The Distribution of US Published Comics in the UK (1959~1982) 15 15

[Get Marwood & I]

On 8/25/2022 at 11:52 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

  Channel Five, tomorrow at six, Excalibur's June auction:

   https://www.channel5.com/show/cash-in-the-attic/season-1/episode-20

Anyone watch it?

A bit twee, but still fun to see. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 8/25/2022 at 11:33 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

Looks like this lot sold last month 

https://fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk/lot/244006

Hammer price was £900 plus premium, so £1100 - £1200.

39 issues, averaging near as dammit 30 quid apiece.

Perhaps not a shrewd investment, we shall see.

That's been my experience, watching and attending lately - hammer prices that leave little to no room to make a buck. Either some avid collectors are paying top dollar to add to their collections, or some dealers are dying on their arses. 

[Garystar]

On 8/27/2022 at 9:56 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

Anyone watch it?

A bit twee, but still fun to see. 

Just watched on catch up, thanks for tip off. Shame Kammy wasn’t presenting he would liven it up. Seemed a good price as none looked VFN or above but we didn’t get to see everything they had -  assume they have to pay sellers fee or do TV company arrange something?

[Get Marwood & I]

On 8/27/2022 at 10:15 AM, Garystar said:

Just watched on catch up, thanks for tip off. Shame Kammy wasn’t presenting he would liven it up. Seemed a good price as none looked VFN or above but we didn’t get to see everything they had -  assume they have to pay sellers fee or do TV company arrange something?

Not sure, Gary. They're using his story to make a programme so you'd think the participants might get something wouldn't you. It's all a bit staged though, isn't it. Would he really be surprised by the totals? Never once looked on eBay? I dunno. I wonder if any of the bidders in the room were any of our prolific eBay sellers? 

I did grimace a little when they were manhandling the books in the loft though. What's a few more spine stresses between friends, eh...? 

[LowGradeBronze]

Just watched it on catch up: Bet that poor bloke felt sick as a dog next day. He did say it was like selling his soul. I'm guessing he hadn't looked at them lately or else he'd have had serious remorse at losing them like that. They only needed two grand for a boring old kitchen. No way I'd sell my Spideys so the misses could have a new kitchen! I'd make her do favours for sailors first. 

[LowGradeBronze]

Not as bad as this blunder though: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2358454/Andrew-Vickers-Artist-destroys-rare-edition-The-Avengers-valuable-comics.html

 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 8/27/2022 at 6:52 PM, LowGradeBronze said:

Not as bad as this blunder though: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2358454/Andrew-Vickers-Artist-destroys-rare-edition-The-Avengers-valuable-comics.html

 

[Albert Tatlock]

Or this one.............

 

[Get Marwood & I]

State of that! 

[Malacoda]

@Garystar @Get Marwood & I  @Kevin.J   Gents, apologies for the tardy thanks. Been away for a few days.  But thank you all for the 69/71 cover stamp issues.  Really can't thank you enough.  

[Get Marwood & I]

On 8/31/2022 at 5:26 PM, Malacoda said:

@Garystar @Get Marwood & I  @Kevin.J   Gents, apologies for the tardy thanks. Been away for a few days.  But thank you all for the 69/71 cover stamp issues.  Really can't thank you enough.  

You could've at least thanked us! 

Rich, what stamped books are missing now? Remind us of the parameters, dates, and which books are yet to be discovered, would you?

[Malacoda]

On 8/31/2022 at 5:27 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

You could've at least thanked us! 

Rich, what stamped books are missing now? Remind us of the parameters, dates, and which books are yet to be discovered, would you?

My pleasure.  So this is Marvel comics between May 1969 and April 1971 cover dates.  There are, we believe PV's and cover stamped cents issues for all of these.  The PV's are easy to find, but some of the cover stamps have yet to present themselves.  These are the ones that get the top prizes:

Hulk 116, 137, 138. 

ASM 76, 79, 94

Avengers 65, 70, 72

X men 56, 58, 64   (also, 62 - you found that stickered one that looks like a cs, but I wouldn't kick you out of bed if you found a better one). 

DD 54, 58, 59, 62, 69 

IM 15, 21, 22

Captain Marvel 13, 21

Subby 17, 20, 23

Surfer 15, 16, 17

Chamber of Darkness 6,7,8

Monsters on the Prowl 9

Where Monsters Dwell 3,4,5,6,7

Amazing Adventures 3

Astonishing Tales 2,3,4

The following are the ones that Gary ticked off so I ticked them off as well, but I am a bit of a completist (you will be surprised to hear) so would love to have scans of these too: 

Thor 167

Hulk 125

IM 18 

If anyone can post a scan of any of these, my little cup of joy would overflow. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 8/31/2022 at 6:59 PM, Malacoda said:

My pleasure.  So this is Marvel comics between May 1969 and April 1971 cover dates.  There are, we believe PV's and cover stamped cents issues for all of these.  The PV's are easy to find, but some of the cover stamps have yet to present themselves.  These are the ones that get the top prizes:

Hulk 116, 137, 138. 

ASM 76, 79, 94

Avengers 65, 70, 72

X men 56, 58, 64   (also, 62 - you found that stickered one that looks like a cs, but I wouldn't kick you out of bed if you found a better one). 

