Promotional Comic Book Cover Announcements

[esquirecomics]

In the Heritage Signature auction held on August 11-13, 2005, there were 16 different promotional comic book covers that were offered. The stated description notes that in 1971 comic book collector Don Maris discovered a large barn filled 10 feet deep with newspapers, magazines, comics, etc. The material was from a distribution company that had supplied all magazines, newspapers and other stuff in eastern Oklahoma from 1917-1955. Included among the items were promotional comic book covers which were sent prior to a comic's publication, and were to encourage the distributor to tell his route drivers to give comics and other magazines prominent space on the magazine racks. Heritage estimated that there were about 200 such distributors in the US during the 1930s and 1940s, so that there were probably only about 200 of these announcements printed and shipped. Of course, no one was supposed to save the announcements. They would be discarded once the actual books arrived.

 

I just purchased one of these promotional covers. However, this was not one of the covers for sale by Heritage but I presume the above description still generally, if not specifically, applies.

This is a one page, double sided, promotional advertisement for the Single Series #12 comic book "Joe Jinks" from 1939.

 

 

[ft88]

I assume those creases are on all existing copies. Due to the newspaper being folded?

[esquirecomics]

I assume those creases are on all existing copies. Due to the newspaper being folded?

 

Typically, yes. I believe they were often mailed.