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Marks jewellers

Started by bigfiver69,

20 posts in this topic

bigfiver69

bigfiver69

Posted
Posted

Hey everyone,

 

This may have been covered before, but I wanted to ask about the Marks Jeweller inserts in DC comics back in the mid-70s.

 

A couple of years ago at the San Diego con, I found a dealer with a huge stack of DC titles 1974-77. A collection that had just come in for him, etc, etc. Anyway, I bought about 50 books off this guy, all NMish, and half of them had Marks Jewellers inserts.

 

Does the insert affect grade? Does anyone know any background about the inserts? How widely were they distributed. And does CGC make a notation on the label for them?

 

Just curious.

Shep

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awe4one

awe4one

Posted
Posted
Between 1985 and 1993, I was in the ARMY.

 

Mark Jewelers were still in all comics overseas.

 

The latest DC with the insert I've seen is Aug 1984. Though it is possible they lasted longer, it seems a perfect time to stop the DC campaign due to a change in tracking of the MJ inserts in the comics. It was during this time that the Ad Codes disappeared from the inserts in favor of different colors every couple of months.

 

The latest Marvel with the MJ inserts is Web of Spiderman Jul 1991. You will find no Marvel coverdated later with the inserts. In fact, you will find few Marvels coverdated Jul 1991 with the inserts as most were phased out in the May/Jun 1991 issues.

 

Jim

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Solar

Solar

Posted
Posted
The inserts do not hurt the grade of the comic.

on the CGC label I believe under the title we put the following:

"Mark Jewelers" insert.

 

Hypothetical question: I submit a book in 9.6 condition all around. Beautiful book. The only issue is that it has a Mark Jewelers insert that's been ripped. How is this dealt with?

 

I would think the book would get a qualified grade, but that wouldn't really make sense since you could just cut the entire insert out and the book would still be technically complete since it's just an added bonus anyway.

 

893scratchchin-thumb.gif

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awe4one

awe4one

Posted
Posted
The latest DC with the insert I've seen is Aug 1984. Though it is possible they lasted longer, it seems a perfect time to stop the DC campaign due to a change in tracking of the MJ inserts in the comics. It was during this time that the Ad Codes disappeared from the inserts in favor of different colors every couple of months.

 

A point of clarification and an update to the above...

 

Today I found an Apr 1986 DC issue with the insert (JLA) so they lasted almost two years longer than I or others searching for these believed previously. Regardless, they definitely stopped in DCs by Sept 1986 as other inserts, to include the multiple page MASK promo, took up the centerfold area. Also the Apr insert still used the Ad Codes (EE) that were being phased out in favor of color identification. So when MJ changed the way they tracked the inserts at the time, they probably also made the decision to go solely with Marvel. Why they stopped isn't known but I'm willing to bet Marvels greatly outsold DCs at the military newsstands, later DC inserts are quite difficult to find in relation to Marvel, and was a factor in the decision.

 

Jim

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awe4one

awe4one

Posted
Posted
The inserts do not hurt the grade of the comic.

on the CGC label I believe under the title we put the following:

"Mark Jewelers" insert.

 

Hypothetical question: I submit a book in 9.6 condition all around. Beautiful book. The only issue is that it has a Mark Jewelers insert that's been ripped. How is this dealt with?

 

I would think the book would get a qualified grade, but that wouldn't really make sense since you could just cut the entire insert out and the book would still be technically complete since it's just an added bonus anyway.

 

893scratchchin-thumb.gif

 

I wouldn't submit the comic. It's a lose lose proposition either way. Anyone interested in the insert would be turned off by the rip and those interested by the comic would be turned off by the Qualified label...

 

Unless inserts start commanding large premiums over comics without the inserts, there isn't any valid reason to submit the torn issue...

 

Jim

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awe4one

awe4one

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Here's aw4some's website that explains these inserts a little more:

MARK JEWELERS info

 

Keeping the web site a secret?

 

Not that I'm aware off... confused.gif

 

Jim

 

Must've missed the thread announcing its existence confused-smiley-013.gif

 

Didn't know you needed a personal invitation...others haven't had trouble finding it...

 

In fact, the website is the first that comes up during Google searches on "Mark Jewelers Insert"... confused-smiley-013.gif

 

Jim

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CainTheCaretaker-migration

CainTheCaretaker-migration

Posted
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Didn't know you needed a personal invitation...others haven't had trouble finding it...

 

No, I don't need a personal invitiation. But I did PM you and you said it was "in the works". From that it was implied to me that it wasn't live yet. I assumed you were going to announce it here-no big deal. Nice info.

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awe4one

awe4one

Posted
Posted
No, I don't need a personal invitiation. But I did PM you and you said it was "in the works". From that it was implied to me that it wasn't live yet. I assumed you were going to announce it here-no big deal. Nice info.

 

foreheadslap.gif What was wrong with the old nick? I didn't know who you were...

 

The Military inserts articles will be broken into 7-8 parts, 2 parts already completed, once completed so it's still technically "in the works". I plan on getting Part 3 done once I'm settled in to my next assignment sometime in mid-Sep...

 

Jim

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Point Five

Point Five

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I just picked up some sweet copies of New Teen Titans #8 & #10 (cover dated June & August 1981), and was very surprised to find Mark Jewelers' inserts in them! I've owned 1000s of BA/CA DCs at one time or another and had never seen them before. I was under the impression these inserts were a Marvel-only thing.

 

Great site, Jim, answers most of the questions I was about to ask!

 

Jon

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BrianR

BrianR

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Ive got a couple hundred mark jewelers insert both Marvel and D.C. Ask Grifter to look through his Teen Titans , Supermans, Batmans I just sold him he has quite a few now too. I was lucky enough to grow up in the military so they were very common.

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