Diamond Price Tags on Older Comics?

[ultimatespyder20]

I just bought a copy of Moon Knight #3 from the 1980 series, and instead of the regular prive box, it's in a diamond, it's different from what it should be. Is it worth more? Is this rare?

Alec

[Aaron Kashtan]

I forget what exactly the diamond price tags signified-- I think the diamond and square price tags were used to distinguish direct market copies from newsstand copies, though I'm not sure which is which. However, I do know that they're very common and do not make the comic more valuable.

[Red Oak Kid]

I believe this question came up a year or two ago, and the consensus here was that there is no difference in value.

This was the infancy of the direct market and the diamond covers went directly to the comic book shops and could not be returned.

The other version was for newstand sales thru Marvel's regular distributor and could be returned if not sold.

I don't believe Overstreet makes any distinction between the two covers.

[scratchie]

I think the diamond price indicators were used for reprints, as well as direct market versions. I recall that at one point (in 1977 or 78), Star Wars #1 was worth a lot of money, but only the first printing (which had the "classic" Marvel price tag). Subsequent printings had the diamond price tag. I don't remember where I saw them specifically, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't at a comic book store (since there was only one that I knew of back then -- Million Year Picnic -- and I only shopped there a couple of times).

[Captain Jim]

^^^

Yeah, that's my recollection as well. The first place I remember seeing the "diamond" covers was in the three-packs that were plastic-bagged together for department stores and etc (and these were reprints).

So, a "diamond" on the cover doesn't automatically mean a difference in value, but it it's a clue that you might have a 2nd printing or later, then this may indicate a difference in value.

[T GUy]

This was the infancy of the direct market and the diamond covers went directly to the comic book shops and could not be returned.

The other version was for newstand sales thru Marvel's regular distributor and could be returned if not sold. - ROK

That's what I recall from being there at the time as well.

It might be useful to note that the diamond covers went to comicbook speciality stores, where they all disappeared into the mylar bags of collectors; the other, newsstand, copies were scattered to the four winds and, if anything, might be more valuable/rere/etc.

[berk]

^^^

Yeah, that's my recollection as well. The first place I remember seeing the "diamond" covers was in the three-packs that were plastic-bagged together for department stores and etc (and these were reprints).I remember fiilling out Kirby's Eternals series when I found some of these at K-Mart. IIRC it was a bloody nuisance trying to twist and turn the bag to see what that middle comic was. The diamond covers always looked like cheap knock-offs to me for some reason, probably just because I was so used to the Marvel cover format.

[MichikoS]

This site has the most comprehensive information on Marvel's Direct Sales Issues, 1977-79.

http://www.bipcomics.com/showcase/Direct/index.htm

The Moon Knight issue that was brought up at the top of this thread, #3, was a direct sales issue if it had a diamond price. Moon Knight was an interesting title, in that the first 14 issues had both direct (diamond) and newsstand (square) distribution markings, but with issue #15, only direct sales (diamond marking) through the final issue, #38.

Michi

[Rob Imes]

The first place I remember seeing the "diamond" covers was in the three-packs that were plastic-bagged together for department stores and etc (and these were reprints).

Actually I don't think those were reprints (aside from the Star Wars reprints), they were just distributed differently, had that diamond on them, but were printed at the same time as the regular issues -- which is why they aren't worth less. I believe that even the DC Comics which came 3-in-a-bag, bearing the Whitman logo instead of the DC one, were not reprints, but were printed at the same time as the normal issues.

[Lone Ranger]

I recall some discussion of the two different price boxes in a Bullpen Bulletins in the early 80s. I remember that they showed the diamond and the box and explained the difference.

I have a hunch this was in either March, 1981 or March 1982 issues of Marvel books. If anyone has books from that period handy, they can check it out.

I'm at the office so can't confirm.

[InfoBroker]

Yeppers, Kimosabe is correct that the Marvel Bullpen Bulletins pages of late 1981 early 1982 had an editorial that made it quite clear that their direct sales versions were identical except for the the Diamond and the lack of a barcode on the cover. They also made it clear that it was up to the comical book collector's to determine if there was a value difference, although they were pushing hard as they could to make it a non-differentiator.

