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

[Get Marwood & I]

Ticked another one off the 'Gold Star' distribution list in the week:

[Malacoda]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:20 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

Ticked another one off the 'Gold Star' distribution list in the week:

As you say, Kid Colt 131 has T&P stamps, but it also has our other friends.  Did we agree at some point that the very similar looking triangular version of the (presumed) Gold Star stamp was the higher priced equivalent of the 10d oblong stamp?  I don't think I've seen oblong 1/6 stamps, but only these toblerones.....which would make these the droids you're looking for??  May be mis-remembering. 

 

Also, as you say, T&P stamps.....

 

And, you know, just because why not.....

 

Landsakes, that critter got hisself branded so many which ways y'd think he'd been to the Cattle Baron's ball, and no mistake. 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

I lost track of how many ways the Kid was priced in the end:

The Bermuda stamp may well have been a Gold Star one. Similar font. Circles, Oblongs, Triangles. Maybe Golders watched Play School as a pipe and slipper.... 

[Albert Tatlock]

A few Gold Key and Dell here. The first couple of them bear a shilling stamp, but tiny, only half an inch across. 

This was at a time when Marvel and DC's cover price was 10d, so maybe that would have affected the level of sales to budget-conscious youngsters.

The Dell stamp is slightly larger.

The Richard Turpin (CGC software will not permit me to use the name of Mr Turpin as shown on cover) has a neatly written price in the top margin and I have seen others similar enough in size and placement to convince me that they were applied by the retailer at the time.

Edited March 15, 2023 by Albert Tatlock
add 1 word

[Malacoda]

On 3/15/2023 at 3:22 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

I lost track of how many ways the Kid was priced in the end:

Most outlaws had a price on their head.  No wonder he was so keen to avoid the stamp. 

[Malacoda]

On 3/15/2023 at 7:05 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

This was at a time when Marvel and DC's cover price was 10d,

Gold Key were the only ones who refused to use Sparta because they regarded the quality as not good enough (for most of the others, particularly Marvel, it was an upgrade).  I would imagine therefore that their wholesale price was more expensive and therefore ditto the retail. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 3/15/2023 at 7:17 PM, Malacoda said:

Most outlaws had a price on their head.  No wonder he was so keen to avoid the stamp. 

Keep the noise down or you might start a stampede.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kevin.J]

Not sure if I have shown this one before

 

[Kevin.J]

[Kevin.J]

[Get Marwood & I]

On 3/15/2023 at 9:58 PM, Kevin.J said:

Not sure if I have shown this one before

 

I've got a few JBs in the files. I think his name was 'Jonty Bitchcrack'. 

[baggsey]

Hi folks - the commenter previously known as "baggsey" here ; I've been trying for weeks to log in with my previous ID and the chat board has continually refused to let me log in or comment...so I've set up this new ID which seems to work fine.

Anyway, I've just spent a happy few days reading the entire thread, past my last contribution during lockdown. Am very impressed by the progress made on tracking down the earliest T&P stamped DCs. I’m particularly intrigued by the quest for Detective #272.  

As I’m sure you know, Alan Austin set Detective #273 as the first issue of Detective Comics to be imported, as listed in both of his first two Comic Book Price guides for Britain in the mid 1970s. However, recently looking at my own comic checklist notebook that I maintained as I bought each comic in the mid 1970s, I was surprised to read that I actually had a copy of Detective #272, with a pencil notation of "torn, TS (Taped Spine)".  I have no recollection where I obtained it, but in those days I was either buying comics from Alan Austin by mail order, or scouring the second hand shops in the back streets of Portsmouth. I’ve been through all of Alan Austin’s sales lists and concluded it was a second hand shop buy, probably from The Book Exchange in Devonshire Avenue, Southsea.

I sold in on Aug 20th 1984 to Paul Hudson of Comic Showcase, along with other key issues that remained in my collection at that time. Unfortunately I have no photo of it, but at least this holds out some hope that a T&P priced issue may yet be found.

Please forgive me if the following has already been noted, but Alan Austin's The Comicollector’s Companion & Price Guide of 1975 also has an extensive selection of comic cover photos with a lot of visible T&P stamps, which I've listed below. I suspect that @Get Marwood & I already has examples of the covers below in his file, but if not, I'm happy to scan any of the covers shown in the book.

Challengers of the Unknown #11    -   "1" T&P stamp

Detective #275 - "8" stamp

Flash #112   - "6" stamp

Green Lantern  #1 -  "8" stamp

House of Secrets #31  -  "2" stamp

Mystery in Space #59 -  "6" stamp

Rip Hunter #1 - unreadable stamp (at least by my fading eyes)

Showcase #25 - undecipherable

Sea Devils #1   -  "8" stamp (I think)

Superman #134  - "2" stamp

Superman #144 - "7" stamp

Tales of Unexpected #55    -  "3" stamp

Wonder Woman #113    -  "3" stamp

House of Mystery #94 -  "9" stamp  (I think)

Brave and Bold #34 -  "6" stamp

Strange Adventure #117   - "7" stamp

 

[rakehell]

On 3/15/2023 at 10:19 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

'Jonty Bitchcrack'

That got me laughing out loud & getting odd looks from my co-skivers. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 3/16/2023 at 10:04 AM, rakehell said:

That got me laughing out loud & getting odd looks from my co-skivers. 

Thinking about it, I may have confused Jonty with Juniper Blunderslut, that other well known UK distributor of the time. Easy mistake to make, Daphers 

[rakehell]

On 3/16/2023 at 10:23 AM, Get Marwood & I said:

Juniper Blunderslut

 Oh dear. That's not good at all. Nothing like the ring to it of Jonty B!tchcrack, or even Jiffy Bumsnot.

