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Marvel Australian Price Variants

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Get Marwood & I

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Marvel Australian Price Variants

Hello Reader :)

Here is a summary of the Marvel Australian Price Variants that I have discovered hiding between the dates of January 1991 and November 1996.

Australian Price Variants (APVs) were printed in the USA at the same time as their cents priced headliners. They are not reprints. If you would like to know more about them, please click the picture below and you'll be magically transported to the discussion thread in which we talk about them:

         Pointer.png.ed54e0d06651b3e7978e6e03809b54d8.png AUS.thumb.jpg.889ce8803ba027ada2fc53ed7edc42a7.jpg

 

Notes and Observations

  1. 110 Marvel titles have been found with one or more AUS single priced issues (note: annual titles are recorded separately, i.e. ASM and ASM Annual are recorded as two separate titles). Only official ‘regular sized’ first printing Marvel comics have been captured – magazines, fanzines, reprints and over-sized publications are excluded
  2. 1,339 issues have been found across the confirmed 110 titles so far
  3. All issues are newsstand copies. No AUS direct editions have been found
  4. Australian priced issues exist in two cover date blocks:
    • (AUS) January 1991 ~ (AUS) April 1994 inclusive
    • US February 1996 ~ US November 1996 inclusive
  5. All ‘first wave’ AUS issues cover dated January 1991 to April 1994 inclusive have cover dates that are 3 months later than their US counterparts (presumed to accommodate shipping times). For an AUS book cover dated January 1991, the US version will be dated October 1990. The indicias of both copies are as per the US versions. Often, the barcode month numbering reflects the three month gap (i.e. when comparing an APV to it's US newsstand copy equivalent)
  6. All ‘second wave’ AUS issues cover dated February 1996 to November 1996 inclusive have the same cover dates / indicias as their US counterparts
  7. No AUS issues have been found between cover dates May 1994 (AUS dating) and January 1996 (US dating) inclusive – this block separates the two known runs of AUS books
  8. For the first January 1991 AUS issues, Avengers West Coast (#63 & 64) and Daredevil (#285 & 286) have two issues cover dated January 1991
  9. Many of the final November 1996 dated titles are priced at $2.75 whereas the preceding 1996 issues were priced at $3.20
  10. Ten Annual titles have been found so far – Amazing Spider-Man #27, The Incredible Hulk #19, The Punisher #6, Silver Surfer #6, The Spectacular Spider-Man #13, The Mighty Thor #18, The Uncanny X-Men #17, X-Factor #8, X-Force #2 and X-Men #2. All are 1993 annuals and all have an AUS cover price of $4.75
  11. Only five titles have been found to have issues cover dated April 1994 (AUS dating) – Captain America #423, Ravage #14, Spider-Man 2099 #15, Spider-Man Classics #10 and Web of Spider-Man #108. Issues for this date appear particularly scarce and, by way of illustration, no Amazing Spider-Man #385 has been found in ten years of searching
  12. Only eight titles have been found to have issues cover dated March 1996 (US dating) – Generation X #13, Marvel vs DC #2, Uncanny X-Men #330, Wolverine #99, X-Factor #250, X-Force #52, X-Man #13 and X-Men #50. Issues for this date appear particularly scarce and, by way of illustration, no Amazing Spider-Man #409 has been found in ten years of searching
  13. Bi-monthly ‘early / late’ issues exist for many titles between AUS cover dates of October 1991 to April 1992 and, the same months for the following year, October 1992 to April 1993
  14. There are currently no obvious gaps where different titles are missing issues for the same months. Analysis suggests that some titles do appear to have limited issues produced however. For example, the title Ghost Rider has a potential AUS issue range of #6-75. No AUS issues have been found for 6-19, but most of the issues from 20-45 have been found. This indicates that 6-19 may not have been produced as the likelihood of not one issue surfacing are slim. In a similar vein, The Avengers has all copies between issues 325-363 confirmed but not one after
  15. In respect of whether all issues for each title exist, the McFarlane 1990 Spider-Man run could have AUS copies for issues #3-74 yet only ten copies have been found so far. All the hologram issue #26’s found available from AUS sellers online are the US newsstand copy and CGC has no graded copies (whereas it does for the Spectacular Spider-Man #189 copy of the same month). So it may turn out that, like the UK price variant copies, not all issues of each confirmed title will have AUS copies
  16. Many titles exist for which no AUS copy has been found. Many notable titles are missing copies, e.g. Doctor Strange. For this title, every issue on eBay Australia is a US copy. It seems unlikely that a copy has yet to surface and this indicates that many titles are likely to have been omitted from the AUS treatment (this also mirrors the UK price variant scenario where many titles did not have pence copies produced)
  17. In respect of content, the only differences identified between the AUS and US newsstand copies are the price and, in respect of the first run of books, the cover date / barcode month numbering. No other generic differences have been found
  18. For the 110 titles found so far, there is a maximum number of 1,721 issues available within the (AUS) January 1991 to November 1996 date ranges, excluding the May 94~Jan 96 period where no copies have been found. However, it is clear that of those remaining titles, many appear to have gaps and missing issues which may not have been produced. Given how scarce many are, it may be difficult to impossible to confirm a definitive AUS issue total
  19. Regular sized issues are priced at AUS $1.50 from January 1991, increasing to AUS $1.80 from May 1992. The price increases again to AUS $1.95 from July / August 1993. Issues from February 1996 tend to be priced at AUS $2.50 or $3.20 with the final November 1996 issues priced at AUS $2.00, $2.75 or $3.95. Individual special / double sized issues can vary wildly and can be priced up to AUS $6.50 (Midnight Sons Unlimited #1). All ten known annuals are priced at AUS $4.75
  20. In addition to the standard comic sized titles documented above, 3 magazine titles are confirmed to have APV's, all now believed to be complete:
    • Conan Saga - 39 of 40 possible / 39 expected confirmed (all first wave books)
    • Conan the Savage - 4 of 4 confirmed (all second wave books)
    • Savage Sword of Conan - 39 of 40 possible / 39 expected confirmed (all first wave books)

