Checking Copies? Looking for more info. 0

[Sauce Dog]

I'm looking for more details behind Golden Age "Checking Copies", specifically confirmation about at which point during the process they might have been utilized. 

For those unaware of what these are: Checking copies are intended for the editors or "checkers" of ad copy, in order to make sure all ad copy & placement was correct.  Checking copies would often have check marks in pencil on each ad throughout the book when confirming that they were correct by staff/advertisers. They would also often have a CHECKING COPY stamp on the cover indicating it as such, and are different from 'File Copies' as they were used in the actual process of manufacturing the issue while the others were just pulled to be filed away for reference after the fact.

I have seen some people say they are amongst the first ever printed of that book (before it is even distributed so that editors and sponsors can sign off on it prior to the full print run being done), however others I have seen say these were sent out to sponsors later on during invoicing in order to show everything went as planned and payment should be made in full (so after the print job was completed, but not necessarily after distributon to shops). I'm sure the process and handling varied between publishers, but it would be interesting to learn more about them; how many exist per issue? were these pre-production prints used to catch any issue prior to doing a full print run, or copies pulled from the final print run for reference?

Below: My favourite Checking Copy. Very clear stamp on cover (with a date and additional check written by it), and all interior ad pages have 1-3 check marks on them (clearly done by different people, as some are in pencil and others in ball point pen)

Edited December 4, 2021 by Sauce Dog

[Sauce Dog]

Come on ya old nerds, share your secrets!