Hunting the 6 variants of Batman 457 (1st Tim Drake ROBIN) 8 8

[aszumilo]

On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 6:57 PM, RockMyAmadeus said:

Finding a 9.8 set of all 14 printings has been a back burner goal for a long time. I *think* I have all 14...maybe missing the 12th...but man, are those later printings tough to even find, let alone in 9.8 potential. 

And I can forget a Bolland 9.8 SS set.

 

I have them all and then some foreign variants.  Need to upgrade 6 more to 9.8.  Just upgraded a 12th print from 8.5 to 9.4, so, got an extra graded 12th print and maybe a raw lying around.  3rd, 9th, 10th, 13th are 9.6, 11th is 8.5 and 12th is now a 9.4.  Rest are all 9.8.

 

And actually, according to CGC, there are now 15 prints of the US version.  CGC refuses to acknowledge that the 14th print and Direct Market edition are one and the same book, even though I feel I have proven the case over in the CGC Registry thread.

 

Edited August 22, 2018 by aszumilo

[RockMyAmadeus]

11 minutes ago, aszumilo said:

I have them all and then some foreign variants.  Need to upgrade 6 more to 9.8.  Just upgraded a 12th print from 8.5 to 9.4, so, got an extra graded 12th print and maybe a raw lying around.  3rd, 9th, 10th, 13th are 9.6, 11th is 8.5 and 12th is now a 9.4.  Rest are all 9.8.

 

And actually, according to CGC, there are now 15 prints of the US version.  CGC refuses to acknowledge that the 14th print and Direct Market edition are one and the same book, even though I feel I have proven the case over in the CGC Registry thread.

 

Very nice.

[Cpt Kirk]

Thanks for bffnut, I now have the a copy of Superman #50 2nd print newsstand, which I believe is the sister newsstand issue to Batman 457 2nd print news.   And thanks to Rockmyamadeus for finding and pointing out this comic book (very cool detective work on his part) 

[RockMyAmadeus]

YAY!!!!!!

[RockMyAmadeus]

So, bffnut, would you be willing to explain how/where/when and whatnot as to how you found it?

Did you find it at a store, or online, or in your own inventory/collection? 

I found mine hidden in an eBay listing, early last year. I wasn't sure what I would get, and it could have been a weird anomaly. Couldn't believe it when it showed up.

This is outstanding! Now there's TWO known!

[RockMyAmadeus]

This is so exciting. A new Robin #1 AND a second copy of Superman #50 all in one week! 

Happy, happy dance. 

Now to get them both signed and slabbed....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I kid, I kid! Don't hurt me!

 

[joecgcmaniac]

4 minutes ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

This is so exciting. A new Robin #1 AND a second copy of Superman #50 all in one week! 

Happy, happy dance. 

Now to get them both signed and slabbed....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I kid, I kid! Don't hurt me!

 

Pump and dump, pump and dump! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, I just had to do it, before your trolls did.

[RockMyAmadeus]

1 minute ago, joecgcmaniac said:

Pump and dump, pump and dump! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, I just had to do it, before your trolls did.

Yes, this whole thing has been an elaborate scheme, a long con, cooked up by all parties, to mysteriously reveal the existence of a heretofore unknown case of these books, to sell to the suckers, er, collectors at $300 each.

And it would have worked, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!!

[joecgcmaniac]

1 minute ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Yes, this whole thing has been an elaborate scheme, a long con, cooked up by all parties, to mysteriously reveal the existence of a heretofore unknown case of these books, to sell to the suckers, er, collectors at $300 each.

And it would have worked, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!!

So does that mean I should also shred the longboxes of DCU variants?  

[RockMyAmadeus]

3 minutes ago, joecgcmaniac said:

6 minutes ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Yes, this whole thing has been an elaborate scheme, a long con, cooked up by all parties, to mysteriously reveal the existence of a heretofore unknown case of these books, to sell to the suckers, er, collectors at $300 each.