Happy hunting, if you decide to build a set!

By Stephen Cranch based on v11.1 of the ‘Marvel Australian Price Variants Summary’ (19.02.24)

 

 

Confirmed Australian Price Variant Titles / Issues

 

Title Possible APV Issue Range* Confirmed APV Issue Numbers       Total
     
       
2099 Unlimited  1-3 1-2 2
Adventures of Spider-Man 1-8 8 1
Adventures of The X-Men / Adventures of Spider-Man (Flip-Book) 1-8 3-7 5
Alf 34-50 35-46 12
Amazing Spider-Man 340-385, 408-417 341-384, 408, 410-417 53
Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1993 Only) 27 27 1
Avengers 325-370, 395-402 325-363 39
Avengers (1996) 1 1 1
Avengers West Coast 63-102 63-92 30
Barbie 1-35 1-4, 8-19, 21-27, 34, 36 25
Barbie Fashion 1-35 1-6, 10, 12-19, 21-26, 34-36 24
Blaze: Legacy of Blood (1-4) 1-2 1 1
Bruce Wayne: Agent of Shield 1 1 1
Bullets and Bracelets 1 1 1
Cable 1-7, 28-37 2-6 5
Cable - Blood and Metal 1-2 1 1
Cage 1-20 3-12 10
Captain America 378-423, 448-454 378-423 46
Captain America (1996) 1 1 1
Clive Barker - Ectokid 1-5 1-4 4
Clive Barker - Hokum & Hex 1-5 1-4 4
Clive Barker - Hyperkind 1-5 1-3 3
Clive Barker - Saint Sinner 1-4 1-3 3
Conan The Barbarian 237-275 237-275 39
Daredevil 285-324, 349-358 285-314 30
Darkhold - Pages From the Book of Sins 1-16 1-6 6
Disney Comic Hits 5-14 13 1
Doom 2099 1-13, 38-44 1-12 12
Elektra 1 1 1
Fantastic Four, The 345-384, 409-416 345-374 30
Fantastic Four, The 1996 Series 1 1 1
Gambit 1-2 1 1
Generation X 12-21 12-21 10
G.I. Joe 105-144 105-143 39
Ghost Rider, The 6-45, 70-75 19-29, 31-44 25
Ghost Rider Annual 1 1 1
Ghost Rider / Blaze: Spirits of Vengeance 1-18 1-16 16
Incredible Hulk, The 374-413, 438-447 374-412, 447 40
Incredible Hulk Annual, The 19 19 1
Independence Day 0-2 0-2 3
Infinity Crusade 1-6 1-6 6
Infinity War 1-6 2-6 5
Iron Man (261-332) 261-300, 325-332 261-299 39
Iron Man 1996 Series 1 1 1
Lethal Foes of Spider-Man 1-4 1-4 4
Magneto and The Magnetic Men 1 1 1
Marvel Tales 242-281 242-280 39
Marvel Versus DC 2-3 2-3 2
Midnight Sons Unlimited 1-4 1 1
Mission Impossible 1 1 1
Morbius The Living Vampire 1-17 1-12 12
New Mutants, The 94-100 94-100 7
Nightstalkers 1-15 1-5 5
Night Thrasher 1-6 1-5 5
Night Thrasher: Four Control 1-4 2-4 3
Onslaught: X-Men (#1 Only) 1 1 1
Punisher, The 41-86 41-85 45
Punisher 2099, The 1-12 1-11 11
Punisher Annual, The 6 6 1
Punisher Holiday Special 1-2 1 1
Punisher: The Origin of Microchip 1-2 1-2 2
Punisher Summer Special 1-3 3 1
Ravage 2099 1-14 1-14 14
Ren & Stimpy Show, The 1-14, 39-44 12-13 2
Sabretooth 1-4 1, 3 2
Secret Defenders, The 1-11 1-10 10
Sensational Spider-Man, The 1-10 1, 3-10 9
Silver Surfer 42-88, 113-122 42-87 46
Silver Surfer Annual (1993 Only) 6 6 1
Silver Surfer / Warlock: Resurrection 1-4 1-4 4
Spectacular Spider-Man 169-208, 231-240 169-207, 231, 233-238, 240 47
Spectacular Spider-Man Annual (1993 Only) 13 13 1
Speed Demon 1 1 1
Spider-Boy 1 1 1
Spider-Man 1990 3-42, 65-74 32-41, 65, 67-74 19
Spider-Man 2099 1-15, 40-46 1-15, 42-46 20
Spider-Man Classics 1-10 1-10 10
Spider-Man Unlimited 1-3, 11-14 1-3 3
Spider-Woman (1-4) 1-3 1-2 2
Star Trek Voyager 1 1 1
Stryfe's Strike File 1 1 1
Tekworld 1-17 1-7 7
Thor, The Mighty 424-470, 495-502 425-469 45
Thor, The Mighty Annual 18 18 1
Thunderstrike 1-4 1-3 3
Transformers 71-80 71-80 10
Transformers: Generation 2 (1-12) 1-3 1 1
Uncanny X-Men 269-308, 329-338 269-307, 329-338 49
Uncanny X-Men Annual 17 17 1
Venom, Funeral Pyre  1-3 1-3 3
Venom, Lethal Protector  1-6 1-6 6
Venom, The Madness 1-3 1-2 2
Warlock Chronicles  1-6 1-6 6
Web of Spider-Man  69-108 69-108 40
Web of Spider-Man Annual 9 9 1
What If… 18-57, 82-91 18-56, 84-91 47
Wolverine  32-77, 98-107 48-56, 58-76, 98-107 38
Wolverine and The Punisher: Damaging Evidence  1-3 1-3 3
X-Factor  59-98, 119-128 59-97, 119-128 49
X-Factor Annual 8 8 1
X-Force  1-30, 51-60 1, 3-29, 51-60 38
X-Force Annual 2 2 1
X-Man 12-21 12-21 10
X-Men 1-28, 49-58 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2-26, 49-58 39
X-Men Annual 2 2 1
X-Men 2099  1-4, 29-35 1-3 3
X-Men Adventures 1-15 1-14 14
X-Men Unlimited 1-3, 10-12 1-2 2
X-Men vs Dracula 1 1 1
X-Patrol 1 1 1
       
