Variant? Riiiiiight.

[underthebigw]

Can you believe this? Not only does this guy have a lot of nerve trying to get away with this, but the sad part is he's actually gotten bids. There are no Sept. 1976 variants, for those who don't know.

[comicinvestor-migration]

Yeah, I know what you mean!

 

Actually I don't, since there's no link, image or other info posted.

[ArAich]

 

Maybe this is a Variant of a real post...

[underthebigw]

Damn. Knew I forgot something. Sorry about that. Here it is:

 

Spidey "Variant"

[comicinvestor-migration]

I just love the guy's description:

 

30 Cent Variant Cover! Unlisted In Overstreet Price Guide! See Page 331 Of Overstreet Variants With Limited Distribution Are Thru #159! 30 Cent Edition Begin With #161, This Is A 30 Cent #160!

 

Imagine, a 30 Cent #160! that's Unlisted In Overstreet Price Guide!.

 

And here's another of the infamous "40-cent Variants":

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=725076504

[FlyingDonut]

Argh!

[ArAich]

 

Someone should notify B.O. before the new guide is printed....

[comicinvestor-migration]

Hey Dan, on a totally different "actual variant" note, I got a MTU 62 35-center yesterday, thus completing my Byrne MTU variant run!!

 

In my experience, that's a real bugger of an issue to find, and I've also got a new theory on the 35-centers if you want to hear it.....

[FlyingDonut]

I've also got a new theory on the 35-centers if you want to hear it.....

 

In the immortal words of Judge Smails:

 

"Welllllllllllllllllllllllllllll? We're WAITING!"

[comicinvestor-migration]

Remember when I stated the last issues of the 35-cent run (October 1977) were incredibly hard to find and much rarer than the others? This is undoubtedly true (especially given that market research needs were waning by Oct), but I've found that there is another reason.

 

The October 1977 variants seem to have had a totally different distribution pattern than the preceeding months. I've bought lots of 35-centers, where there was a complete run right up to Oct, then a 30-center. And more recently, I've been finding Oct 35-centers in runs with 30-cent issues preceeding it.

 

I've always had some evidence that this was what happened, but as time went by and I found more 35-centers, it's become really conclusive.

 

Thoughts?

[underthebigw]

Yeah, I noticed that one, but was willing to give the seller the benefit of the doubt. I figured he was just ignorant and thought that any Marvel with the sunburst price logo was a variant. The guy with the Spidey, though, is just being plain deceitful.

 

That's impressive on the .35 cent MTU variants. And your detection of distribution patterns is also impressive. Wanna share

[lighthouse]

Based on Marvel's distribution patterns for the 30-centers the previous year, that would not surprise me at all. Not a single 30-cent variant July 1976 issue was ever distributed in San Antonio (a distribution city for the other four months). Marvel was clearly using some rotating method in the distribution of the variant covers to provide them with a control group of data within at least some of the distribution cities. The fact that they would repeat this experiment the following year is not surprising. It's great to hear that someone has compiled the data to confirm this.