• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Charlton Comics - UK Price Variants

2 2
Get Marwood & I

Entry posted by Get Marwood & I ·

9,160 views

Charlton Comics - UK Price Variants

Hello Reader :)

Here is a summary of the Charlton UK Price Variants (UKPVs) that I have found hiding between the cover dates of 1960 and December 1963 inclusive.

UK Price Variants were printed in the USA at the same time as their cents priced counterparts. They are part of the same first printing run and are not reprints. If you would like to know more about them, please click the picture below and you'll be magically transported to my Charlton discussion thread in which we talk about them in more detail:

           Pointer.png.934829afb5f79c9043a33c6e38d61fa6.png 1545828252_charlton(2).jpg.b27a533285f5b0260569a32eea049be8.jpg

The Headlines

  1. Charlton UK Price Variants have been found to exist between the cover / indicia dates of January 1961 and December 1963 inclusive. Three UKPV issues are indicia dated 1960 - Konga #1, The Best of Marmaduke and Gorgo #1 - which I can place inside the Jan 61~Dec 63 date run using arrival dates on US copies.
  2. Across the Jan 61~Dec 63 cover dates, a total of 834 cents priced comics exist spanning 76 titles. At the time of writing, 592 of them have a matching single printed price UKPV confirmed spanning 74 of the 76 overall titles. There is currently no evidence to suggest that any pence copies were missed, so an equivalent 834 pence copies are therefore theoretically possible.
  3. Some titles have number runs which are ‘split’ across different titles, e.g. High School Confidential Diary becomes Confidential Diary and then becomes Three Nurses. In these cases, each title is counted separately and not as one continuous title.
  4. The first known Charlton UKPVs are Gorgo # 1, The Best of Marmaduke First Edition and Konga #1, all priced at 6d, and all with indicias dated as 1960 only. 
  5. Four titles have been found to exist with indicia dates of January 1961 – Atomic Mouse #40, Sheriff of Tombstone #13, Sweetheart Diary #59 and Teen-Age Love #18 all priced at 6d.
  6. The remaining titles start from February/March 1961 and are priced at 6d (note all Charltons are bi-monthly titles).
  7. The last known UKPV copies are indicia / cover dated December 1963 and priced at 9d. From January 1964, all copies revert to single US pricing (until 1973 when dual cents/pence priced books begin to appear – see later note).
  8. Of the 76 titles in scope, 74 are confirmed as having one or more UK Price Variant. A full issue list follows these notes.
  9. At the time of writing, no UK Price Variants have been found for the remaining 2 eligible titles of (the eligible issue numbers are shown in brackets):
    1. Caroline Kennedy (one shot)
    2. Teen Secret Diary (#9-11)
  10. All known UK Price Variants are priced at either:
    1. 6d - cover dates June 1960 to March/April 1963 inclusive
    2. 9d - cover dates April/May 1963 to December 1963 inclusive
  11. All known UKPVs are standard sized 10c / 12c comics – no ‘oversize’ copies are known to exist (e.g. double size, giant sized or annuals).
  12. Unlike Marvel and DC books, which were all distributed by Thorpe & Porter (with the exception of five titles distributed by L Miller for one year), all Charlton UK Price Variants were distributed by L Miller & Co ltd and all copies carry the ‘LM’ publisher logo underneath their UK price.
  13. The only difference between a pence priced UKPV and its cents priced equivalent is the replacement UK cover price and the addition of a small ‘LM’ beneath it to indicate the distributor. No other elements differ for Charlton books and the indicias are the same in both editions. This is true of every copy I have found so far.
  14. With one or two specific exceptions where titles have copies in sequential months (although never more than two), all Charlton titles are bi-monthly during the UKPV production dates with one two month gap on or in the early months following January 1962.
  15. No Charlton comics in the UKPV production period have issue numbers on the covers with only a small handful of copies saying ‘first edition’ where applicable. In most other cases, only the price and month appear on the cover with the indicia showing the full publication year, month and issue number.
  16. Note – Please do not confuse any Charlton books dated April 1973 onwards with pence prices on them with genuine UK Price Variants. They are not, as every copy is the same when dual pricing occurs. The only true Charlton UK Price Variants are those documented above between the 1960 to December 1963 period. 

Happy hunting, if you decide to build a set!

