Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

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Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by JCP »

I recently started collecting some of these to complete my collection of various titles. They are identical in every fashion to the cent copies with the exception of the price variant. From what I can gather, there are fewer copies of these pence variants than the cent editions. Yet, puzzlingly, you can obtain these variants - despite their scarcity - for less than the cent copies. Out of curiosity, does anybody else collect these? Can you
think of any reason why the market for these is paradoxically the way it is given their limited availability?
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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by IMJ »

I have a few Silver and early Bronze Pence Price issues in my Iron Man run. I consider them novelties. I remember there was a time when a weird singular "Pence Price Variant" would appear in a price guide somewhere. I always thought it was weird that one issue would get that label because I always figured that every comic had a pence price sister in the U.K.

There was a guy who has had this very unique, corner store, old school comic shop in Villa Park, IL. Really cool store that is sort of a community staple there. I haven't been there in a decade or more now, but he had a neat copy of Iron Man vol 1 #3 with pence pricing on it. It was beat. to. *SQUEE*. I mean... it had to be sub 2.0 all day that somehow remained intact. I think he was asking like 60 bucks for it. Great and cool shop otherwise, but no way man.

So basically if I find them as cheap novelties I add them to my set, but if I feel any pricing resistance on them at all whatsoever I just walk. Basically I file these in my mind as "foreign edition collector" pieces. Cool, but not my thing.

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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by grendeljd »

I have a UK pence copy of Uncanny Xmen 98, and I think thats the only ‘UK variant’ in my whole collection. I like having it. I’d be curious to know if there are UK copies of every issue or not - seems to me like it was only a certain time frame when they made these specifically different price editions (but I could easily be wrong about that).

It does surprise me that these versions don’t seem to have gained much traction as rarer print editions of the North American issues, especially with the way collectors speculate over newsstand vs direct editing copies. I don’t know what kind of print run numbers these had, if that has an effect on the collectibility…
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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by SwiftMann »

There are also AUS versions and likely others. As already stated, they are novelty at this point and cheaper because there is no real demand.

And I don't know the timing but these are likely thought of as later printings or "not the real" versions by U.S. collectors. It's a step down from newsstand editions, which, despite the push a few years ago never became a "thing" (with certain exceptions).
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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by JCP »

Despite not being a “thing”, finding pence keys in grade, if at all, can be very difficult.
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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by SwiftMann »

JCP wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 4:53:02 pm Despite not being a “thing”, finding pence keys in grade, if at all, can be very difficult.
No one is disputing that. Your original post asked why they were less costly. The answer is no demand. Rarity unto itself doesn't make things pricey.
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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by nycjadie »

Pence, Canadian and Australian variants are more popular than ever. Sometimes, they are t cheaper than the US versions. I was lucky to snag AU versions of the first appearance of Carnage. Those are a few copies that are extremely rare.

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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by greg »

SwiftMann wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 6:29:17 pm
JCP wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 4:53:02 pm Despite not being a “thing”, finding pence keys in grade, if at all, can be very difficult.
No one is disputing that. Your original post asked why they were less costly. The answer is no demand. Rarity unto itself doesn't make things pricey.
That's correct... however, when there is a slight increase in demand for something with no rarity, the price stays low.
When there is just a slight increase in demand for something with rarity, the price can jump quickly... because there's no supply to meet the demand.

My prediction is that the "foreign" variants, which have mostly been considered reprints for decades, will jump in price with only slight demand from collectors as they realize they are not reprints, but printed on the same machines at the same time in the U.S., then shipped overseas.

That slight demand which causes a price jump will cause more demand, and eventually we'll see some foreign variants of key issues approaching the kind of premium prices that 1977 Marvel 35-cent variants get now vs. their regular counterparts.

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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by SwiftMann »

greg wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:51:01 am
SwiftMann wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 6:29:17 pm
JCP wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 4:53:02 pm Despite not being a “thing”, finding pence keys in grade, if at all, can be very difficult.
No one is disputing that. Your original post asked why they were less costly. The answer is no demand. Rarity unto itself doesn't make things pricey.
That's correct... however, when there is a slight increase in demand for something with no rarity, the price stays low.
When there is just a slight increase in demand for something with rarity, the price can jump quickly... because there's no supply to meet the demand.

My prediction is that the "foreign" variants, which have mostly been considered reprints for decades, will jump in price with only slight demand from collectors as they realize they are not reprints, but printed on the same machines at the same time in the U.S., then shipped overseas.

That slight demand which causes a price jump will cause more demand, and eventually we'll see some foreign variants of key issues approaching the kind of premium prices that 1977 Marvel 35-cent variants get now vs. their regular counterparts.
Perhaps.

It has happened with the small community that is newsstand folks, and in all honesty, this group. Moving books around within a small community can drive up prices, especially as we are still in this COVID collectibles bubble driven by excess consumer savings. So, while prices may be driven up within that insular group, I think it's boarderline artificial, or at least self-fulfilling, for a niche collectible.
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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by greg »

SwiftMann wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 12:40:54 pm
greg wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:51:01 am
SwiftMann wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 6:29:17 pm
JCP wrote: Sun Sep 05, 2021 4:53:02 pm Despite not being a “thing”, finding pence keys in grade, if at all, can be very difficult.
No one is disputing that. Your original post asked why they were less costly. The answer is no demand. Rarity unto itself doesn't make things pricey.
That's correct... however, when there is a slight increase in demand for something with no rarity, the price stays low.
When there is just a slight increase in demand for something with rarity, the price can jump quickly... because there's no supply to meet the demand.