                                Actual Issues in APV Cover Date Range:   1,721                                                  Confirmed APV Total:        1,339
       
*Based on current known cover dates      
     
   
 
     
Magazines      
       
Title Possible APV Issue Range* Confirmed APV Issue Numbers       Total
       
Conan Saga (43-97) 43-82 43-81 39
Conan the Savage (7-10) 7-10 7-10 4
Savage Sword of Conan (178-235) 178-217 178-216 39
       
Actual Issues in APV Cover Date Range:             84      Confirmed APV Total:   82
       
*Based on current known cover dates      
     
       

 

 

 

 

 

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17 Comments


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3 hours ago, PunisherPunisherPunisher said:

A mate of mine had about 10 Silver Surfer #50 when he was selling at a con here in Sydney, I was helping him with his stall but didn't even think to buy one, they all sold out quickly

Being in England, I can only get a feel for their availability from eBay and a few other sites. They may be plentiful in Australia but I suspect a few titles may be hard to come by even on home soil. There are parallels to the UK price variants - many of those are scarce to non-existent over here, especially for the lesser collected publishers.  Someone is likely cleaning up I'll bet. 

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Just wondering, Steve. When you look at eBay Oz from the UK, can you see the items that aren't available for international shipping? I've tried searching UK eBay for Australian GA books and I only ever see ones that will ship here - which I'm pretty sure isn't all of them.

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On 10/13/2019 at 11:52 AM, AJD said:

Just wondering, Steve. When you look at eBay Oz from the UK, can you see the items that aren't available for international shipping? I've tried searching UK eBay for Australian GA books and I only ever see ones that will ship here - which I'm pretty sure isn't all of them.