And it would have worked, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!!

So does that mean I should also shred the longboxes of DCU variants?  

Only the rare ones.

[WolverineX]

2 hours ago, Cpt Kirk said:

Thanks for bffnut, I now have the a copy of Superman #50 2nd print newsstand, which I believe is the sister newsstand issue to Batman 457 2nd print news.   And thanks to Rockmyamadeus for finding and pointing out this comic book (very cool detective work on his part) 

Tell us the story!!

[Cpt Kirk]

On 8/22/2018 at 8:40 PM, RockMyAmadeus said:

Yes, this whole thing has been an elaborate scheme, a long con, cooked up by all parties, to mysteriously reveal the existence of a heretofore unknown case of these books, to sell to the suckers, er, collectors at $300 each.

And it would have worked, if it wasn't for you meddling kids!!

LOL. Maybe RockMyAmadeus has that case of Superman 50 2nd print newsstands, but I sure do not.    Here's the story...

1.   Many moons ago, RockMyAmadeus theorized that Superman 50's 2nd printing might have a newsstand edition just like Batman 457's 2nd printing.  This hunch made a lot of sense when you compare the two issues.  Both were originally cover dated December 1990.  Both had a bold banner at the top to identify the second printing (i.e, "New Robin Issue" on the BM 457 and "Historic Engagement Issue" on the SM 50).

2.  On or about Feb 2017, RockMyAmadeus got the elusive Superman 50 2nd print newsstand and published the results.

http://the-comic-book-forum.boards.net/thread/812/discovery-superman-1990-print-newsstand

3.  RockMyAmadeus would not sell at any price and I turned green with envy.   

4.  I looked high and low for another newsstand variant of Superman 50 2nd print.   I also bought out all of MyComicsShop's 20 or so Superman 50 2nd prints, hoping that one would be a newsstand issue.   But the search was fruitless.

5.  At the suggestion of some friends, I posted a $200 "wanted to buy" thread on this website last February.   I got no hits and raised the ante to $300.   Still no hits, and I decided to raise it to $500 to see if I can get someone else to find the Superman 50.  The price is ridiculous, but I don't have a lot of time to chase these down but I really wanted a copy to marry up with my Batman 457 2nd print newsstand issue.   I do think this might be the highest price that will ever be paid for the Superman 50, because Superman variant collectors don't seem to be as fanatical as Batman variant collectors.

5.  Just a few weeks ago, MyComicShop found two more 2nd printings of Superman 50 and posted them on their website.   Bffnut bought both copies and one of them was the 2nd print newsstand.    After going through this range of emotions:                I gladly paid $500 to bffnut and he shipped the comic book in a way that even the most zealous postman could not damage.

6.  The real mystery:  There were many second printings of DC Comics produced around the same time as Superman 50, Batman 457, and Robin 1.  Why were these the only ones found to have come out in newsstand format?   We don't know for sure.   One of the best explanations I've found is RockMyAmadeus' theory that those issues were so popular, DC needed to get those second printings also sent out to newsstands to satisfy demand.   

Thank you to RockMyAmadeus for discovering this variant (if the word "discovering" ever applied to a variant, I think this is it).   And thank you very much to bffnut for finding and selling it to me.

Edited August 26, 2018 by Cpt Kirk

[RockMyAmadeus]

Gah! Now I have to find out where Lonestar got that copy!

[RockMyAmadeus]

Is it this listing?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Superman-2nd-Series-50-1990-FN-Stock-Image/312207502054?hash=item48b1046ae6:g:QxUAAOSwk3BbZgvs

 

[Carl Elvis]

4 hours ago, Cpt Kirk said:

Thanks for bffnut, I now have the a copy of Superman #50 2nd print newsstand, which I believe is the sister newsstand issue to Batman 457 2nd print news.   And thanks to Rockmyamadeus for finding and pointing out this comic book (very cool detective work on his part) 

Congrats Kirk!

