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Will newstand comics prove to be the rarest variant?
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I read where Marvel discontinued their newsstand versions, and said they were only about 1% of the total print run the last few years. IF that's true, considering the shape the average newsstand copy is in, these are even rarer than the 1 in 100 Variants people are paying big bucks for. I know people are attaching premiums to newsstand copies, but should they be higher?

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I would say a newstand is even more of a manufactured collectible than a ratio variant.

Given the choice between a direct edition, newsstand edition, or a ratio variant for a book that you're going to buy anyway... which do you pick if they're all cover price?

 

The answer is almost always "the ratio variant, unless I don't like the cover".

Turns out, the newsstand was probably the better answer for the past 20 years... we just didn't know it.

 

 

direct_newsstand.png

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=4&Number=9244482&Searchpage=1

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I would say a newstand is even more of a manufactured collectible than a ratio variant.

Given the choice between a direct edition, newsstand edition, or a ratio variant for a book that you're going to buy anyway... which do you pick if they're all cover price?

 

The answer is almost always "the ratio variant, unless I don't like the cover".

Turns out, the newsstand was probably the better answer for the past 20 years... we just didn't know it.

 

 

direct_newsstand.png

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=4&Number=9244482&Searchpage=1

 

 

The problem with this chart is by mid 1990s, direct editions also fell in units sold whereas this chart shows them going higher.

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I would say a newstand is even more of a manufactured collectible than a ratio variant.

Given the choice between a direct edition, newsstand edition, or a ratio variant for a book that you're going to buy anyway... which do you pick if they're all cover price?

 

The answer is almost always "the ratio variant, unless I don't like the cover".

Turns out, the newsstand was probably the better answer for the past 20 years... we just didn't know it.

 

 

direct_newsstand.png

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=4&Number=9244482&Searchpage=1

 

 

The problem with this chart is by mid 1990s, direct editions also fell in units sold whereas this chart shows them going higher.

 

The chart (with its purposefully vague labels) is showing the relative ratios. Time periods that are approximately 90/10, 50/50, or approaching 1/99.

 

The absolute number of copies isn't shown here... it's the number of direct relative to newsstand.

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I believe the chart tracks percentage of sales, not total sales.

I spoke to an old Marvel staffer about this and he thought 1987 was the year Marvels DM sales surpassed News stands, but when you consider all the Direct Only books- First, Eclipse, Warp and a thousand other publishers, that it was 86 or so. Certainly not a definitive answer but he was in position to see Marvels sales.

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I would say a newstand is even more of a manufactured collectible than a ratio variant.

Given the choice between a direct edition, newsstand edition, or a ratio variant for a book that you're going to buy anyway... which do you pick if they're all cover price?

 

The answer is almost always "the ratio variant, unless I don't like the cover".

Turns out, the newsstand was probably the better answer for the past 20 years... we just didn't know it.

 

So, I SHOULDN'T buy what I like, hm

 

:baiting:

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I would say a newstand is even more of a manufactured collectible than a ratio variant.

Given the choice between a direct edition, newsstand edition, or a ratio variant for a book that you're going to buy anyway... which do you pick if they're all cover price?

 

The answer is almost always "the ratio variant, unless I don't like the cover".

Turns out, the newsstand was probably the better answer for the past 20 years... we just didn't know it.

 

So, I SHOULDN'T buy what I like, hm

 

:baiting:

Right. That's exactly what I said. :baiting:

 

"I just buy what I like" doesn't need a message board and discussions. It's a bumper sticker philosophy, at best. (Just like "All comics are for reading" and "I'm not a professional grader".)

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I would say a newstand is even more of a manufactured collectible than a ratio variant.

Given the choice between a direct edition, newsstand edition, or a ratio variant for a book that you're going to buy anyway... which do you pick if they're all cover price?

 

The answer is almost always "the ratio variant, unless I don't like the cover".

Turns out, the newsstand was probably the better answer for the past 20 years... we just didn't know it.

 

 

direct_newsstand.png

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Board=4&Number=9244482&Searchpage=1

 

Some of us did. :whistle:

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I would say a newstand is even more of a manufactured collectible than a ratio variant.

"Manufactured collectible" is a term that describes something made on purpose to sell for more money than usual, to declare itself a "collector's item", or to be a (ratio) incentive to generate more orders.

 

Newsstand books didn't do any of those things.

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I would say a newstand is even more of a manufactured collectible than a ratio variant.

"Manufactured collectible" is a term that describes something made on purpose to sell for more money than usual, to declare itself a "collector's item", or to be a (ratio) incentive to generate more orders.

 

Newsstand books didn't do any of those things.

 

Sure, that makes sense. But that's your definition. Personally I don't like the term, was just joking around. Everything is manufactured and everything is collectible to someone, so it has no real meaning.

Edited by ygogolak
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I read where Marvel discontinued their newsstand versions, and said they were only about 1% of the total print run the last few years.

 

Marvel said this? With actual numbers?

 

IF that's true, considering the shape the average newsstand copy is in,

 

What does "the average newsstand copy" mean? Is it the copies you see beat up on the racks weeks after release, after all the good copies have been purchased (AKA the ones that get returned/destroyed)?

 

these are even rarer than the 1 in 100 Variants people are paying big bucks for. I know people are attaching premiums to newsstand copies, but should they be higher?

 

Newsstand copies weren't hyped as a limited special variant and most collectors still don't care about direct vs. newsstand.

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I would say a newstand is even more of a manufactured collectible than a ratio variant.

"Manufactured collectible" is a term that describes something made on purpose to sell for more money than usual, to declare itself a "collector's item", or to be a (ratio) incentive to generate more orders.

 

Newsstand books didn't do any of those things.

 

Sure, that makes sense. But that's your definition. Personally I don't like the term, was just joking around. Everything is manufactured and everything is collectible to someone, so it has no real meaning.

It's not just my definition.

 

"The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition and collector’s edition fall under the category of manufactured collectibles, since they are used as marketing incentives for various kinds of products" -link (not my site)

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Newsstand copies weren't hyped as a limited special variant and most collectors still don't care about direct vs. newsstand.

 

The prices will increase as buyers are educated. Thankfully, most people refuse to be educated beyond what is required by law, so there will always be at least a chance to get them cheap. (thumbs u
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I would say a newstand is even more of a manufactured collectible than a ratio variant.

"Manufactured collectible" is a term that describes something made on purpose to sell for more money than usual, to declare itself a "collector's item", or to be a (ratio) incentive to generate more orders.

 

Newsstand books didn't do any of those things.

 

Sure, that makes sense. But that's your definition. Personally I don't like the term, was just joking around. Everything is manufactured and everything is collectible to someone, so it has no real meaning.

It's not just my definition.

 

"The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition and collector’s edition fall under the category of manufactured collectibles, since they are used as marketing incentives for various kinds of products" -link (not my site)

 

No, it's not just yours. I see it thrown around on here from time to time. Actually, if you search for that term, CGC comes up pretty often in the early results.

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This is hard to say... the manufactured variants have something very distinct about them in that there is new artwork or variations like a B&W version of existing artwork.

 

The current newstand copies could either turn out to enjoy a slight increase or become the next 35¢ Star Wars 1 price variant. There may be no in-between.

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