By Stephen Cranch based on v10.2 of the ‘Charlton Comics – UK Price Variant Summary’

 

Confirmed UK Price Variant Titles / Issues - Charlton Comics      
         
Indicia Title Eligible UKPV Number Range* Confirmed Issue Numbers       Total  
         
Army War Heroes 1 1             1  
Atomic Mouse 40-52 40-45, 48-50             9  
Attack 1-2 1-2             2  
Battlefield Action 34-50 34-38, 41-46, 48-49           13  
Billy the Kid 26-43 27-42           16  
Black Fury 28-45 29-35, 37-40, 43-45           14  
Brides in Love 22-39 23-25, 27, 30-33, 37, 38           10  
Caroline Kennedy 1 0             0  
Cheyenne Kid 26-43 27-43           17  
Confidential Diary 12-17 12-14, 17             4  
Cynthia Doyle, Nurse in Love 66-73 66, 67, 69, 72               4  
D-Day 1 1             1  
Doctor Tom Brent, Young Intern 1-5 1, 4, 5             3  
Drag-Strip Hotrodders 1 1             1  
Emergency Doctor 1 1             1  
Fightin' Air Force 25-41 25-36, 38-41           16  
Fightin' Army 39-55 41-48, 50-52, 54-55            13  
Fightin' Marines 39-56 41-50, 53-56           14  
Fightin' Navy 96-113 97-108, 110, 112, 113           15  
First Kiss 18-35 20, 29, 31, 34             4  
Freddy 26-43 27-29, 31, 34-37, 40-43 12  
Gorgo 1-16 1-15 15  
Gorgo's Revenge 1 1 1  
High School Confidential Diary 5-11 7-10 4  
Hot Rods and Racing Cars 50-66 50-61, 63-65 15  
Hunk 1-11 1, 2, 4, 7, 9-10 6  
I Love You 32-49 33-35, 39-40, 42-43, 46, 48 9  
Just Married 17-34 19-21, 23, 25, 28, 33-34 8  
Kid Montana 27-43 27-33, 36-43 15  
Konga 1-15 1-15 15  
Konga's Revenge 2 2 1  
Lash La Rue Western 82-84 82-84 3  
Li'I Genius 31-47 31-36, 38-39, 41, 42, 44, 47 12  
Love Diary 14-30 14-17, 22, 24-25, 27, 30 9  
Marco Polo 1 1 1  
Masked Raider 28-30 28-30 3  
My Little Margie 34-50 34-39, 41, 44-47 11  
My Secret Life 38-47 38-42 5  
Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds 22-39 23-38 16  
Nurse Betsy Crane 14-25 12-13, 15-18, 22-23, 25 9  
Outlaws of the West 29-46 30-38, 40-44 14  
Registered Nurse 1 1 1  
Reptilicus 1-2 1 1  
Reptisaurus 3-8 3-8 6  
Reptisaurus Special Edition 1 1 1  
Romantic Secrets 31-47 32-33, 35, 45 4  
Romantic Story 53-69 53, 54, 56, 58, 59, 61, 68, 69 8  
Secrets of Love and Marriage 23-25 24-25 2  
Secrets of Young Brides 23-40 26-28, 32, 34, 35, 37-40 10  
Sheriff of Tombstone 13-17 13-17 5  
Six-Gun Heroes 61-77 61-77 17  
Space Adventures 38-54 38-54 17  
Space War 9-25 9-25 17  
Strange Suspense Stories 51-68 52-67 16  
Submarine Attack 26-42 26-34, 36-42 16  
Sue and Sally Smith, Flying Nurses 48-54 48-50, 52-54 6  
Sweetheart Diary 56-65 56-57, 60, 64  4  
Sweethearts 58-74 59, 60, 63, 66, 68, 69, 71, 74 8  
Teen Confessions 9-26 10-12, 20, 24-25 6  
Teen Secret Diary 9-11 0 0  
Teen-Age Confidential Confessions 4-21 6, 13, 15, 16, 21 5  
Teenage Hotrodders 1-5 2-4 3  
Teen-Age Love 18-35 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 29, 30 7  
Texas Rangers in Action 26-42 26-32, 34-35, 36, 38-40, 42 14  
The Best of Marmaduke 1 1 1  
The Green Planet 1 1 1  
The Return of Gorgo 2 2 1  
The Return of Konga 1 1 1  
The Young Doctors 1-6 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 5  
Three Nurses 18-21 21 1  
Timmy the Timid Ghost 25-41 25-31, 35, 37, 38, 39, 41 12  
U.S. Air Force 14-30 14-19, 23, 24, 26-30 13  
Unusual Tales 26-42 26-42 17  
War at Sea  40-42 40-42 3  
War Heroes 1-6 1-5 5  
Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshal 34-51 35-50 16  
         