In all seriousness, Velma, I love the look of that stamp. My foot is on the precipice of this particular rabbit hole...

Edited March 16, 2023 by rakehell
why did that work for you & not for me?

[CGC Mike]

On 3/16/2023 at 1:25 AM, pompeylad said:

Hi folks - the commenter previously known as "baggsey" here ; I've been trying for weeks to log in with my previous ID and the chat board has continually refused to let me log in or comment...so I've set up this new ID which seems to work fine.

I have merged your old account with this one.  You can do a name change if you would like.  (possibly to your old one).

[Malacoda]

After thousands of erudite & relevant comments, it's when we're flinging 'Jonty person_without_enough_empathycrack',  'Juniper Blunderslut' & 'Jiffy Bumsnot' around that Mike from the CGC happens to stick his head round the door and catch us running round with no trousers on.  It's always just when the class has gone completely feral that Teach comes back into the room. 

 

 

Edit :   'Jonty person_without_enough_empathycrack' ?   Superb.  I'm not even going to edit that. 

 

Edited March 16, 2023 by Malacoda

[Albert Tatlock]

On 3/16/2023 at 1:49 PM, Malacoda said:

Mike from the CGC happens to stick his head round the door and catch us running round with no trousers on

Perhaps Mike could tell us why the first name (MR. will automatically take its place if you attempt to insert it - the word, that is, lest I be accused of anything snigger-inducing) of the Highwayman Turpin cannot offend the sensitivities of the good folk here.

Presumably Lord Mayor Whittington and former Met Commissioner Cressida are similarly granted unpersonhood.

Edited March 16, 2023 by Albert Tatlock
add 1 line

[Get Marwood & I]

On 3/16/2023 at 5:25 AM, pompeylad said:

Hi folks - the commenter previously known as "baggsey" here ; I've been trying for weeks to log in with my previous ID and the chat board has continually refused to let me log in or comment...so I've set up this new ID which seems to work fine.

Welcome back Baggers. I remember you. If you want to change your name back to Baggsey, and don't know how, drop me a line and I'll show you how 

On 3/16/2023 at 5:25 AM, pompeylad said:

Anyway, I've just spent a happy few days reading the entire thread, past my last contribution during lockdown. Am very impressed by the progress made on tracking down the earliest T&P stamped DCs. I’m particularly intrigued by the quest for Detective #272.  

As I’m sure you know, Alan Austin set Detective #273 as the first issue of Detective Comics to be imported, as listed in both of his first two Comic Book Price guides for Britain in the mid 1970s. However, recently looking at my own comic checklist notebook that I maintained as I bought each comic in the mid 1970s, I was surprised to read that I actually had a copy of Detective #272, with a pencil notation of "torn, TS (Taped Spine)".  I have no recollection where I obtained it, but in those days I was either buying comics from Alan Austin by mail order, or scouring the second hand shops in the back streets of Portsmouth. I’ve been through all of Alan Austin’s sales lists and concluded it was a second hand shop buy, probably from The Book Exchange in Devonshire Avenue, Southsea.

Coolio in the Glasshouse! The all important question, Baggs - did your DC#272 have a T&P price stamp?

On 3/16/2023 at 5:25 AM, pompeylad said:

Please forgive me if the following has already been noted, but Alan Austin's The Comicollector’s Companion & Price Guide of 1975 also has an extensive selection of comic cover photos with a lot of visible T&P stamps, which I've listed below. I suspect that @Get Marwood & I already has examples of the covers below in his file, but if not, I'm happy to scan any of the covers shown in the book.

Challengers of the Unknown #11    -   "1" T&P stamp

Detective #275 - "8" stamp

Flash #112   - "6" stamp

Green Lantern  #1 -  "8" stamp

House of Secrets #31  -  "2" stamp

Mystery in Space #59 -  "6" stamp

Rip Hunter #1 - unreadable stamp (at least by my fading eyes)

Showcase #25 - undecipherable

Sea Devils #1   -  "8" stamp (I think)

Superman #134  - "2" stamp

Superman #144 - "7" stamp

Tales of Unexpected #55    -  "3" stamp

Wonder Woman #113    -  "3" stamp

House of Mystery #94 -  "9" stamp  (I think)

Brave and Bold #34 -  "6" stamp

Strange Adventure #117   - "7" stamp

Thanks for these - I note that none of them are earlier than those I've recorded to date...

....and none are on my "missing" list. I'll cross reference the stamp numbers though, later, as I like to have images of any with differing numbers.

I suppose I should do an update on this soon. I've been adding to, but not reporting on the 'missing list'.

Nice to see you back 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 3/16/2023 at 1:59 PM, Albert Tatlock said:

Perhaps Mike could tell us why the first name (MR. will automatically take its place if you attempt to insert it - the word, that is, lest I be accused of anything snigger-inducing) of the Highwayman Turpin cannot offend the sensitivities of the good folk here.

Presumably Lord Mayor Whittington and former Met Commissioner Cressida are similarly granted unpersonhood.

Philip K is one of the words on the forum the profanity filter, Albert. Regrettably, it can be both a persons name and another word for schlong. Schlong isn't on the filter. So if you want to use the Philp K word in a derogatory manner, just call your target a great big schlong head and it will pass the filter. But Don't ever call Philip Philip K Schlong. That would just be silly. See also Grayson and Van Dyke.