Heir to the Empire: Anyone seen this version? 2 2

[Serpentor]

I'm hearing there may be news coming soon from CGC related to this variant. Hopefully they will begin noting it as a unique variant on the label. These are first printings that were intended to have store specific UPC codes applied by the large book stores that carried them (Barnes and Noble, etc).

[awakeintheashes]

On 11/24/2023 at 3:44 PM, Yorick said:

I've seen a 9.2 or 9.4 on feebay as well.  They're out there. 

Late in seeing this. Do you recall what the 9.4 sold for? Since CGC doesn’t mark this variant, GPA doesn’t track it as the blank barcode variant. I’d guess the outlier high sale would be the blank barcode variant, but I missed it coming up for sale so never tracked to confirm.  

I see the 9.2 is still on eBay. 

Edited February 1 by awakeintheashes

[awakeintheashes]

This didn’t last long

Link

[awakeintheashes]

On 1/4/2024 at 1:05 PM, Serpentor said:

These are first printings that were intended to have store specific UPC codes applied by the large book stores that carried them (Barnes and Noble, etc).

Since there are copies in the wild with the barcodes, I can see this as being the case. With that said, how did the blank ones get into circulation? Bookstores that hadn’t updated their computer systems for the barcodes?

I know there are other instances of booksellers placing their own barcodes on comics, but I’ve followed the topic from a distance, so if this has been covered elsewhere already, apologies. 

[Yorick]

On 2/1/2024 at 6:48 AM, awakeintheashes said:

Late in seeing this. Do you recall what the 9.4 sold for? Since CGC doesn’t mark this variant, GPA doesn’t track it as the blank barcode variant. I’d guess the outlier high sale would be the blank barcode variant, but I missed it coming up for sale so never tracked to confirm.  

I see the 9.2 is still on eBay. 

I don't know whether it sold or not.  My recollection was that the ask was $3k. 

On 2/1/2024 at 7:03 AM, awakeintheashes said:

how did the blank ones get into circulation?

Could be that buyers of stickered barcode books just removed the stickers.

[awakeintheashes]

On 11/19/2023 at 10:47 AM, Catwomancomics said:

 

This is most likely the source of the blank bar code.  The package has a bar code on it, so the comic most likely came without.

 

Based this listing, I don’t think these are the source, unfortunately. Likely it’s a book market newsstand, since some have stickers over the blank upc box and some just the blank upc box.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/176225060650?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=7FALszvZSUK&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=FizuN4NFQ5O&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Edited February 6 by awakeintheashes

[awakeintheashes]

On 1/4/2024 at 1:05 PM, Serpentor said:

I'm hearing there may be news coming soon from CGC related to this variant. Hopefully they will begin noting it as a unique variant on the label. These are first printings that were intended to have store specific UPC codes applied by the large book stores that carried them (Barnes and Noble, etc).

Looks like they are noting it as Newsstand/Blank UPC, which is in addition to the direct version and the standard Newsstand version. 

Two have been graded to date under that notation. 
 

Edited February 6 by awakeintheashes

[awakeintheashes]

I guess I'm in the club. Just graded.