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Marvel October 1999 ~ February 2000 US Newsstand Price Variants
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381 posts in this topic

20 hours ago, Marwood & I said:

@PeterPark - thanks for the two new Hulk / Thor find pics! I'm glad you've joined the hunt :headbang:

Here's the updated chart showing all 26 issues we've found to date:

10_01_18.thumb.PNG.ee4f004fea55433c96ab91bfb68a4433.PNG

 

No dancing banana's this time (although I love the way the 24th banana is out of sink with the other 23 above - well, he is on my screen anyway)

Peter, FD @FlyingDonut, what do you think to my theory that these six titles are the only ones that received the variant treatment? How much longer can we keep filling in the blanks on this spreadsheet before it starts to look like that's it? hm

What do you think?

Guys? @FlyingDonut @PeterPark

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I don't know - based on the other test price times there were books for everything. I talked with some people about this - why would there only be price variants for X-Men and not Uncanny X-Men? Cable and not Wolverine? etcetc - it doesn't make sense.

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I think that's it. I know for a while there were a lotta books marvel published as newsstand and didn't...and every time I found a newsstand...which is like 4 of the 8 I bought, if they weren't $2.29 or $2.49, I didn't buy them, and I think they all would've been $2.49 if they existed. Someone should ask Gary Dolgoff.

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18 minutes ago, FlyingDonut said:

I don't know - based on the other test price times there were books for everything. I talked with some people about this - why would there only be price variants for X-Men and not Uncanny X-Men? Cable and not Wolverine? etcetc - it doesn't make sense.

Does it have to make sense? Maybe they just picked 6 titles for a test of some sort. It doesn't make sense to plan a 4 (5 TBC) month test and then have double size 2.99 books in the middle of it either. But it's the case.

The titles are all fairly high profile characters. Spidey, Hulk, X-Men, Thor, FF. Was Cable popular then? He's the only arguably 'lesser' title. 

There are scores of other titles in the date range. Why haven't any of us found a variant for one of them? We've almost completed the set for these six titles, but not one book from another title has been found. And some of us have been looking for years. That's surely too much of a stretch isn't it?

Maybe the scenario is as simple as a six title test run, mucked up by double sized books in the middle of it. It doesn't have to be all titles. 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, PeterPark said:

I think that's it. I know for a while there were a lotta books marvel published as newsstand and didn't...and every time I found a newsstand...which is like 4 of the 8 I bought, if they weren't $2.29 or $2.49, I didn't buy them, and I think they all would've been $2.49 if they existed. Someone should ask Gary Dolgoff.

Yes, our posts crossed PP.

I look for patterns in my variant research (Miller / Pence etc). Sometimes they're there to find, and hold fast. Often they don't. There's always a book that 'messes up' the pattern. 168 titles follow a date gap, one title sits in it!

As well as only being these six titles, I think it's also likely that no title will have more than four books. ASM #14 surely does not exist. Probably, FF #22 doesn't either, ditto X-Men #97. So each has four books, but out of date sequence. It's odd that they're out of sequence I guess, but as I say, that's not uncommon in my experience. 

If there are more to find, they will likely be the ones missing on the chart I put together, excluding those I note above.  That can be good news in a way, as it makes the set attainable. 

I'll end by saying my usual 'never say never' - if someone proves us wrong - if we prove us wrong - I'll be delighted. But I really feel we're not going to find any more outside of these six titles. I may try writing to Marvel again. They ignored my previous contact. It's not that long ago, and there must be records or someone still living who will know what was done, and why.

Onwards!

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Hey! A wrinkle to this, and something I think we need to put on the chart. In the $2.49 cover Fantastic Four 23 the indicia reads $2.49, Canadian $2.99. In the $2.49 FF 24, the indicia reads $2.49, and does not show a Canadian price. :whatthe:

Makes it extremely interesting, because the $1.99 newsstand of Fantastic Four 23 shows $1.99 US, $2.99 Canada. I do not have a newsstand FF 24, but will check as soon as I can get one. Can someone with the FF 26 variant check that indicia - newsstand FF 26 is $1.99/$2.99

Edited by FlyingDonut
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17 minutes ago, FlyingDonut said:

Hey! A wrinkle to this, and something I think we need to put on the chart. In the $2.49 cover Fantastic Four 23 the indicia reads $2.49, Canadian $2.99. In the $2.49 FF 24, the indicia reads $2.49, and does not show a Canadian price. :whatthe:

Makes it extremely interesting, because the $1.99 newsstand of Fantastic Four 23 shows $1.99 US, $2.99 Canada. I do not have a newsstand FF 24, but will check as soon as I can get one. Can someone with the FF 26 variant check that indicia - newsstand FF 26 is $1.99/$2.99

Une petite wrinkle indeed! :whatthe:

FD, you've caught me asleep on the job my man. Great spot!