         
                  Confirmed UKPV Total:          592  
         
*Assuming only January 1961 - December 1963 cover dates exist      
  Excludes cents priced titles with UK price stamps that exist prior to / after the confirmed printed UKPV date window    
    
   
     
   

Here are just a few of my favourite covers :)

868266134_BillyTheKid34(Vol.1)June1962(9d).thumb.jpg.bb782411a0a746f88355b2754afad66f.jpg 2047275270_BlackFury31(Vol.1)July1961(6d).thumb.jpg.e369bb191f8ae0d46a50ea0c8809f6c1.jpg 1250468294_CynthiaDoyleNurseinLove69(Vol.2)April1963(9d).thumb.jpg.e8f1aa41185eb57d8838188915cbcfaa.jpg 389808244_Drag-StripHotrodders1FirstEditionSummer1963(9d).thumb.jpg.406f8129bad8ab5deaa162126aa8f47b.jpg 692448440_FightinAirForce41(Vol.1)November1963(9d).thumb.jpg.2070d0b2a3bb7def1d0ec51b8001d71f.jpg 1344390089_MySecretLife40(Vol.1)June1961(6d).thumb.jpg.43cb32c562f7b529b613a9a59f62a81b.jpg  325671456_SecretsofLoveandMarriage24(Vol.2)April1961(6d).thumb.jpg.1a96b4277779998c6c995639ead8368c.jpg 1329037128_Sweethearts69(Vol.2)January1963(9d).thumb.jpg.317377da64489728012a81d9c6430a31.jpg 1065454834_U.S.AirForce18(Vol.1)October1961(6d).thumb.jpg.e8c22d3b25c1acfb52f25475c48b5041.jpg

 

2 2

15 Comments

Recommended Comments

Mr Thorpe

I've just trawled through the last of my Charlton Romance comics and can offer another 5 on your missing list.

As a matter of interest, I bought most of these in the late 70's/early 80's and I'm pretty sure they were part of a warehouse find as I seem to recall multiple copies of some issues, all in very nice nick but a bit musty (just the way we like them!). Was this a Len Miller warehouse clearance? Anyone know?

Secrets of Young Brides #26 July 1961 LM 6d.jpg

Love Diary #16 June 1961 LM 6d.jpg

Sweetheart Diary #56 Jan 1961 LM 6d.jpg

Sweetheart Diary #60 Sep 1961 LM 6d.jpg

Teen Confessions #10 March 1961 LM 6d.jpg

Link to comment
Get Marwood & I
3 hours ago, Mr Thorpe said:

I've just trawled through the last of my Charlton Romance comics and can offer another 5 on your missing list.

Cor, they're such nice copies Mr T, thanks. First dibs my way if you ever sell up, ok? :grin:

3 hours ago, Mr Thorpe said:

As a matter of interest, I bought most of these in the late 70's/early 80's and I'm pretty sure they were part of a warehouse find as I seem to recall multiple copies of some issues, all in very nice nick but a bit musty (just the way we like them!). Was this a Len Miller warehouse clearance? Anyone know?

It's not something I've heard of before, no. I understand that Charltons were quite regional in their distribution, and missed many areas. The warehouse find makes sense though as there are a rump of copies that constantly turn up.

Really nice to see some of these books in pence finally :cloud9:

Link to comment
Mr Thorpe

The final 6 'fills'! I've now gone through my entire Charlton collection.

Billy the Kid #31 Nov 1961

Fightin' Airforce #32 May 1962

Fightin' Airforce #40 Sept 1963

Hunk #4  March 1962

My Little Margie #39  December 1961

Wyatt Earp #41 Apr 1962

 

 

Billy the Kid #31Nov 1961.jpg

Fightin' Airforce #32 May 1962.jpg

Fightin' Airforce #40 Sept 1963.jpg

Hunk #4 March 1962.jpg

My Little Margie #39 December 1961.jpg

Wyatt Earp #41 Apr 1962.jpg

Link to comment
Get Marwood & I
On 7/7/2020 at 10:15 PM, Mr Thorpe said:

The final 6 'fills'! I've now gone through my entire Charlton collection.

Billy the Kid #31 Nov 1961

Fightin' Airforce #32 May 1962

Fightin' Airforce #40 Sept 1963

Hunk #4  March 1962

My Little Margie #39  December 1961

Wyatt Earp #41 Apr 1962

Thanks Mr T.

Again, great to see these further copies finally surface. Only 300 or so to go!

