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Ninja Turtles - Differences Between Printings?
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370 posts in this topic

Re-posted to keep all the info together

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Comic-1-FN-VF-1st-Print-1984-Mirage-Eastman-Laird-/370973248081?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item565fba8a51

 

Sorry if i'm not adhering to any rules of etiquette here, but i've looked through the posts in spotting fakes if tmnt 1, but this raw copy came on ebay and looks great, except the red coloring on the cover looks lighter and more pink than other legit tmnt 1s that have been on this site. Anyone able to confirm that this is indeed a legit tmnt 1?

 

Thanks ina advance

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Re-posted to keep all the info together

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Comic-1-FN-VF-1st-Print-1984-Mirage-Eastman-Laird-/370973248081?pt=US_Comic_Books&hash=item565fba8a51

 

Sorry if i'm not adhering to any rules of etiquette here, but i've looked through the posts in spotting fakes if tmnt 1, but this raw copy came on ebay and looks great, except the red coloring on the cover looks lighter and more pink than other legit tmnt 1s that have been on this site. Anyone able to confirm that this is indeed a legit tmnt 1?

 

Thanks ina advance

 

Here are the actual pictures of the book in question. Based on this thread, it looks like a legit 1st printing to me. I of course am no expert and this is only my non-professional opinion and should be taken as such.

 

$_57.JPG

 

$_57.JPG

 

$_57.JPG

 

$_57.JPG

Edited by Kaptain Kollektor
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I'd say it's legit..everything seems to check out:

 

-no extra blood in sword

-no speck above building

-the dimensions of the book seem about right

-interior looks lighter, so it is right

 

I think the lighter red just comes from the camera and lighting. The black looks lighter too because of this. A 1st printing does have a "pinkish" tone to it actually, just not as light as the 3rd printing.

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I just read this thread for the first time. One of the best threads I have ever read on the boards.

 

There is some amazing information here. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

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I just want to throw out my concerns about that books. I think it is a counterfeit first edition. There are several spots where the light hits the back cover with a blueish tint. That is a tale tell sign of a counterfeit. Another issue is with the PQ. The pages are very misaligned. Look at the cut near the bottom of the last page, its almost touching the paneling but the top has almost an inch of space. The cut also looks curved. If you look at the back cover pick and draw a straight line down the opening part of the book at the furthest outside part (I.e. the middle of the book) (I did it in photoshop) you see that the ends (top and bottom) aren't straight, they curve inwards at the ends.

 

Then again... I know that Eastman mentioned recently that there were apparently more than 3,000 printed. About 200 or so that were problem printings so maybe this is one of those?

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Thanks again to Peter Palmer for redirecting my message to the correct spot, and to everyone for his assessment of this comic.

 

The pricing has gone over $2k for an unslabbed book which does not appear to be over 9.0, so I'm not sure I want to bid anymore, even if it is legit.

Edited by MPS
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Thanks again to Peter Palmer for redirecting my message to the correct spot, and to everyone for his assessment of this comic.

 

The pricing has gone over $2k for an unslabbed book which does not appear to be over 9.0, so I'm not sure I want to bid anymore, even if it is legit.

 

I can totally understand if you decide to wait for a graded book. Nothing wrong with that at all. (thumbs u

 

However, graded books start breaking the $2,000 mark at CGC 7.0 according to GPA recorded sales. Last sale of a CGC 9.0 went for $4,250.

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Counterfeit Copies:

 

 

 

Another famous Counterfeit is the "White Stripe" counterfeit. There were a lot of these made so the quality of the books is much sharper and well done. The "tells" for those is the blood is off on the "S" in turtles creating a horizontal "white stripe" and there is a "white stripe" down the right side of the image. Apparently, during the creation of the cover, the red printing was slightly off creating the gaps.

 

CounterfeitReddoesntlineupwithblackonrightsideWhitestripe.jpg

 

If anybody else knows more details about the differences or specific counterfeits they've seen, please share!! I think it's great to share this info so other boardie's buying TMNT #1's can make informed decisions. (thumbs u

 

All your other info about detecting all the printings and could be counterfeits is good, but I think the "White Strip" counterfeit is some thing I am not sure I have ever heard before till you brought it up.

 

These 3 graded by CGC have them and I have seen a lot more before that are considered first prints by TMNT collectors. Your the only person I have ever heard bring this up (shrug)

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TEENAGE-MUTANT-NINJA-TURTLES-1-CGC-9-6-FIRST-1ST-APPEARANCE-WHITE-PAGES-/271308238505?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f2b3b2ea9&nma=true&si=FCoP8tJhPaaq%252Bz6dCsQTi1YJ6%252B0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-1-CGC-9-8-TMNT-1st-Printing-White-Pages-/301036379740?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46172a9e5c&nma=true&si=FCoP8tJhPaaq%252Bz6dCsQTi1YJ6%252B0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TEENAGE-MUTANT-NINJA-TURTLES-1-CGC-9-6-FIRST-1ST-APPEARANCE-WHITE-PAGES-/321308173728?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4acf75a5a0

Edited by Spiderman-on-Tilt
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Counterfeit Copies:

 

 

 

Another famous Counterfeit is the "White Stripe" counterfeit. There were a lot of these made so the quality of the books is much sharper and well done. The "tells" for those is the blood is off on the "S" in turtles creating a horizontal "white stripe" and there is a "white stripe" down the right side of the image. Apparently, during the creation of the cover, the red printing was slightly off creating the gaps.

