Looking for advice on newsstand vs direct and 9.4 vs 9.2 0

[GPR16]

Hey guys,

Sorry if this isn’t allowed, new here.

I’m looking to purchase Star Wars #42 as I’m a massive Star Wars fan and would be an excellent display piece and looking to get your thoughts on a couple of options:

9.4 newsstand edition - $770

9.4 direct edition - $649

9.2 newsstand edition $549

i have read a bit about newsstand and direct edition especially with Bronze Age comics so not sure if it’s worth paying the extra $100 for it

also is it worth considering the 9.2?

 

[Sigur Ros]

On 2/20/2022 at 4:33 AM, GPR16 said:

Hey guys,

Sorry if this isn’t allowed, new here.

I’m looking to purchase Star Wars #42 as I’m a massive Star Wars fan and would be an excellent display piece and looking to get your thoughts on a couple of options:

9.4 newsstand edition - $770

9.4 direct edition - $649

9.2 newsstand edition $549

i have read a bit about newsstand and direct edition especially with Bronze Age comics so not sure if it’s worth paying the extra $100 for it

also is it worth considering the 9.2?

 

For books of this age it is not worth paying extra for newsstand unless it's the only way to get what you want. They are more common than direct.  My Star Wars are all newsstand and as I finish my set they will remain that way.

I don't mind direct books but I can't stand that ugly diamond price box from Marvel so I would pay extra just to avoid them.  I don't buy those, but that's just me.  I own one diamond price box and it's because I won a Moon Knight #1 in a raffle... to flip.

As for 9.2 vs 9.4, it all depends on you.  Do you want the book for display or do you want it for value?   How do the books look?   I'd rather have a 9.2 that looks good than a 9.4 with any amount of miswrap or spine roll (another pet peeve of mine).

 

In other words, it all comes down to your preferences.

As for me, I would only buy newsstand and for $220 more, the 9.4 better look a lot better than the 9.2.

 

This chart is only approximate, of course.  That book is from 1980.

Edited February 20, 2022 by Sigur Ros

[GPR16]

On 2/21/2022 at 12:52 AM, Sigur Ros said:

For books of this age it is not worth paying extra for newsstand unless it's the only way to get what you want. They are more common than direct.  My Star Wars are all newsstand and as I finish my set they will remain that way.

I don't mind direct books but I can't stand that ugly diamond price box from Marvel so I would pay extra just to avoid them.  I don't buy those, but that's just me.  I own one diamond price box and it's because I won a Moon Knight #1 in a raffle... to flip.

As for 9.2 vs 9.4, it all depends on you.  Do you want the book for display or do you want it for value?   How do the books look?   I'd rather have a 9.2 that looks good than a 9.4 with any amount of miswrap or spine roll (another pet peeve of mine).

 

In other words, it all comes down to your preferences.

As for me, I would only buy newsstand and for $220 more, the 9.4 better look a lot better than the 9.2.

 

This chart is only approximate, of course.  That book is from 1980.

Wow thanks for the info - that's really helpful!

That picture you posted with the spine roll is from exactly the 9.2 listing I was looking at, would have never noticed it if you hadn't picked it up. I'm definitely looking to keep it as a display but I would always still have a potential resale value at the back of my mind if it ever came to that. I think I might prefer the newsstand edition since i'm not a big fan of the marvel logo.

Here are some photo's of the 94 newsstand edition that i'm looking at

Edited February 20, 2022 by GPR16
Duplicate quote

[revat]

If you don’t think the ultimate recipient has an opinion about it, just get the cheaper one, and even, I’d say get the one with best looking cover condition, even if the overall grade is a bit lower.

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by revat

[theCapraAegagrus]

Get the one that you think looks the best (aka Buy the Book, Not the Label). If you cannot tell the difference between the 3, then buy the cheapest one. 99.9% of people (or more) cannot tell the difference between a 9.4 and a 9.2 anyways.

[comicginger1789]

I mean, without the CGC case, every 9.4 has a chance at being a 9.2 and vice versa. Go with the one you like that looks better. To me, the newsstand factor should not be considered here at all but that is just me. 

