Copyright Deposit Copy--Anyone seen one of these before?

[143ksk]

Last year, I ran across this book. It's Suzie #49 (which is the first issue). What makes it realy cool is that this is apparently the copy that was sent to the Library of Congress to secure the copyright on the title. It has "sample" stamped on it, as well as "copyright deposit," and "Library of Congress Serial Records May 9, 1945." It also has a subscription style crease--I assume from being mailed to the Library of Congress. Has anyone ever seen one of these before? I was talking to Moondog at the CGC dinner (since he's the king of ashcans) and he said he had not seen one of these. Anybody...?

 

[143ksk]

Here's a close up of the Library of Congress stamp:

 

[buttock]

If you knew Suzie like they know Suzie, you'd have your answer.

[adamstrange]

A number of issues in the Gerber guide are from the LOC. They usually receive 2 copies for every item that is to be copyrighted. I don't recall seeing them in person, but have heard that many were evidently "inadvertently liberated" from the LOC over the years.

[Moondog]

Steve:

 

Wow, very cool!

 

This book is as close to being an ashcan without it being an ashcan as one can get.

 

The "copyright" verbiage throws me though. Ashcans were used to establish "trademarks" of logos and titles - not copyrights of characters and likenesses.

 

Had Suzie made an appearance before this issue anywhere? If so, the copyright was already established. If not, then they may have killed 2 birds with one stone...Suzie trademark logo and title and Suzie copyright.

 

--Gary

[143ksk]

Gary:

 

Yes, Suzie first appeared in Top Notch #28

[143ksk]

A number of issues in the Gerber guide are from the LOC. They usually receive 2 copies for every item that is to be copyrighted. I don't recall seeing them in person, but have heard that many were evidently "inadvertently liberated" from the LOC over the years.

 

Thanks I will have to check my Gerbers

[lotemo]

I have Wilbur #1 with this stamp and I previously had an issue of MLJ's Laugh Comix with the stamp as well. I bought them from Diamond Galleries so I assume that they had acquired a collection of them. I did notice the stamp on some covers in the Gerber books as well. I assumed that it was just part of the process by which the Library of Congress receives copies of publications as a matter of public record rather than to secure copyright. Whatever the reason, they are kind of cool because they have a somewhat of a historic provenance having been part of the Library of Congress.

[adamstrange]

I have Wilbur #1 with this stamp and I previously had an issue of MLJ's Laugh Comix with the stamp as well. I bought them from Diamond Galleries so I assume that they had acquired a collection of them. I did notice the stamp on some covers in the Gerber books as well. I assumed that it was just part of the process by which the Library of Congress receives copies of publications as a matter of public record rather than to secure copyright. Whatever the reason, they are kind of cool because they have a somewhat of a historic provenance having been part of the Library of Congress.

 

Every issue is copyrighted. With the ashcans, I believe they are trying to secure a trademark. Do we have a lawyer that can confirm this?

[Thegoldenage]

If I am not mistaken, all of the Library of Congress books were stolen. Guess you are in possession of stolen Government property. Hear a knock at your door?

[Scrooge]

I had never heard of this but here's a small write-up on the Michigan State page:

 

"The Library of Congress has a comic book collection of over 100,000 items, and keeps them alphabetically arranged in covered, acid-free archive boxes. Although the collection in theory should be complete because of copyright depository, for many years comic books seem to have disappeared regularly. In addition, until the 1970s the comics were not well protected from light. Consequently, the older collections are brittle and incomplete."

 

agreeing with your statement. Couldn't find anything on the LOC page itself though. Also the LOC has started a massive deacidification process for the comic collection.

[ecfanman]

I have a copy of More Fun #69. It has three stamps on it. The largest says "FILE". A small one says "COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT". The third one is insied an oval shape and says "LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PERIODICAL DIVISION" and has the date May 27, 1941.