That is, canadian price variants are worth 23 times more than nonprice variants of the same issue. In the 1940s and 1950s, some american comics found their way over to the united kingdom through american servicemen, through friends and family. So you may see a major comic having a 1in10 variant, a 1in25 variant, and so on. Variant covers are a large part of comic book collecting with each. Some comics with variant covers will be worth more long term and. As i have stated before variants, for the most part, get the existing customer base to buy more of the same issue.
If you were a comic shop in canada, you most likely bought comics from the direct sales channel and your books had the same old picture in the corner like ever other collectors book, and typically a dual pricing notation 60 cents us75 cents can. Or variants that dont add to the success of a comic book. Most comics do not appriciate in value and most certainly not variants. As most publishers do not disclose actual print run data, the numbers for each. Comicbook investments are more predictable than stocks. The cents or pence debate only applies to american comic books and not britishproduced comics like dandy and beano. Guide to start investing in comics books liveabout. The newsstand variants are much more valuable than their current price reflects. Although youll often see the term 75 cent variants used for this class of comic book rarities heres how that phrase may have originated, they differ from earlier price variant windows for example the earlier 35 cent variants in that the.
When asked about this here at the comix gallery, i state that variant buying is strictly for those with disposable cash to do so, and they should never buy. Covrprice the ultimate tool for comic collectors and. I have comics that are worth some money and others that are worth not much at all, but i wouldnt trade or sell. Whether you are an avid comic collector, a repeat offender one who once collected but fell by the wayside, are new to the industry, or someone who came across some old comics, welcome to the world of comics. A practical guide for how to actually findidentify these variants out there in the marketplace.
It misses some of the truly interesting price points. If a comic is purchased for an amount less than its fixed price i. Dc comics adult coloring book variants revealed comic book. Now firmly established in the comic book collecting community, variant comics often change hands for big money. All canadian price variants are newsstand copies that were distributed in canada. Other store variants might be kept by the store for an event like local comic shop day november, free comic book day may or for local conventions. Lets look again at the example above of green lantern 201. The list is more interesting as a result, and so our editorial decision is final. Even today, there is little published research on the topic of comic book variants outside the collectors perspective on variant covers, but jon martin mcclures history of publisher experimentation and variant comic books, published in the 201011 overstreet comic book price guide, provides ample indepth insight. Most folks want that rarer book regardless of the fact that the. Sometimes the variant will be worth more because it might show on the cover a character who is making a first appearance while the regular cover will not. Quickly identify comics with key character appearances. Image comics has announced a limited run of variant covers in support of freespeech advocacy group the comic book legal defense fund cbldf tim seeley, the man behind hackslash, and image publisher eric stephenson have joined forces and rounded up a selection of both censored and uncensored covers for titles including the last siege, bully wars, curse words, unnatural and many.
There is little doubt that the issue of marvel comics pence price variants is a contentious one when raised among comic book dealers. Are comic books with variant covers going to be valuable long term, or is it. This book had a print run of 5 million copies, and therefore the newsstand variants are super attractive. This is because there is a limited run on variants compared to the standard covers. Know instantly if youve got a rare find in your collection. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. Scarlet spider has a couple other incentives from this issue, which might have convinced more. Due to this fact, after time the variants would be worth more than the regular covers. If youre lucky and you live near a comic store that has commissioned a variant, we highly recommend you notify that store that you want a copy. A modern variant will hold better value then your modern nonvariant comic you buy from your lcs, while on the other hand 95 percent of variants will not hold value. Canadian price variants how to spot them rare comics.
In this issue, comic book variants will be explained. Variants that were created with non intension to sell multiple issues of the same comic, are the only variants that will be worth anything eg. There have been comics priced for the canadian consumer pretty much since the start of comic books as we know them. In comic books, a variant cover sometimes variant edition refers to an issue of a comic book printed with multiple covers, each with unique cover art. True, star wars is more of a movie property than a comicbook one, but we cant not give this rarity a little love. This is one of those spawn variants that only a true spawn collector would recognize as a incredibly rare variant. Also, the quality of the condition that the book is in will help determine its resale value. However, factor in the shipping and grading costs, and youve more or less. Variant covers became more common during the speculator boom of the 1990s, when. Most comics dont have variant covers but many do, especially key issues. Ten key newsstand variants from the 1990s comic boom. The covers, 24 that weve been able to track down, were solicited by.
Its not uncommon for a book to have multiple chases variants, each distributed at a different sales ratio. We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. Variant covers are when another artist draws his own cover for a comic. Things are looking grim for the batfamily as they explore the personal trauma the joker has caused each of them, but their wounds are shaping up to be more than physical this time around. These tend to be limited in number relative to the regular comics ordered a. Covr price lets you know when theres a hot, key or rare comic in your collection. I have heard numerous people talk about price variants and comics that are variants of the same issue. Image comics partners with cbldf for september anti.
Nearly 50% of the comic book market consists of variant covers. The most beloved and hated subcategories of comic book collecting. Its unusual to have them be worth more than cover price. Zapkapow comics comic book price guide and collection. Spawn books dont say variant anywhere on the cover. Here are the single issues with the highest number of variant covers to date. Its worth noting that theres no easy way to determine a variants print run i. Love them or hate them, variant covers are a big part of the comic book industry. Rare comics key investment comics of the modern age. Some say the reason for the higher canadian cover price is because the american dollar was worth more than the canadian. Top 60 most valuable comic books from the modern age. These rare funko pops will cost you a fortune comic book. The comic book price guide for great britain cents or pence.
You can not buy a comic lets say some variant cover version of. Given how strongly some people feel about the seeming proliferation of modern variants, the fact remains that they are a very large part of the hobby. The chaos effect alpha red or cear, as it is affectionately known, tends to be worth a little more than unity 0 red. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995. Like regular comics, variants have a speculative life span that reflects the desire of the comic in the first place.
The list above contains other rare comic books of the modern age which are neither. The variant changed over the years as the industry fluctuated and evolved. From our humble beginnings, we have grown to the largest, most complete comic book price guide with well over 1,000,000 comics in our database. The most valuable comic books in the world its all just. Variant covers tend to be worth more since a lot of the time they make less of them. Many opinions abound as to the collectability or desirability of these copies, and hence, the retail value to be given to them on the open market, which becomes more relevant as trading barriers are broken down.
When more than one comic is offered in a particular listing, the entire sale is disregarded. First issues the first comic book in a series will often be the most sought after comic book in a series. As a general rule, most comic books will go up in value. Ive sold several books over the last year or two that i had no idea would be worth. Chase variants are printed in much smaller quantities than the standard cover and are usually tightly distributed on a ratio system.
And this variant s art blends in perfectly with all surrounding issues. Very few variants are worth more than their normal versions. Epic comic book collection pickups thrift store haul silver age. To prevent this, marvel, in the summer of 1979, starting putting slightly different covers on books sold to comic book stores. These include the later 10 cent issues and all 12 cent issues, which ended in mid1969. As other comic speculators have written, the comic book industry is bordering. Well my question is how do you know if a book is a variant. The most common form of variant cover is the use of a different piece of. Comic store in your future so why do i order variant. In january, dcs themed variant cover month asks fans to express themselves with adult coloring books. Marvel comics pence price variants the hobbydb blog. For a lot of their line, dc comics have two covers.
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