[Miguelb]

If you are primarily looking to display it, why pay the extra money for the newstand anyway?

[GPR16]

On 2/22/2022 at 12:43 AM, theCapraAegagrus said:

Get the one that you think looks the best (aka Buy the Book, Not the Label). If you cannot tell the difference between the 3, then buy the cheapest one. 99.9% of people (or more) cannot tell the difference between a 9.4 and a 9.2 anyways.

Thanks that's a good point. I think I like the look of 9.2 the best out of the three. Do you think $550 is a fair price for it? I have looked at eBay listings and some seem to go for a lot more than that so it looks like a good buy.

[theCapraAegagrus]

On 2/24/2022 at 7:06 AM, GPR16 said:

Thanks that's a good point. I think I like the look of 9.2 the best out of the three. Do you think $550 is a fair price for it? I have looked at eBay listings and some seem to go for a lot more than that so it looks like a good buy.

Based on some brief research, that seems like a fair price to me.

[Sigur Ros]

On 2/24/2022 at 7:06 AM, GPR16 said:

Thanks that's a good point. I think I like the look of 9.2 the best out of the three. Do you think $550 is a fair price for it? I have looked at eBay listings and some seem to go for a lot more than that so it looks like a good buy.

$550 isn't terrible... but more importantly, the 9.4 is not worth $220 more than a 9.2.

Especially since you say the 9.2 looks better.

[ComicFill]

On 2/19/2022 at 11:33 PM, GPR16 said:

Hey guys,

Sorry if this isn’t allowed, new here.

I’m looking to purchase Star Wars #42 as I’m a massive Star Wars fan and would be an excellent display piece and looking to get your thoughts on a couple of options:

9.4 newsstand edition - $770

9.4 direct edition - $649

9.2 newsstand edition $549

i have read a bit about newsstand and direct edition especially with Bronze Age comics so not sure if it’s worth paying the extra $100 for it

also is it worth considering the 9.2?

 

This is all about personal preference. I couldn't care less about newsstand / direct personally. So I never pay a premium for it. As far as grade, if you are a Star Wars fan, not a comic collector, and you just want a great book that displays beautifully pick which one you think looks better. I mean if you just want it to display an 8.0 looks just as good as a 9.4 unless you're 6 inches away from it. If it's all about wanting the best value based on current sales do an advanced search on ebay for recent sales at each grade. Then divide the average by the price of the book you are looking at. Highest number wins.

[ComicFill]

On 2/24/2022 at 2:06 AM, GPR16 said:

Do you think $550 is a fair price for it?

Recent sales on gocollect for Star Wars 42 9.2 newsstand edition:
Mar 5: $431
Feb 24: $529 (less Best offer)
Feb 25: $606 (less Best offer)
Jan 18: $640 (less Best offer)
Jan 11: $625 (less Best offer)
Jan 5: $499

Book was going for $750+ over the summer. So it has crashed a little bit.

Edited March 13, 2022 by ComicFill

[William-James88]

On 2/20/2022 at 4:33 AM, GPR16 said:

Hey guys,

Sorry if this isn’t allowed, new here.

I’m looking to purchase Star Wars #42 as I’m a massive Star Wars fan and would be an excellent display piece and looking to get your thoughts on a couple of options:

9.4 newsstand edition - $770

9.4 direct edition - $649

9.2 newsstand edition $549

i have read a bit about newsstand and direct edition especially with Bronze Age comics so not sure if it’s worth paying the extra $100 for it

also is it worth considering the 9.2?

 

I would go for the 9.4 direct. It's only $100 more. The reason I wouldn't pick the newstand is because I am not certain the newsstand is more rare. We've had some dilligent board members look into the idea of newstand and for some books, there are more high grade newstand copies graded than direct copies making the newstands less rare. What I mean by this is that while the 9.4 newstand may be worth more, we don't really know if that worth is based on the actual rarity rather than simply the market, which could change if ever it's found out later that they are both as common.