Sorry Andy, I didn't get a notification you'd posted. 

eBay searches can be erratic, but I do get them as a rule, yes. When looking for AUS copies on eBay.com.au I select 'Australia Only' and it works:

140658823_ausonly.PNG.c359730123dfd20e1d27d06838dc2ab6.PNG

Having spoken to a few people about this kind of thing I do think that search results vary widely depending on which country you are in. Maybe Australia has some kind of block in place. We should try duplicate searches next time we're both online, and compare the results. 

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17 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

Bay searches can be erratic, but I do get them as a rule, yes. When looking for AUS copies on eBay.com.au I select 'Australia Only' and it works:

140658823_ausonly.PNG.c359730123dfd20e1d27d06838dc2ab6.PNG

Having spoken to a few people about this kind of thing I do think that search results vary widely depending on which country you are in. Maybe Australia has some kind of block in place. We should try duplicate searches next time we're both online, and compare the results. 

"advanced search" doh!

Thanks Steve.

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I've got (maybe) all of the Beavis and Butthead APV issues. The non-numbered reprint of #6 I'm thinking might have been distributed there instead of #28 since #6 was printed here during the period between the two types of APVs. 

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On 9/25/2019 at 11:06 PM, Get Marwood & I said:

Being in England, I can only get a feel for their availability from eBay and a few other sites. They may be plentiful in Australia but I suspect a few titles may be hard to come by even on home soil. There are parallels to the UK price variants - many of those are scarce to non-existent over here, especially for the lesser collected publishers.  Someone is likely cleaning up I'll bet. 

I'm Australian and collected comics at the time the APVs were issued. They were newstand editions. Collectors back then bought from comic shops and hence bought US printings, newstand copies were frowned upon by collectors back then. I doubt high grade copies of any APV printings exist in high numbers due to the fact kids etc would have been buying the new stand editions and not taking care of them or even keeping them. 

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I was wondering - what’s the standing of stickered $AUS price books? Such as this one for example? I count them as part of my personal Aussie book collection as they were clearly intended to be released as such, but what’s the consensus? 

IMG_2899.jpeg

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On 8/1/2023 at 8:31 PM, AusBooks said:

I was wondering - what’s the standing of stickered $AUS price books? Such as this one for example? I count them as part of my personal Aussie book collection as they were clearly intended to be released as such, but what’s the consensus? 

IMG_2899.jpeg

Hello :)

I cover books like these in the discussion thread. I agree with you that the books are clearly intended to be AUS editions, but I only count books with an AUS related printed difference myself:

Capture.PNG.a1f22ebd53a3c092c72a9e73f527643b.PNG

 

Stickers can be 'manufactured' after all, and it wouldn't take much for anyone to replicate the scenario below on any date range book:

Capture(2).thumb.PNG.5e2372ade1f06d44c3becca0318eb4b7.PNG

I'm not in charge though - other collectors may happily include them in the figures and it wouldn't trouble me one jot if they did.

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I assumed as much - totally sound reasoning - however they do fill out the gaps rather well!  I am especially fond of my X-Force #2 (stickered) I came across in a collection recently - I’d given up on ever finding a salve for  that particularly annoying itch! 😂😂 still there, but greatly reduced!😀

Edited by AusBooks
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On 8/1/2023 at 8:59 PM, AusBooks said:

I assumed as much - totally sound reasoning - hovered they do fill out the gaps rather well!  I am especially fond of my X-Force #2 (stickered) I came across in a collection recently - I’d given up on ever finding a salve for  that particularly annoying itch! 😂😂 still there, but greatly reduced!😀

You posted the GR/Blaze #13 with the AUS $3.80 price as well, didn't you?

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On 8/1/2023 at 9:15 PM, AusBooks said:

Indeed 👍

Thought so. I just updated the journal list above to 1,338 as I forgot to add the last two Barbies (topical!) that I posted in the discussion thread. I haven't been looking much lately if I'm honest. Have you found anything new?

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Haven’t stumbled across anything new - if I do I will be sure to share immediately 😀

I’ve been hunting down the last few gaps in my APV collection and come across a few nice stickered specimens. I believe them to probably be much rarer than the printed ones as lots of kids would have peeled off the sticker or collectors passed over them as “flawed” copies. Granted, they could be easily replicated, but given the lack of interest, I think that i can safely assume the ones i have found in the wild are legitimate 😬 They're actually becoming some of my favorites! Sort of a niche within a niche! 

Ahhh! 🤷‍♂️😀 the joys of  collecting comic books!!…..the nuance makes so little sense! But we love it! 😂😂

 

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On 8/4/2023 at 7:31 AM, AusBooks said:

Ahhh! 🤷‍♂️😀 the joys of  collecting comic books!!…..the nuance makes so little sense! But we love it! 😂😂

We do :)

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