It should be noted that initially (from about 1976 to 1977) the direct market versions were identical to the newstand versions, but the distributors starting having problems with some stores who were returning more comics for credit that they ordered via the newsstand method. So the comic publishers altered their direct order comics so they couldn't be used in this fashion.

Marvel did use the diamond shape to indicate reprints, 2nd printings and beyond for several comics in the late 1970s. The Star Wars books were among the first, if not the first to do this.


-jb the (what's a barcode between friends?) ib -

[InfoBroker]

And just for completion sake, and since it was a Moon Knight comics that started this thread...

It should be noted that in the fall of 1981, Marvel started there first set of Direct Only distributed comics with a trio of titles, Kazar, Micronauts and Moon Knight. I loved them because they had more pages, no ads except for house ads (at least initially), and the covers were de-clutterd of that nasty bar-code area.

This was a means to allow lower selling comics to continue publication, and it was response to the Direct Only publishers that were starting up at the time (First, Eclipse and Pacific).

-jb the ( I guess for the design-sensitive types of people[like me], the barcode is a big deal) ib -

[ultimatespyder20]

I don't think it's a reprint, it seems pretty old, and it has the publication year on it and all. I looked and couldn't find it saying it was a reprint anywhere.

Alec

[InfoBroker]

Oops! Yea, I guess we never did come right and clarify this particular comic.

Noppers. Moon Knight was not reprinted or 2nd printed in this timeframe. What you have is a direct marketed version of Moon Knight.

I'm trying to remember if Moon Knight was a direct sales only title from the get go, or if it had an issue or two under its belt before it went that route.

Kazar went direct-only around issue number 6 or 7(or maybe 8 or 9). Micronauts somewhere in the 30s.

-jb the (scratching-his-head) ib -

[Captain Jim]

Actually I don't think those were reprints (aside from the Star Wars reprints), they were just distributed differently, had that diamond on them, but were printed at the same time as the regular issues -- which is why they aren't worth less. I believe that even the DC Comics which came 3-in-a-bag, bearing the Whitman logo instead of the DC one, were not reprints, but were printed at the same time as the normal issues.

No, they were definitely reprints. I was managing a comic store at the time and used to pick them up at the department stores, open them, and bag and sell them individually. At least ones that had particularly desirable books in them. For instance, there were often 3-packs of GI Joe, and this book was so hot back then, we couldn't keep the back issues in stock.

If you open up the book and look at the bottom of the publishing info at the bottom of the first page, you would invaribly see "Second Print."

For clarification, we didn't try to pass them off as first prints, we labeled them accordingly. But the GI Joes (which tended to appeal to a younger crowd) still sold well, even clearly labeled as second prints. In fact, many parents preferred these because the price was much more reasonable.

[Rob Imes]

No, they were definitely reprints.

I think we're talking about two different time-frames here. My understanding is that the 3-in-a-bag comics that appeared in grocery stores, etc. around 1977-82, were not reprints, except for the Star Wars issues (because the Star Wars originals were scarce). After 1982 or so, 3-packs did carry some reprints of then-hot comics like G. I. Joe. I have an issue of Superman from around 1988 (#24 or thereabouts) which presumably came from a 3-pack and it does mention being a second printing in the indicia.


I'm trying to remember if Moon Knight was a direct sales only title from the get go, or if it had an issue or two under its belt before it went that route.

The first direct-sale-only issue of Moon Knight was #15 (January 1982).

[Rob Allen]

I haven't been there myself, but I've read that the forums at www.stlcomics.com specialize in keeping track of variant versions of comics. Might be worth checking there.

[Captain Jim]

I think we're talking about two different time-frames here.


That's very possible. I know the later packs had reprints; I can't speak for the earlier ones (then again, it's possible the earlier ones could have had reprints that weren't labeled as such).

[Agentum]

I remember reading about this in a Marvel book from that era and they simply answered that it was about the distribution system used for the comic, no value diffrence or reprints or something, and they was printed in the smame printrun.