[Cpt Kirk]

9 hours ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Is it this listing?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Superman-2nd-Series-50-1990-FN-Stock-Image/312207502054?hash=item48b1046ae6:g:QxUAAOSwk3BbZgvs

 

No, because that is the first printing.  I think MyComicShop is all sold out of 2nd prints again.   Chances of finding the 2nd print with newsstand bar code on front cover would seem slim though, even if they had 2nd prints in stock.

[bffnut]

Kirk has the story right. Regarding the eBay listing, I didn't know that MCS sold ungraded comics on eBay. I bought the comics directly on their website. No tell where they got it from. I also have a Batman 456 newsstand second print. I bought that locally in Tampa, but the store owner had just moved his shop from St. Louis and he was in the business of buying out closing comic stores, so no telling where that issue came from either.

[RockMyAmadeus]

2 hours ago, Cpt Kirk said:

No, because that is the first printing.  I think MyComicShop is all sold out of 2nd prints again.   Chances of finding the 2nd print with newsstand bar code on front cover would seem slim though, even if they had 2nd prints in stock.

Yes, the copy pictured is a 1st printing.  Lonestar does list items concurrently on eBay, so I was wondering if it was a case of them not knowing the difference, and listing it, like you had said you bought all their copies of the 2nd printing, hoping one of them was a newsstand, and none of them were. Bffnut answered that question. You can come at these from two different ways: buy all the newsstands and hope one is a 2nd print, or buy all the 2nd prints and hope one is a newsstand.

What I'm asking, since you can't search through Lonestar's "sold" items, is this: did the listing that you bought, bffnut, accurately depict (in the picture) what you were buying, or was it just a regular 2nd print pictured, and a newsstand copy just showed up?

Info on where these books come from, even if they lead to dead ends, is still useful in piecing together a picture of why they came to exist. We may never know, but any bit of information might turn into a bigger story.

Maybe if I use the magical notification feature @mycomicshop can find out more info on where they got this copy of a fantastic "book that should never exist."  In any event, this is the highlight of my week, and I'm thrilled you found it, bffnut, and I'm thrilled you got it, Kirk, and that you shared it with everyone. So exciting. 

[FlyingDonut]

37 minutes ago, RockMyAmadeus said:

Yes, the copy pictured is a 1st printing.  Lonestar does list items concurrently on eBay, so I was wondering if it was a case of them not knowing the difference, and listing it, like you had said you bought all their copies of the 2nd printing, hoping one of them was a newsstand, and none of them were. Bffnut answered that question. You can come at these from two different ways: buy all the newsstands and hope one is a 2nd print, or buy all the 2nd prints and hope one is a newsstand.

What I'm asking, since you can't search through Lonestar's "sold" items, is this: did the listing that you bought, bffnut, accurately depict (in the picture) what you were buying, or was it just a regular 2nd print pictured, and a newsstand copy just showed up?

Info on where these books come from, even if they lead to dead ends, is still useful in piecing together a picture of why they came to exist. We may never know, but any bit of information might turn into a bigger story.

Maybe if I use the magical notification feature @mycomicshop can find out more info on where they got this copy of a fantastic "book that should never exist."  In any event, this is the highlight of my week, and I'm thrilled you found it, bffnut, and I'm thrilled you got it, Kirk, and that you shared it with everyone. So exciting. 

I did find a Robin newsstand in a collection I bought last night. Not a second print, but still a newsie. 

[bffnut]

I took the second approach with MCS: buy all of the second prints and see if any are newsstands. The stock on their website (at least for this comic) does not have different entries between newsstand and direct editions; they do, however, differentiate between 1st and 2nd prints (i.e. the only options, whether in stock or not, is to buy the first print or the second print - same with Batman 457). Likewise, for issues that that have DCU logo counterparts (or other similar variants like Mark Jeweler inserts), their website doesn't always those variants as a distinct entry. So I figured they probably lump all of the second prints into one bucket and maybe I'd get lucky.