Marvel File Copies from mid-60’s — any examples/help out there? 1 1

[Readcomix]

Sorry no pix but this is rooted in a “should I buy it” question, hence no pix yet. Seller has a 1965 Marvel with back cover stamped (vertically along spine edge, in the white space area of whatever ad it was) “Filed month, date, 1965.” My first thought was filed where, by whom? Does anyone know if Marvel house file copies were stamped in this manner?

Pretty generic looking stamp otherwise, not unlike the font on many a date stamp from the era. The word “filed” is the difference. Any help appreciated — I thought it was cool but seller was a little strong on price for the grade. If it’s a Marvel file copy maybe I don’t care; if it’s let’s say some local library, maybe I don’t care in a different way.

Anyone seen this stamping nomenclature before/have any knowledge of provenance? Thanks!

[jimjum12]

On 10/23/2023 at 9:01 AM, Readcomix said:

Sorry no pix but this is rooted in a “should I buy it” question, hence no pix yet. Seller has a 1965 Marvel with back cover stamped (vertically along spine edge, in the white space area of whatever ad it was) “Filed month, date, 1965.” My first thought was filed where, by whom? Does anyone know if Marvel house file copies were stamped in this manner?

Pretty generic looking stamp otherwise, not unlike the font on many a date stamp from the era. The word “filed” is the difference. Any help appreciated — I thought it was cool but seller was a little strong on price for the grade. If it’s a Marvel file copy maybe I don’t care; if it’s let’s say some local library, maybe I don’t care in a different way.

Anyone seen this stamping nomenclature before/have any knowledge of provenance? Thanks!

There was a national dealer who was selling Marvel "FILE" copies that were of his own making in the 80's or 90's. but I don't have many details. There are boardies who may add more, but I would tread with caution. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[shadroch]

Most companies that advertised in comics kept a file copy of the ad. Sometimes, it would be just the ad, but sometimes, they'd save the whole copy.

Marvel office copies usually said just that: For Office Use Only or words to that effect. 

Some books were sold as Marvel File copies but I don't think CGC recognizes them, and the seller most associated with them is a well-known scumbag who sells restored books.  In the early 1980s hundreds of unused Marvel covers, used as proofs possibly, turned up and many dealers married them to inferior copies. It was much more accepted in the hobby at the time, although some dealers weren't very honest about it.

[LowGradeBronze]

Ideally a file copy would be of higher grade, making it a bit more of an attractive proposition over and above a merely average copy bearing a stamp. Without any provenance I would steer clear on this occasion. Maybe try and sleuth down some true examples before lining up a purchase. 

[BLUECHIPCOLLECTIBLES]

As I understand it, loose copies of books were kept on hand in the Marvel offices but tended to disappear,but that they also had bound volumes which also disappeared but not quite as often.  This, according to a one-time Marvel employee, was purportedly one such volume from Marvel's offices

Edited October 23, 2023 by BLUECHIPCOLLECTIBLES

[Readcomix]

Thanks everyone for the inputs; I steered clear of it for a reason.  Barring a credible boardie showing up here with a matching example and confidence of its provenance, I’m leaving it where it is. The book itself is sharp, approaching VF, and it’s clearly not out of a bound volume. But I’ve never heard of stamps on Marvel file copies myself. 

I lean toward either what @jimjum12 suggested (remnant of said dealer’s fraud from the past), or @shadroch’s suggestion (possible advertiser file copy) — the former I of course want to avoid (sad to ruin an otherwise high grade copy with a fake stamp, but someone may have); the latter might be neat if it could be proven, but I still would not want to attach any premium to it for that provenance.

@Straw-Man — IIRC you’ve offered/displayed known, slabbed Marvel file copies in a thread before. Ever see any that match the stamp I described? (“Filed month date, 196x”)? 

[Straw-Man]

had a couple slabbed atlas books, pre and post s'case 4, but i don't recall stamps.   cat has a slabbed timely file copy, provenance being the staple holes top spine where some note was appended,   am aware of no 60's marvel file copies, other than stan's so-called file copies.

[Readcomix]

On 10/23/2023 at 10:03 PM, Straw-Man said:

had a couple slabbed atlas books, pre and post s'case 4, but i don't recall stamps.   cat has a slabbed timely file copy, provenance being the staple holes top spine where some note was appended,   am aware of no 60's marvel file copies, other than stan's so-called file copies.

Thank you BP; I must be recalling Stan books. I'm leaning toward Jimbo's analysis as its the worst-case (faked). I've never seen this before in my years of back-issue collecting.

All - Two things for the record -- 1) the book in question is DD#8.  2) I don't at all suspect the LCS owner who has it. He's a young, earnest guy who may well have glossed over it as a simple date stamp on back. I almost did; it's that same font you see on many Marvel date stamps from that era. I noticed the word "filed" on second glance. If it's a fake stamp, he got it that way, I'd bet. (Or Shadroch may be right that it's the advertiser's copy.)

