What are these spots on these 9.8 Amazing Spider-Man 252s? 1 1

[Lazyboy]

"Spots" is definitely not an accurate descriptor. It's due to the interior cover ad and some combination of off-gassing, microchamber paper and how the image was created.

On 7/24/2023 at 6:07 PM, Timed said:

This image clearly shows the white-outlined boxes of the black ad through the cover.

[BlowUpTheMoon]

I inverted the colors on one of the provided images.  It usually helps to see stuff in a different light.

But I'm not seeing anything.

 

[RockMyAmadeus]

On 7/24/2023 at 12:51 PM, do-boy99 said:

What is on the inside of the cover in that spot?

I think it is color showing through.

 

[Domo Arigato]

On 7/24/2023 at 2:51 PM, do-boy99 said:

What is on the inside of the cover in that spot?

I think it is color showing through.

As do-boy99 and RMA pointed out.......this is my opinion as well.

If it's the vertical line running down the cover (in between the black lines in the picture below).....then it appears to be interior cover artwork showing through, since you can see it further down in the orange area of the cover as well.

 

[Timed]

On 7/24/2023 at 5:03 PM, Pantodude said:

TBH, I can't discern any spots from those pix.  So I took a look at my copy in hand.  Here's a closeup of the area in question:

No spots, right?   Or are my eyes really that bad.  

Just curious, is yours a newsstand or direct?

I haven't seen in much if any on the direct editions, so just curious. 

[Timed]

On 7/24/2023 at 7:54 PM, Domo Arigato said:

As do-boy99 and RMA pointed out.......this is my opinion as well.

If it's the vertical line running down the cover (in between the black lines in the picture below).....then it appears to be interior cover artwork showing through, since you can see it further down in the orange area of the cover as well.

 

It likely is the art showing through then, at least the majority contributing factor. Thanks for pointing out that it extends down.

[ADAMANTIUM]

On 7/24/2023 at 8:09 PM, Timed said:

It likely is the art showing through then, at least the majority contributing factor. Thanks for pointing out that it extends down.

Been a while since either of us cracked a raw one open to preview then 😂

[Pantodude]

On 7/24/2023 at 9:07 PM, Timed said:

Just curious, is yours a newsstand or direct?

I haven't seen in much if any on the direct editions, so just curious. 

Newsstand

[lostboys]

I also think its just the inside of the cover showing through.

 

Hey, is it true that there are actually way more newsstand copies than direct for issue 252?

 

 

[D2]

These comic books were printed on toilet paper, so some discoloured mishaps are common. 
 

 

[Gonzimodo]

On 7/25/2023 at 8:18 AM, lostboys said:

I also think its just the inside of the cover showing through.

 

Hey, is it true that there are actually way more newsstand copies than direct for issue 252?

 

 

Actual published numbers for each are apparently not available.  It being 1984, you can guess that more newsstand copies were actually printed, but I really have no idea, personally. 

As I understand it, comic shops (direct market) apparently did not order enough copies to meet demand, so they supplemented their orders by buying up newsstand copies once they hit the stands.  Individual collectors who missed out at the comic shop also sought out newsstand copies, as did the speculators and flippers at the time.  (Two other comics usually mentioned for which this happened are Thor 337 and ASM 361.)

If you assume that newsstand copies generally have a lower "survivability rate" than direct market copies due to being out in the wild, getting thumbed through by snot-nosed kids, bent up, being bought by random non-collectors, etc., and then being returned and destroyed if unsold, then it follows that a higher percentage of newsstand copies of ASM 252 have survived in better condition than any other typical issue has.  That's because a lot more were treated essentially the same as direct edition copies, which were probably more likely to be handled properly, bought by collectors who care about condition, and bagged and boarded.  (Not everyone assumes this, of course, but I'm just trying to explain the logic.)

So if we assume that more newsstand editions of ASM 252 were published than direct market editions (Again, I really don't know.) and they had a much higher "survivability rate" than usual, it's definitely possible that there are more surviving newsstand editions than direct market editions out there.  Without knowing the actual print runs and newsstand return numbers, though, it's really just a guess.  We can state with some certainty that ASM 252 newsstand copies "survived" at a higher percentage than almost all other newsstand editions of comics of the time, and so the ratio of newsstand editions to direct market editions is higher, but that's about it.

Now I sit back and wait for people with a lot more knowledge to come in and tear this post apart...  

[lostboys]

On 7/25/2023 at 2:31 PM, Gonzimodo said:

Actual published numbers for each are apparently not available.  It being 1984, you can guess that more newsstand copies were actually printed, but I really have no idea, personally. 

As I understand it, comic shops (direct market) apparently did not order enough copies to meet demand, so they supplemented their orders by buying up newsstand copies once they hit the stands.  Individual collectors who missed out at the comic shop also sought out newsstand copies, as did the speculators and flippers at the time.  (Two other comics usually mentioned for which this happened are Thor 337 and ASM 361.)

If you assume that newsstand copies generally have a lower "survivability rate" than direct market copies due to being out in the wild, getting thumbed through by snot-nosed kids, bent up, being bought by random non-collectors, etc., and then being returned and destroyed if unsold, then it follows that a higher percentage of newsstand copies of ASM 252 have survived in better condition than any other typical issue has.  That's because a lot more were treated essentially the same as direct edition copies, which were probably more likely to be handled properly, bought by collectors who care about condition, and bagged and boarded.  (Not everyone assumes this, of course, but I'm just trying to explain the logic.)

So if we assume that more newsstand editions of ASM 252 were published than direct market editions (Again, I really don't know.) and they had a much higher "survivability rate" than usual, it's definitely possible that there are more surviving newsstand editions than direct market editions out there.  Without knowing the actual print runs and newsstand return numbers, though, it's really just a guess.  We can state with some certainty that ASM 252 newsstand copies "survived" at a higher percentage than almost all other newsstand editions of comics of the time, and so the ratio of newsstand editions to direct market editions is higher, but that's about it.

Now I sit back and wait for people with a lot more knowledge to come in and tear this post apart...  

People with more knowledge may try and tear your post apart but I see many more newsstand copies for sale on Ebay than direct.

 

[valiantman]

On 7/26/2023 at 7:41 AM, lostboys said:

People with more knowledge may try and tear your post apart but I see many more newsstand copies for sale on Ebay than direct.

 

GPA has been identifying newsstand vs. direct edition for Amazing Spider-Man #252 for a couple of years. 

CGC 9.8 has been 50% newsstand and the lower grades have been in the 60% to 70% newsstand range... more newsstand than direct editions.

This is definitely a book that collectors hoarded the newsstand copies when they arrived. They also survived in Canada quite often, the 75 cent cover is not uncommon (but it is the lowest percentage of the three types).

ASM #252 is very different from ASM #300, which has only 5% CGC 9.8 newsstand to around 20% for CGC 9.2 newsstand and the 50% newsstand point is somewhere around CGC 7.5.

Edited July 26, 2023 by valiantman

[MAR1979]

Sadly wrong perceptions permeate the hobby thus ASM252 Newsstand especially in 9.8 command higher coin than the Direct which may possibly be the slightly more "rare" edition including in 9.8.  "It's a newsstand baby", in the case of ASM252 (and Thor 337, ASM361) is total frickin' joke.

Edited July 26, 2023 by MAR1979

[Pittsburgh]

Newsstand availability during that time is one reason why I bought the Canadian Price editions for ASM 252 and Thor 337.