DD 54, 58, 59, 62, 69 

IM 15, 21, 22

Captain Marvel 13, 21

Subby 17, 20, 23

Surfer 15, 16, 17

Chamber of Darkness 6,7,8

Monsters on the Prowl 9

Where Monsters Dwell 3,4,5,6,7

Amazing Adventures 3

Astonishing Tales 2,3,4

The following are the ones that Gary ticked off so I ticked them off as well, but I am a bit of a completist (you will be surprised to hear) so would love to have scans of these too: 

Thor 167

Hulk 125

IM 18 

If anyone can post a scan of any of these, my little cup of joy would overflow. 

OK, and remind me why those dates are relevant again Rich - May 1969 is the second month after the third UKPV hiatus, but what is the relevance of the end date / this specific period again? Sorry, I've forgotten.

And are we talking just UKPV bearing titles, or all titles?

Either way, I'll have a hunt tomorrow - logging off shortly to watch West Ham beat Spurs a hundred nil. 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

Was April 71 the last stamp date?

[Garystar]

On 8/31/2022 at 7:21 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Was April 71 the last stamp date?

I think that was last time West Ham beat spurs. 
 

(I shouldn’t make jokes like that - I support Plymouth Argyle).

I’ll also have another search for missing stamps. 

[Albert Tatlock]

On 8/26/2022 at 2:11 AM, Redshade said:

Plus the wodge taken by the packing and posting contractors. People do seem to get carried away in these auctions Albert. I think the fact that issue 80 (Introduction and Origin of the Doom Patrol) may have helped this lot to fetch what it did. Still too much for me.

Just totted up what that MGA run fetched.

Gross take, rounding pennies up and down, £943.

Less ebay's whack of about £120, a bit over 8 ton to flow into the coffers, against an outlay of pushing 1200, so it all depends on what the first DP went for.

It does seem to be quoted at a good bit over guide at present.

All in all, though, the streets of MGA not paved with gold.

Edited August 31, 2022 by Albert Tatlock
correct typo

[Malacoda]

On 8/31/2022 at 7:11 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

OK, and remind me why those dates are relevant again Rich - May 1969 is the second month after the third UKPV hiatus, but what is the relevance of the end date / this specific period again? Sorry, I've forgotten.

You haven't forgotten.  The actual window, the 7th phase of Marvel T&P after the 3rd hiatus goes from April 1969 to July 1971, but we have examples of stamps for every title in April 1969 and May - July 1971, so the ones on the Lost List above are May 69 to April 71.  

Most of the ones missing in the core titles are in the first year.  If we could find Hulk 137 & 138, ASM 94, DD 69, Captain Marvel 21 and Surfer 15,16,17, we'd actually have the last 16 months sewn up for the MU.   I suspect Captain Marvel 21 may not have stamps (shorter print run due to cancellation) and I wouldn't be surprised if the Surfers never reached our shores either. The other 4 I'm sure are out there, but in what quantities we will never know. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 9/1/2022 at 2:07 AM, Malacoda said:

If we could find Hulk 137 & 138, ASM 94, DD 69, Captain Marvel 21 and Surfer 15,16,17, we'd actually have the last 16 months sewn up for the MU.   I suspect Captain Marvel 21 may not have stamps (shorter print run due to cancellation) and I wouldn't be surprised if the Surfers never reached our shores either. The other 4 I'm sure are out there, but in what quantities we will never know. 

 

[Garystar]

On 8/25/2022 at 3:07 PM, Malacoda said:

The ten that you have that I still don't are: 

Thor 167, Hulk 125, Avengers 84,  X men 63, DD 57,  Iron Man 16, 17 & 18, 23, 25. 

EBAYUK;

[Malacoda]

On 9/1/2022 at 8:45 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

 

Once again, your oft stated credo is substantiated: the fastest way to make something appear is to firmly predict it never will.  And, by the way, this has the split old/new money stamp which is the appropriate stamp for that month, and that month only, so it's not one that came in later. 

How great is that cover?  I love Adkins inking on Kane. 

This just leaves Mar-Vell 13 which is rather interesting to me.  About 40 years ago, my friend Nick's Dad was going to New York on business, so Nick gave him a list of all his gap issues - not the FF1 type stuff, but normal priced comics that had been gaps in his collection for many years. His Dad obviously never checked the list and just handed it over to a comic shop guy who must have thought it was Christmas.  Nick's Dad came back with the entire list. We sat down and immediately began devouring comics in the sort of companionable silence that I imagine would last about 12 seconds with Millennials.  We were there all day until eventually his mum chased us out into the garden to get some exercise and fresh air. 

What I remember most keenly, because it was on the top of the pile, because I read it first and because I had never seen it before, was Captain Marvel 13.  You have to bear in mind that we'd been collecting for about 7 or 8 years by this point, and we were lucky enough to spend our pocket money in the London comic shops (Dark They Were, Comic Showcase, Forbidden Planet, Eternal, LTS etc) and at the London comic marts.  So to have never seen a copy of this took some doing.  Is it a coincidence that 40 years later, it's the last issue we can't find a stamp for?