I've got some of Joe Sinnott's Atlas file copies, but his sons said his copies came from the Marvel newsstand in the office building in Manhattan -- contributors were allowed to take up to three copies of any book they worked on. I've got several of his, and have been through a short box of them, and no "filed" stamps. Of course, the word "filed" conjures images of Flo Steinberg sticking one in a metal filing cabinet drawer, not artists and writers plucking complimentary copies from the company store.

Thanks everyone!

[jimjum12]

On 10/23/2023 at 10:15 PM, Readcomix said:

Thank you BP; I must be recalling Stan books. I'm leaning toward Jimbo's analysis as its the worst-case (faked). I've never seen this before in my years of back-issue collecting.

All - Two things for the record -- 1) the book in question is DD#8.  2) I don't at all suspect the LCS owner who has it. He's a young, earnest guy who may well have glossed over it as a simple date stamp on back. I almost did; it's that same font you see on many Marvel date stamps from that era. I noticed the word "filed" on second glance. If it's a fake stamp, he got it that way, I'd bet. (Or Shadroch may be right that it's the advertiser's copy.)

I've got some of Joe Sinnott's Atlas file copies, but his sons said his copies came from the Marvel newsstand in the office building in Manhattan -- contributors were allowed to take up to three copies of any book they worked on. I've got several of his, and have been through a short box of them, and no "filed" stamps. Of course, the word "filed" conjures images of Flo Steinberg sticking one in a metal filing cabinet drawer, not artists and writers plucking complimentary copies from the company store.

Thanks everyone!

I've owned several Atlas "file" copies over the years, but don't know a lot of details. I did have a Sub-Mariner 40 that had the staple at the top of the cover with an adding machine receipt still attached. All the others either had the staple only remaining or just the holes. The figures appeared to be a list of dollar amounts and the folks I know always presumed they were "pay" copies. I wish I still had the picture of the actual receipt, but that was many computers ago. I may have it saved in Photobucket, but after their disgusting attempted cash grab, I washed my hands of them. Shame, Shame... 

Anyways, if I recall, one of the figures was a bit larger than the others, and I wondered if it was Everett's cut. There were no figures large enough, even for the 50's, to account for printing costs, so maybe content only? GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

[pmpknface]

On 10/23/2023 at 4:14 PM, BLUECHIPCOLLECTIBLES said:

As I understand it, loose copies of books were kept on hand in the Marvel offices but tended to disappear,but that they also had bound volumes which also disappeared but not quite as often.  This, according to a one-time Marvel employee, was purportedly one such volume from Marvel's offices

This is 100% true, I've seen the bound ones too.  You had to check them out like library books.  They were mainly used to for creators to reference what had happened before.  Pretty cool actually.  But I've never heard of Marvel file copies, except for "the" pay copy of MC #1.  

[the_Leader_knows]

If you define a "Marvel File Copy" as a  comic book you buy directly from Marvel and therefore never distributed in the usual way, then I have three of them I bought

directly from Marvel in the mid 1960s. I wrote a brief article about it for my website The Leader's Chronicles seen at the link below.

https://ditkofan.com/marvel-file-copies/

[shadroch]

I've never heard anyone refer to books like that as File Copies.  Do you know if they came folded like the subscription copies?

[jimjum12]

Almost all companies, if not all, will keep File Copies of print media that they pay for or employ. The only difference will be the duration of time they are retained. The reason to keep may vary and examples may be for proof of expenditure for auditing purposes, both internal and external. To claim they do not or did not exist would be naive. They may be kept offsite or destroyed every 3-7 years. As my friend Gene explained to me, there may be more than one type of file, one an actual File copy for whatever, and then the Library Copies, and even large stacks for proof that mass production occurred. It some cases ia file copy is more a requirement than a policy. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

I worked for a few print shops over the years and we always provided customers with file samples with their paperwork. I'm talking everything from fliers and service schedules all the way up to pamphlets and annuals. The printshop could have also had file copies on record for a time at least.  

Edited November 30, 2023 by jimjum12

[gunsmokin]

I owned the Marvel office bound volume of the three Sailor Sweeney issues and still haven’t forgiven myself for selling it. Somewhere I’ve seen a pic of Stan where some of these bound volumes were visible in the pic.

[BLUECHIPCOLLECTIBLES]

On 12/2/2023 at 5:26 AM, gunsmokin said:

I owned the Marvel office bound volume of the three Sailor Sweeney issues and still haven’t forgiven myself for selling it. Somewhere I’ve seen a pic of Stan where some of these bound volumes were visible in the pic.

There are also numerous pics showing loose copies laying on desks and stacked on shelves 

[Chip Cataldo]

On 10/23/2023 at 10:29 AM, jimjum12 said:

There was a national dealer who was selling Marvel "FILE" copies that were of his own making in the 80's or 90's. but I don't have many details. There are boardies who may add more, but I would tread with caution. GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)

Fantazia? I think I still have the sale sheet from them when they were selling the supposed "Eastern Color File Copy" books.