 

CounterfeitReddoesntlineupwithblackonrightsideWhitestripe.jpg

 

If anybody else knows more details about the differences or specific counterfeits they've seen, please share!! I think it's great to share this info so other boardie's buying TMNT #1's can make informed decisions. (thumbs u

 

All your other info about detecting all the printings and could be counterfeits is good, but I think the "White Strip" counterfeit is some thing I am not sure I have ever heard before till you brought it up.

 

These 3 graded by CGC have them and I have seen a lot more before that are considered first prints by TMNT collectors. Your the only person I have ever heard bring this up (shrug)

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TEENAGE-MUTANT-NINJA-TURTLES-1-CGC-9-6-FIRST-1ST-APPEARANCE-WHITE-PAGES-/271308238505?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f2b3b2ea9&nma=true&si=FCoP8tJhPaaq%252Bz6dCsQTi1YJ6%252B0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-1-CGC-9-8-TMNT-1st-Printing-White-Pages-/301036379740?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46172a9e5c&nma=true&si=FCoP8tJhPaaq%252Bz6dCsQTi1YJ6%252B0%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TEENAGE-MUTANT-NINJA-TURTLES-1-CGC-9-6-FIRST-1ST-APPEARANCE-WHITE-PAGES-/321308173728?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4acf75a5a0

 

I know you're an experience guy, so it's cool to help you learn something new! (thumbs u

 

Think of it this way: A square is a rectangle; however, a rectangle is not necessarily a square.

 

The blood not lining up is a trait of the "White stripe" counterfeit; however, that doesn't mean every copy that is slightly off is the white stripe counterfeit. It's a red flag to look for. (I will say, that the books in your links don't have the blood off as dramatically in the "S" in turtles as the example pic. They have some white, but they don't look like the same book as the counterfeit example above.)

 

I don't remember where I heard the term "white stripe" variant. It may have been from talking to people, instead of a particular site. I didn't invent the term.

 

Here is a discussion about one that was on eBay a few years back. The seller removed it from the slab and was trying to fool the board detectives that it was real: TMNT #1 SCAM ON EBAY

(I didn't know as much then, as I do now about the TMNT counterfeits. You can see in the photos in that thread the Gobbledygook ad is also cut off on the back cover. Which is another counterfeit tell.)

 

Here is another quick site I found just by doing a Google search just now: http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/forum/default.aspx?g=posts&t=6948 They don't call it the "white stripe" but they talk about the blood not lining up.

 

Again, to anyone reading this thread: You really need to study all the characteristics if you're buying a TMNT #1 raw. You can also PM me if you want my advice on a book before you buy. (thumbs u

 

 

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Strongguy's observation was spot on. I don't want to beat a dead horse but here are some close ups of my 1st, 2nd and 3rd prints just to reinforce his findings.

 

First Print

 

image_zpse0358531.jpg

 

Second Print; With "line", or whatever you call it.

 

image_zps700cfeb6.jpg

 

Third Print; More pink than red. Also the buildings appear to be filled in a lot more.

 

image_zps4c0f42ed.jpg

 

I have noticed that the blood on the "S" in "Turtles" also differs each printing. As far as size per issue, from largest to smallest was 2nd, 1st, 3rd.

 

Here are some shots of my 3rd print on top of my 1st print.

 

image_zps734c34de.jpg

 

image_zps410f34ff.jpg

 

I would have done one shot but I couldn't get the angles right to see both the length and width differences.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Parabellum
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This Ebay posting ended last Friday. It was ended by the seller because there was "an error" in the listing. Error my @$$ that is clearly not a first print.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TEENAGE-MUTANT-NINJA-TURTLES-1-COMIC-FIRST-PRINT-TMNT-GOOD-EASTMAN-LAIRD-/360843001997?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=br4Lk4c6xKsyfF%252FiYp5gIjTeteQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Edited by Parabellum
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This Ebay posting ended last Friday. It was ended by the seller because there was "an error" in the listing. Error my @$$ that is clearly not a first print.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TEENAGE-MUTANT-NINJA-TURTLES-1-COMIC-FIRST-PRINT-TMNT-GOOD-EASTMAN-LAIRD-/360843001997?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&nma=true&si=br4Lk4c6xKsyfF%252FiYp5gIjTeteQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

(thumbs u

 

 

It's a 3rd print. Extra blood in the 2nd "T" in Turtles on the cover, plus it still has the Sharon, Connecticut info.

 

In fact this is a classic example of a 3rd print comic in which they attempted to remove the "Third printing / February 1985." You can see the smudge still there if you know where to look.

 

bleachedout_zps2e5d546d.jpg

 

 

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