solm4st3r Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 (edited) Perhaps I've been out of touch for a while but I noticed there is a greater emphasis on collecting newsstand copies of comics now. I have several Marvel/DC keys from the Bronze and Copper era that have the UPC codes. I have ASM 194, ASM 361, X-Men 101, Batman 357, DCP 26, Tec 476 just to name a few. I bought them when no one seemed to care about newsstand vs.direct. How do I know which comics are more valuable than the Direct version, if they are? Please advise. Edited March 28, 2018 by solm4st3r Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Sinescu Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Detective 476 only came in the newsstand version, direct-market versions weren't available for DC until a year or so later. I think it may be the same case with X-Men 101. Aside from the ASM 361, most of those issues came from an era when the newsstand v direct circulation was more balanced, but you may still be able to get a bit of a premium if they're high-grade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadroch Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Except for a few indies, most newsstand comics prior to the mid 1990s don't bring much of a premium over the DM versions, if any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryfk Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 Even if they're not considered more valuable, aren't newsstand editions generally considered more desirable because they didn't have the same survival rate as direct editions? I've heard stories about newsstand vendors tearing the covers off comics that didn't sell, to return to the publisher. And it just seems they would have been around a harsher environment, in general. Like, more out in the elements rather than the loving embrace of a comic shop. I'll pay a couple bucks more for a newsstand edition if the grades are the same. zosocane 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron C. Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 There are a number of collectors that prefer newsstand editions. I can appreciate both sides of the topic. For me, I do like the Newsstand over the Spidey for some Bronze issues. This Avengers 196 is my favorite book to cite in this discussion. At higher grades, very few are available in the Newsstand format. If you look for a 9.8 copy of this anywhere..... it will likely be a direct edition. Of course, this is one of my favorite covers! The greens on this book are wonderful. Stoupes22 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
solm4st3r Posted March 28, 2018 Author Share Posted March 28, 2018 2 hours ago, Martin Sinescu said: Detective 476 only came in the newsstand version, direct-market versions weren't available for DC until a year or so later. I think it may be the same case with X-Men 101. Aside from the ASM 361, most of those issues came from an era when the newsstand v direct circulation was more balanced, but you may still be able to get a bit of a premium if they're high-grade. Yeah all of these comics are CGC 9.6 except the X-Men 101 which is a 9.2. I'm sure I have more. I just need to check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revat Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 as a general rule, the newer the comic, the more likely it is to have a newsstand premium, especially in higher grades. To get an idea of what the premium might be, you can just do sampling of completed ebay sales. zosocane and Get Marwood & I 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazyboy Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 2 hours ago, larryfk said: Even if they're not considered more valuable, aren't newsstand editions generally considered more desirable because they didn't have the same survival rate as direct editions? Maybe to somebody who only cares about rarity... or ridiculous claims of rarity. At the retail level, unsold Newsstands were (supposed to be) returned/destroyed, while unsold Directs were moved to the back issue section. But that doesn't mean the total quantities sold (by the publisher) weren't the same or even in favour of Newsstand editions. 2 hours ago, larryfk said: I've heard stories about newsstand vendors tearing the covers off comics that didn't sell, to return to the publisher. That stopped before Direct editions existed and even before comics got defaced by UPCs. Actual returns haven't been cost effective for a long time. If you've heard stories about that, have you also heard stories about fraud in the newsstand distribution system? 2 hours ago, larryfk said: And it just seems they would have been around a harsher environment, in general. Like, more out in the elements rather than the loving embrace of a comic shop. I'll pay a couple bucks more for a newsstand edition if the grades are the same. If you've never seen comics mishandled at a comic shop (by customers or employees), I guess you and your store are very lucky. For Newsstands, do you think the people who bought them picked the worst copies or were those the ones that were left when they were pulled from the racks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Sinescu Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 It should also be mentioned that there are some Newsstand Deniers around here. ADAMANTIUM, ygogolak and mr_highgrade 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valiantman Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 mr_highgrade, GM8 and F For Fake 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F For Fake Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 1 minute ago, valiantman said: Was waiting for this to show up! ADAMANTIUM 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valiantman Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 1 minute ago, F For Fake said: 2 minutes ago, valiantman said: Was waiting for this to show up! Yep, just put his list against the chart... enjoy! "I have ASM 194, ASM 361, X-Men 101, Batman 357, DCP 26, Tec 476 just to name a few." F For Fake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DjMartini Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 22 minutes ago, valiantman said: Awesome chart! I prefer Newsstand Edition due to the rarity of them being in high grades. Also, the barcode compared to "Spidey-Head/Cap-Head" is a better look in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revat Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 1 hour ago, DjMartini said: Awesome chart! I prefer Newsstand Edition due to the rarity of them being in high grades. Also, the barcode compared to "Spidey-Head/Cap-Head" is a better look in my opinion. I like the cap head < bar code < spidey head < swinging spidey < bat signal in the UPC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valiantman Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 1 hour ago, DjMartini said: 2 hours ago, valiantman said: Awesome chart! I prefer Newsstand Edition due to the rarity of them being in high grades. Right - the chart is really about the number that were printed, not about how many survived, and not about how many survived in high grade. The red line goes low much quicker when you try to estimate high grade newsstands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revat Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 6 minutes ago, LoveThemSigs said: 5 hours ago, DjMartini said: Awesome chart! I prefer Newsstand Edition due to the rarity of them being in high grades. Also, the barcode compared to "Spidey-Head/Cap-Head" is a better look in my opinion. Would you still like the UPC better if it devalued your book? for the vast majority of books for which they exist, the DCUniverse logo in the UPC makes it more valuable (in varying amounts) than its counterparts. But I would say nobody would choose it as a preference over the barcode or any of the other direct logos. But sometimes I like the newsstand because I like the feeling of nostalgia of buying a book off the grocery store spinner rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGsimba77 Posted March 29, 2018 Share Posted March 29, 2018 On 3/28/2018 at 4:59 PM, shadroch said: Except for a few indies, most newsstand comics prior to the mid 1990s don't bring much of a premium over the DM versions, if any. High grade ASM 300? DST 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazyboy Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 8 hours ago, DjMartini said: Awesome chart! I prefer Newsstand Edition due to the rarity of them being in high grades. Also, the barcode compared to "Spidey-Head/Cap-Head" is a better look in my opinion. stripe fetishists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazyboy Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 6 hours ago, valiantman said: 8 hours ago, DjMartini said: 8 hours ago, valiantman said: Awesome chart! I prefer Newsstand Edition due to the rarity of them being in high grades. Right - the chart is really about the number that were printed, not about how many survived, and not about how many survived in high grade. The red line goes low much quicker when you try to estimate high grade newsstands. No, it's about sales - official sales that were reported to the publishers. That chart is also way oversimplified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Sinescu Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 Yes, it's safe to say a chart with "more" and "less" up the y-axis was made as a simplistic illustration to help people understand the generally-accepted downward trend of newsstands over the years and it is based on no concrete information as there has never been any data as fas as I'm aware from either of the big two regarding the newsstand/direct split. Even between the big two, their numbers would look different since DC continued long after Marvel stopped. What's relevant today for those of us that are UPC Chasers is how many of each have survived and are available in high grade. As a few of us have said ad nauseam here, if CGC had or would at some point begin differentiating these versions, then census numbers and GPA data could give us some tangible stats rather than relying on conjecture and occasional sales. But, oh well.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
