 

I like a lot of the variants and they way they look worthless or not if your a collector of them it matters that you have them all. That's why they make so many.

 

Definitely appreciate Dell'Otto.

 

If all one only cares about is seeing documentation they will live a very sad life.

 

Or, they'll be a judge, or a legislator, or an accountant, or an engineer, or a mathematician, or a chemist, or a doctor, or a physicist, or...you know, any of those "details matter" kind of professions....

 

"Proof?! We don' nee' no stinkin' PROOF!!"

 

Its a false argument because the moment you show it then someone will bemoan that it was faked. I am sure people will still doubt the President was born in Hawaii. Who cares he was/is President for 8 years.

 

"That's all I got to say about that"

 

Well, that certainly isn't a surprising statement.

 

So, you've come to the conclusion that providing evidence to support what you're claiming is a waste of time, because you've already determined that people will then just say you faked it....?

 

Indeed, Welcome to the Boards! You'll do just fine here (if, indeed, you're not already here.)

 

[Jaydogrules]

I am getting ready to sell my ASM variant collection. ASM vol 3 #1 cured me of my variant addiction. After checking ebay I was surprised that some books were selling well especially this one. For years my LCS pulled one of every ASM for me including extra prints and variants.

 

I was wondering what made this one so special and I found your discussion. I think it is a cool cover for sure and hearing what some of you were all discussing decided to put my 2 cents in.

 

I worked for all of the comic companies in the 90's and pre pres houses and printers so I know a bit of how these processes work.

 

1. Yes small print runs are usually more difficult to get good books because of the time it takes to set up everything and get good registered copies shooting out. However this is not the case for variant covers as all they are doing is swapping out 1 plate (4 actually for process color). The printer charges a small fee sometimes around $500 for a plate swap. So I can totally see them printing basically what they need.

 

2. Publishers usually order an overage of around 10% for various reasons but mainly to cover their order if there is a counting issue.

 

3. Publishers are in the business to make money and when I would visit my Marvel editor he had a tiny office and space would be at a premium. They would usually get one box of 25-50 books to hand out to other editors and the artists to hang on to and keep a couple for his/her reference. Why are books from the late 90's so much harder to get? Marvel was hurting and they were only printing what was ordered. I was around the day Marvel lade off 1/3 of their staff in '95.

 

Is it possible they are storing them in some warehouse somewhere? Sure. Is it likely? NO. Especially give the digital era.

 

4. Given the scarcity of which they appear in the market at conventions and what have you it could very well be a very low print run and those people who have one went out of their way to get one and are not letting it go.

 

Also, artists used to be on comp lists with all the printers and get one of everything that is printed. I had a room in the studio that was just stuffed to the ceiling with these books. It was a good way to see what people were up to.

 

To me arguing over syntax and whether something is rare is moot. If this is a book that is indeed scarce/rare and people continue to be variant hunters and completionists and collectors there will be a strong demand because people will not want to break up a collection.

 

My only decision is do I sell my 200+ ASM variant collection as a whole or piece it out.

 

Dell'Otto did a good job on the cover, its pretty cool.

 

Thank you for your input, it's an interesting perspective to be sure.

 

I have often wondered why some people make it seem like it is such a big deal for a printer to do a simple plate swap to print a low run variant cover.

 

But there are a few who choose to believe whatever they want, in spite of literally every single piece of TANGIBLE evidence to the contrary. Or they would rather talk about "what normally happens" as opposed to what HAS happened with the 667 Dell'Otto.

 

As far as your collection is concerned, you would probably get more if you pieced it out.

 

Good luck with it. (thumbs u

 

-J

[WoWitHurts]

Yeah thanks J I dread listing them all and going through it but definitely will unload the ones going for the most at this point. Low hanging fruit so to speak.

[RockMyAmadeus]

 

I have often wondered why some people make it seem like it is such a big deal for a printer to do a simple plate swap to print a low run variant cover.

 

As Bedrock told you elsewhere, 500-1000 is generally the lowest cost effective number to print variants for publishers. Who was making it "seem like it is such a big deal"?

 

But there are a few who choose to believe whatever they want, in spite of literally every single piece of TANGIBLE evidence to the contrary. Or they would rather talk about "what normally happens" as opposed to what HAS happened with the 667 Dell'Otto.

 

Nobody KNOWS what "HAS" happened with the #667 D'O.

 

That's the point.

 

You don't know, I don't know. But one of us is posting as if he does know, and it's not me.