My prediction is that the "foreign" variants, which have mostly been considered reprints for decades, will jump in price with only slight demand from collectors as they realize they are not reprints, but printed on the same machines at the same time in the U.S., then shipped overseas.

That slight demand which causes a price jump will cause more demand, and eventually we'll see some foreign variants of key issues approaching the kind of premium prices that 1977 Marvel 35-cent variants get now vs. their regular counterparts.
Perhaps.

It has happened with the small community that is newsstand folks, and in all honesty, this group. Moving books around within a small community can drive up prices, especially as we are still in this COVID collectibles bubble driven by excess consumer savings. So, while prices may be driven up within that insular group, I think it's boarderline artificial, or at least self-fulfilling, for a niche collectible.
I used to worry about things being "niche" and considering that "artificial" but once you get into ANY collectible, you realize they're all niche.
Golden Age collectors are trading back and forth with each other in the hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars, and it can't be more than 50 buyers. Those are the biggest keys of all time and they're "niche".

Pick any collectible, publisher, category, whatever, and you'll find some core group that does the majority of activity with others on the edge who might try one or two, but don't get completely sucked in. Everyone basically loves Spider-Man, but it's maybe 50 guys who can buy a top condition Amazing Fantasy #15.

It's always niche, and it's always "artificial" if you take away the core group. The question is whether the core group is going anywhere.
The longer you wait, the less likely they are to be swayed by something new and shiny...
Unless they're literally dying of old age (such as stamp collectors), and no one is there to replace them.

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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by SwiftMann »

I understand your perspective. I just, respectfully, disagree with it.

You can't compare the demand of an Amazing Fantasy #15 to that of a UK priced... anything. Well, unless it's Amazing Fantasy #15 (but I don't think the UK prices came until the 70s - could be off there). Those big ticket items are known far beyond comic collectors.

Pence covers, newsstands, printing errors, 9.8s of junk books... This stuff is fueled by niche collectors struggling to find ways to further a completed collection, not market-wide conditions. I know because I am one of those collectors.
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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by greg »

SwiftMann wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 7:16:56 pm I understand your perspective. I just, respectfully, disagree with it.

You can't compare the demand of an Amazing Fantasy #15 to that of a UK priced... anything. Well, unless it's Amazing Fantasy #15 (but I don't think the UK prices came until the 70s - could be off there). Those big ticket items are known far beyond comic collectors.

Pence covers, newsstands, printing errors, 9.8s of junk books... This stuff is fueled by niche collectors struggling to find ways to further a completed collection, not market-wide conditions. I know because I am one of those collectors.
I'll respectfully disagree with you as well, particularly since you don't know that Marvel UK variants started before Amazing Fantasy #15, and include Amazing Fantasy #15 as well as almost all the big Marvel keys.

Let's say that even years from now 97% of collectors agree with you, and they don't want anything to do with UK variants.
That leaves just 3% who would want UK variants.

When it comes to Amazing Fantasy #15, only 2% are UK variants... and the 3% demand would be 150% of the supply.
http://www.cgcdata.com/cgc/search/title ... iants/yes/

Prices could go insanely high with just 3% seeking them. That's a ridiculously low bar, and you're betting on the "under".

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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by SwiftMann »

Like I said, I wasn't sure when UK variants started. I've seen plenty of examples from the 70s, not so much earlier.

I think focusing on the Amazing Fantasy example is an outlier in all ways for any market.

To all the niche collectors, myself included, knock yourselves out with pence variants, newsstands, double covers, Whitmans, or whatever variations can be found. It's fun regardless of differet anticipated value vs the "real" ones.
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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by nycjadie »

I’ll say there are probably a dozen collectors that collect 9.8 graded Valiant items like I do. It only takes two of us to take a slab from $40 to $400 or $1200.

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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by JCP »

I didn’t mean to start a frenzy with this thread or create any animosity. We’re among good company for sure.

Am I the only weirdo among the group who collects these UK variants? If anybody has any they wish to part with, please dm me.
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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by SwiftMann »

JCP wrote: Wed Sep 08, 2021 9:43:28 am I didn’t mean to start a frenzy with this thread or create any animosity.
Don't think there's any animosity created. Just some polite disagreement.
Am I the only weirdo among the group who collects these UK variants? If anybody has any they wish to part with, please dm me.
I don't search them out, but I'd probably be intrigued by some certain titles for the right prices.
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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by frankstacey »

Waiting new spider man!

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Re: Marvel U.K. Pence Variants

Post by Phantom »

I had some Australian fantastic four, the 3 part story when ghost rider wolverine hulk? Spidey took over?
Love that story.
Ok condition maybe 8.5? 8 ., newstands .Put on eBay and started auction for £10 , I thought stupid high considering condition. I think sold for £25 plus shipping to USA.
Same with a few xfactor and X-Men stuff I had picked up at random from newsagents when I lived their.

Draco knows alot about UK and Australian newstands. I think? he said they where printed first due to shipping, and then the normal version s where printed ( don't quote me I may be mistaken).
I wish their was a Spinal Tap comic, and I had a copy CGC graded at 11.


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