Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 variant?

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This being said, it does't mean that some of these blank interior cover annuals didn't end up in Canada for sale originally but it was NOT an exclusively Canadian version.

 

Hmmmmmmm, just because you brought the non-blank version though does not mean that the blank version wasn't a Cananda exclusive. It means that there was a non-blank version and possible a "variant" version, only sold in Canada.

 

I personally have no idea, but I do not think you can say based on your argument that it was NOT an exclusive Canadian version.

 

What else do you have?

 

Read namisgr's post - blank covers are not uncommon...that alone should be enough to disqualify it as a solely Canadian variant.

 

As I said earlier, why would Marvel start randomly issuing Canadian variants after not doing so in the preceding years? Doesn't make any sense. Why would there be a blank cover and non blank cover version sold in Canada? That doesn't make any sense either. There were numerous other annuals issued around this time and sold in Canada - given your theory, why wouldn't they all have been issued with blank interior covers for the Canadian market?

 

Could this be attributed to printing errors? I don't think that these annuals came out at the same time so that's probably an incorrect theory.

 

That's all I have - what do you have?

 

 

 

CGC is under the impression that blank back covers are Canadian editions. Here's my slabbed FF annual 2 with a blank back cover.

I have always seen the blank cover editions described as Canadian. Certainly the "Blank" version ASM Annual # 2 that I owned back in the day was purchased off of the newsstand in Southern Ontario in 1965.

 

My hypothesis is that Martin Goodman saw an opportunity to increase ad revenue by offering cheap ads (production costs already being covered by the US versions) to Canadian advertisers.

 

Then he was caught off guard by a change in Canadian import law.

 

 

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This is only conjecture but the timing invites speculation.

Plausible... (thumbs u

I have always seen the blank cover editions described as Canadian. Certainly the "Blank" version ASM Annual # 2 that I owned back in the day was purchased off of the newsstand in Southern Ontario in 1965.

 

My hypothesis is that Martin Goodman saw an opportunity to increase ad revenue by offering cheap ads (production costs already being covered by the US versions) to Canadian advertisers.

 

Then he was caught off guard by a change in Canadian import law.

 

But the import law came into effect in 1965 while some of the annuals in question are for '64...

 

 

____________________

____________________

 

 

 

This is only conjecture but the timing invites speculation.

CGC is under the impression that blank back covers are Canadian editions. Here's my slabbed FF annual 2 with a blank back cover.

 

CGC is not immune to errors...

I have always seen the blank cover editions described as Canadian. Certainly the "Blank" version ASM Annual # 2 that I owned back in the day was purchased off of the newsstand in Southern Ontario in 1965.

 

My hypothesis is that Martin Goodman saw an opportunity to increase ad revenue by offering cheap ads (production costs already being covered by the US versions) to Canadian advertisers.

 

Then he was caught off guard by a change in Canadian import law.

 

But the import law came into effect in 1965 while some of the annuals in question are for '64...

 

 

____________________

____________________

 

 

 

This is only conjecture but the timing invites speculation.

I speculated on this in the Marvel Tales thread but didn't look up when the split run law came into force (thumbs u

I think the speculation is on the right track but the key is this new king size annual format gave Marvel the flexibility with the cover ad space.

Since US advertisers were only "paying" for US distribution of their ads - Marvel probably pulled their ads from the Canadian portion of the run because they didn't pay for "Canada".

The reasoning could have been to get them to pay for it next time OR to seek out "Cdn market" ads - who knows After the law in 1965, the flexibility disappears.

This being said, it does't mean that some of these blank interior cover annuals didn't end up in Canada for sale originally but it was NOT an exclusively Canadian version.

 

Hmmmmmmm, just because you brought the non-blank version though does not mean that the blank version wasn't a Cananda exclusive. It means that there was a non-blank version and possible a "variant" version, only sold in Canada.

 

I personally have no idea, but I do not think you can say based on your argument that it was NOT an exclusive Canadian version.

 

What else do you have?

 

Read namisgr's post - blank covers are not uncommon...that alone should be enough to disqualify it as a solely Canadian variant.

 

As I said earlier, why would Marvel start randomly issuing Canadian variants after not doing so in the preceding years? Doesn't make any sense. Why would there be a blank cover and non blank cover version sold in Canada? That doesn't make any sense either. There were numerous other annuals issued around this time and sold in Canada - given your theory, why wouldn't they all have been issued with blank interior covers for the Canadian market?

 

Could this be attributed to printing errors? I don't think that these annuals came out at the same time so that's probably an incorrect theory.

 

That's all I have - what do you have?

 

 

 

When people use words like "Absolutely", I tend to ask them to dwelve deeper into his/her information. Like most others, yours appears to be more speculation. I have no issue with that, but your "Absolutely" isn't really justified with your documentation, IMHO.

Let's look at the Amazing Spider-Man 158 30 cent variant. I think most would agree that this book is common. It is not as populous at the 25 cent regular edition, but common enough. But it was only distributed at most in six US cities, and maybe a few as one or two. It was exclusive to those cities and was common. Here is a book that had both 25 cent and 30 cent editions that was distributed in the US. So, I can personally believe that the blank annuals were distributed only in Canada.

So, that said, you are definitely entitled to your opinion. As I have stated, I really have no idea. Seems like other posters are more well versed than I and have some interesting theories.

Nice discussion though. (thumbs u

In my experience, American editions wound up in Canada most of the time as well as the American versions, so the fact that pemart1966 found an American edition does not prove anything.

There are also Overstreet Price Guides from the early 70s that have blank backs instead of the Robert Bell ads & no ads on the inside. I thought I had read that this was done due to the exchange rate & prices not being accurate for the Canadian market. May be a partial explanation for this phenomenon.

I know this tread is old haha - just wanted to add that I just purchased a collection which DID originate in Canada, and this blank paged variant of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2 was in the collection. I just listed it on eBay

https://www.ebay.com/itm/232692437512

Heh - just found another one