When I owned all 6 ASM's yonks ago, I'm sure all the indicia's said $1.99/$2.99 and only the cover price was different. So this time round, foolishly, I never paid much attention to the indicia's, believing they would all follow the 'regular' newsstand prices. Schoolboy error or what! Always check your indicias.

I've dug out my four copies and here's what I find:

  • ASM #13 - $2.49 variant cover price with 'regular' $1.99 US / $2.99 CAN indicia (as I thought all copies were)
  • FF #23 - $2.49 cover price with $2.49 US / $2.99 CAN indicia
  • FF #24 - $2.49 cover price with $2.49 US indicia only
  • FF #26 - regular $1.99/$2.99 cover with regular $1.99/$2.99 indicia
  • Thor #17 - $2.29 cover price with $1.99 US / $2.99 CAN indicia

So it's clear that the indicias differ too - some reflecting the US cover variant price and some not. And some with CAN price, some not. What a puzzle. My copies are the same as yours FD so hopefully there aren't variants of variants!

Not sure what to make of it hm

FD, we need to see more copies interiors as you say - @PeterPark - could you look at yours too please? 

Well done again FD. What's your name by the way? FD sounds silly (I'm Steve by the way, pleased to meet you) :headbang:

 

 

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5 hours ago, Marwood & I said:

Une petite wrinkle indeed! :whatthe:

FD, you've caught me asleep on the job my man. Great spot!

When I owned all 6 ASM's yonks ago, I'm sure all the indicia's said $1.99/$2.99 and only the cover price was different. So this time round, foolishly, I never paid much attention to the indicia's, believing they would all follow the 'regular' newsstand prices. Schoolboy error or what! Always check your indicias.

I've dug out my four copies and here's what I find:

  • ASM #13 - $2.49 variant cover price with 'regular' $1.99 US / $2.99 CAN indicia (as I thought all copies were)
  • FF #23 - $2.49 cover price with $2.49 US / $2.99 CAN indicia
  • FF #24 - $2.49 cover price with $2.49 US indicia only
  • FF #26 - regular $1.99/$2.99 cover with regular $1.99/$2.99 indicia
  • Thor #17 - $2.29 cover price with $1.99 US / $2.99 CAN indicia

So it's clear that the indicias differ too - some reflecting the US cover variant price and some not. And some with CAN price, some not. What a puzzle. My copies are the same as yours FD so hopefully there aren't variants of variants!

Not sure what to make of it hm

FD, we need to see more copies interiors as you say - @PeterPark - could you look at yours too please? 

Well done again FD. What's your name by the way? FD sounds silly (I'm Steve by the way, pleased to meet you) :headbang:

 

 

He's name is Ron Jeremy. :gossip:

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3 hours ago, mr_highgrade said:

He's name is Ron Jeremy. :gossip:

Cheers Mr HG :wink:

2 hours ago, SammyBComics said:

The indicia for my FF #26 $2.29 Cover says U.S. $1.99 / Canada $2.99

Thanks SammyB - seems every $2.29 has 'regular edition' indicia pricing so far

2 hours ago, SammyBComics said:

I also have an Amazing Spider-Man # 10 $2.49 cover where the indicia reads $1.99 U.S. / $2.99 CAN

That's in line with my recollection that all 6 ASM's had regular 1.99/2.99 indicias :wishluck:

Not sure how I'm going to add this new info to the chart but I'll give it a go later....

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@FlyingDonut @PeterPark @SammyBComics @masterlogan2000

Does this work guys? I've added a column to fill in the indicia prices:

14_01_18.thumb.PNG.2f7366a36949484a78a0085b9940894b.PNG

hm

Edited by Marwood & I
Low ceilings
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As I mentioned in a previous post, I have multiple copies of the various X-Men books and this lone Cable #72 ($2.29).  I did some monotonous checking today of each indicia to help contribute to the thread.  Of all the books I have, my suspicions were confirmed.  Every indicia states $1.99 US and $2.99 Canada.

One thing I forgot to mention last time was that I purchased an X-Men #95 price variant which came in the same lot as an X-Men #94 Newsstand.  Because these were from the same lot, I'm speculating that they came from the same source.  The #94 is a double-sized issue and was priced at $2.99, giving us further evidence that the double sized issues likely do not have price variations.  Interestingly enough, the indicia on this book states that the price is $1.99 US and $2.99 Canada (as does my Direct Edition copy).   :facepalm:

In my years of collecting, I've always found the indicias to contain "mostly correct" information.  Outside of issues being printed by multiple companies (shown in the pence threads by @Marwood & I), I've never heard of a variation between indicias of the same issue.  This seems like the last place publishers ever touch, let along attempt to be 100% correct every month.

So of all the details here and in the previous 7 pages, I'm subscribing to and further solidifying three theories:

1)  Newsstand price variations only exist for the titles of Amazing Spider-man, Cable, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, and X-Men.
2)  Double sized issues do not have price variations.
3)  There are no indicia variations.

Again, I'm welcome to be proven wrong.

 

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