8 hours ago, Duffman_Comics said:

I know this is all about Charlton's UK pence editions, but a delightful by-product is the discovery of oddball comics I never knew existed, e.g. Caroline Kennedy  one shot..

This is a valuable Public Service and I take this opportunity to salute you :applause:

Cheers Duff. The Kennedy one shot is one of only three titles - if you can call a one shot a title - for which I've yet to find a UKPV. They become a bit mythical after a while, these continually absent books. 

Link to comment
Duffman_Comics
3 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Thanks Mr T.

Again, great to see these further copies finally surface. Only 300 or so to go!

Cheers Duff. The Kennedy one shot is one of only three titles - if you can call a one shot a title - for which I've yet to find a UKPV. They become a bit mythical after a while, these continually absent books. 

I would not be surprised if a UKPV of "Caroline Kennedy" did not exist. Pre 22 November 1963, what possible interest did the pommie comics readers have in the youngest daughter of John F Kennedy?

A relatively simple marketing decision.

Link to comment
Get Marwood & I
2 hours ago, Duffman_Comics said:

I would not be surprised if a UKPV of "Caroline Kennedy" did not exist. Pre 22 November 1963, what possible interest did the pommie comics readers have in the youngest daughter of John F Kennedy?

A relatively simple marketing decision.

You may be right Duff. But there are a few titles that I would question producing UKPVs for, and yet they exist. Maybe it was a blanket policy driven only by dates - if there was a US copy between them, then a corresponding supply of UK copies were run. Maybe they gave no thought at all as to the suitability of content. Only time will tell. One shots tend to turn up less I have found and, in this instance, as you say, it's difficult to imagine many people either buying a copy in the first place, let alone preserving one. 

Link to comment
AJD

Hi Steve - dunno if this is a "find" but there's a UK Charlton in this photo that doesn't seem to be on your list: E-Man #1 (I think that's the number). And maybe the Black Fury is a UK edition with a price change for Oz, though it could also be a US -- > AU price change.

charltons.thumb.jpg.8d57021c38c0481011f76141e2667ac3.jpg

Link to comment
Get Marwood & I
13 minutes ago, AJD said:

Hi Steve - dunno if this is a "find" but there's a UK Charlton in this photo that doesn't seem to be on your list: E-Man #1 (I think that's the number). And maybe the Black Fury is a UK edition with a price change for Oz, though it could also be a US -- > AU price change.

charltons.thumb.jpg.8d57021c38c0481011f76141e2667ac3.jpg

Thanks for thinking of me Andy :)

The E-Man (June 74) is one of the later issues which are all dual priced:

Duals.png.fed0e6bb593ef32bb0663ed28e4469a8.png

And the Black Furious looks like a sticker, but it is well outside the UKPV date window anyway.

bf2.PNG.9899a1407c27223d0a73cc115c9d9829.PNG

He won't be happy....

Spoiler

 

bf.PNG.5c20987825dd4d307d5a9a63ae11d345.PNG

Neigh! (Translated: "Get that f:censored: thing off my mag you  :censored:"

 

 

Link to comment
AJD

1. Ah... right. The eBay pic wasn't clear enough to let me see the dual pricing.

2. Yes, I think it's a sticker too, I was just speculating that it might have been a UK price underneath.

AJD - bringing up irrelevant shyte on the boards since 2008. lol

Link to comment
Get Marwood & I
On 1/6/2023 at 12:46 PM, ARyan_ said:

I won't be doing full runs anytime soon considering I came across this one by chance! But would I be right to assume the Charlton UKPV are more 'scarce' in comparison to the US editions? :)

Nice Konga :)

Compared to the US versions, the UK Price Variants are extremely scarce, yes. Of the 601 that are currently confirmed to exist (by me, I'm the only one who gives a serious hoot) I have 554. Of those I would say the copy I own is the only one I've ever seen in the vast majority of cases and I've been on the hunt for over five years now. Some pence copies exist in multiples -  I call them the 'usual suspects' - and there are even a small group of romance issues that turn up often in the US. But in the main they crop up very infrequently. Happily, most collectors are completely indifferent to Charlton, pence copies especially, so their scarcity doesn't routinely translate into value. But I love them, especially the 1959-1965 books. And UKPVs are my thing in general of course, if you hadn't already noticed! Thanks for dropping in ARyan. 

P.S. Here's what a double cover Konga UKPV looks like:

125739967_Konga2(Vol.1)August1961(6d)DoubleCover2.jpg.09d2ab39d39420a9a72ebbab17118619.jpg

Now that's scarce.

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now