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DC UK Price Variants
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236 posts in this topic

DC Pence Price Variants

 

Hello Pence Friends!

Since documenting the Marvel Pence Variants here:

...I’ve been compiling the same for their DC cousins.

Currently, I have documented a whopping :headbang: 838  :headbang:DC comics with pence only printed prices. These are cover dated:

  • July 1971 - the cover date of the first known single 5p price printed comics (only 4 titles – see below)

and between the cover dates of:

  • February 1978 – the start of the continuing pence copy run

and

  • September 1981 – the last cover date month before consistent dual pence/cents pricing commenced (a nice easy tie off, effectively ending the existence of pence only priced variants).

They are documented on a spreadsheet that looks like this......

 1.thumb.PNG.796ccb63dcd774adaf1a62e8010d5a2a.PNG

 

2.thumb.PNG.c5450723f11f5501cecdb760794d053c.PNG

 

.....and I have scans / images of every comic saved in folders like this:

 5.thumb.PNG.024ee8f0e6aea8e9b6359e830c882456.PNG

 

....with individual comic scans captured like this:

6.thumb.PNG.b21fb57669938da5f8e0e092a8deb74b.PNG

 

As with my Marvel research, I have stuck to standard comic sizes, hence these exclusions:

 3.thumb.PNG.fc7e365f36fd2c9119f2ce733330d43d.PNG

 

If you are interested in DC pence variants, here are some observations:

1.     The first pence only printed DC comics found are Action Comics #402, Adventure Comics #408, Detective comics #413 and Jimmy Olsen #139 all cover dated July 1971. No pence printed issues dated prior to this date have been found to exist, nor after this date (until we hit February 1978). July 1971 is the final US 15c regular cover price date, which may have a bearing on why it was chosen. I have found no explanation for why only 4 of the available 31 titles cover dated July 1971 were chosen, or indeed why those particular 4 titles were chosen. Here they are:

402crop.jpg.a9db473dce117558e586d56e6f4e6947.jpg 591ee951dd3ed_408(2).jpg.7110e9aa03591fc6f29e22c95abc4a6d.jpg 

413crop.jpg.5fca9e3427bbc6e61acdbbde2fbd49b1.jpg 139crop.jpg.49ec81da63b85f60220f1f899205b35e.jpg

2.     We have to jump forward 8 years before pence only printed copies recommence in full from the cover date February 1978. I have found no copies dated prior to this date. Not all titles commence at February 1978 – many commence on March 1978 holding out the possibility that some February 1978 copies may yet still exist / be found. But I’ve been looking a long time….

3.     The last pence only printed DC comics are cover dated September 1981. From October 1981, DC introduced dual cents / pence pricing for all their titles. Marvel did the same 3 months later (December 1981)

4.     85 titles exist with cover dates crossing July 1971 and February 1978 through to September 1981. Of those 85, 31 titles appear to have no pence copies (lists below)

5.     For monthly titles only, no pence copies have been found for comics cover dated September 1978 to November 1978 inclusive. All monthly titles which cross these dates have a 3 issue gap. This gap coincides with, and is likely explained by, the increase and subsequent decrease in the US cover prices (35c to 50c September 1978 / 50c to 40c December 1978). For bi-monthly titles, September 1978 dated issues exist, but no pence issues exist for the following two months.

6.     Only three prices exist for DC pence comics – 5p (July 1971), 12p (February 1978 to August 1979) and 15p (September 1979 to September 1981). Unlike Marvel, who would raise the cover price where applicable, DC would not produce a pence copy if the issue was double sized / the US price increased. As an example, Detective Comics #500 was a double sized issue. Rather than increase the price from 15p DC simply omitted the issue from pence production. This pattern is absolute – there are no double sized DC pence issues, and any one-off deviation in the US price would mean no pence copy (hard on UK collectors!)

7.     No annuals have been found as pence only printed copies, presumably for the same reason that double sized / non-standard priced copies were not

8.     Unlike Marvel, DC pence copies are distinguished by the pence price alone. No other changes are made (e.g. removing the cover date, additional indicia distribution data, different cover banners)

 

For my Marvel pence research, I produced a ‘missing list’ of issues which I believe should have pence copies. They are mostly the obscure early titles (Gunsmoke Western etc.) and those following that thread will see that I update the numbers when I find a new example. I do not believe there are any missing DC issues to find, given the significantly smaller date window and the concrete patterns. That said, I am always happy to be proven wrong if it means finding a new pence copy, so here is the full list of numbers which I believe represent the full 838 issue range:

Titles With Pence Copies

Action Comics: 402, 480-486, 490-499, 501-523

Adventure Comics: 408, 456-458, 473-485

All-Star Comics: 71-73

All-Star Squadron: 1

Aquaman: 60-63

Arak Son of Thunder: 1

Batman: 297-299, 301-302, 306-339

Black Lightning: 7-10

Brave and the Bold: 140-142, 145-178

Challengers of the Unknown: 85-87

Claw the Unconquered: 10-12

DC Comics Presents: 1, 4-37

Detective Comics: 413, 475-478, 496-499, 501-506

Doorway to Nightmare: 2-4

Firestorm the Nuclear Man: 1-4

Flash: 259-264, 268-299, 301

Freedom Fighters: 13-15

Ghosts: 62-67, 71-104

Green Lantern: 101-107, 111-144

House of Mystery: 263-296

House of Secrets: 151-153

Jonah Hex: 10-15

Justice League of America: 161-194

Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth: 56-58

Karate Kid: 13-15

Krypton Chronicles: 1

Legion of Super-Heroes: 259-279

Men of War: 11-26

Mister Miracle: 23-25

Mystery in Space: 111-117

New Adventures of Superboy: 1-21

New Gods: 17-19

New Teen Titans: 1-11

Secret Society of Super-Villains: 13-15

Secrets of Haunted House: 11-13, 17-40

Secrets of the Legion of Super-Heroes: 1-3

Sgt. Rock: 323-356

Shade the Changing Man: 6-8

Shazam!: 34-35

Showcase: 97, 101-103

Star Hunters: 3-6

Steel the Indestructible Man: 1-4

Super Friends: 10-13, 15-47

Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes: 246-258

Superman: 321-326, 330-363

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen: 139

Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: 1-3

Unexpected: 183-186, 200-214

Unknown Soldier: 222-255

Untold Legends of the Batman: 1-3

Weird War Tales: 70-103

Weird Western Tales: 45-47, 50-70

Witching Hour: 77-83

Wonder Woman: 240-246, 250-283

 

If anyone reading has a pence version not on the list above, do let me know - I'll update this thread if and when I find any new ones, or if anyone wants to talk pence related stuff.

 

Here is the list of titles with no pence copies found – again, if you have one, let me know:

4.PNG.9cd176a21e1f9d9636a4c7e5e67f08e0.PNG

 

I'll end with full scans of all four July 1971 issues which I purchased to check the indicias etc:

402.thumb.jpg.bfa2cb12e94745df8f3260ec816cd82d.jpg

408.thumb.jpg.59c985cb51e19ffc13c327b1566fdb71.jpg

413.thumb.jpg.af2af0e66c46d0da2b0f99222ae31ef1.jpg

139.thumb.jpg.584eb81105af9e18707ace01788124ba.jpg

 

Aren't they pretty :cloud9:

The cover prices are the only change - no differences internally or additions to the indicias:

20170518_142411.thumb.jpg.52078c7cf204b57cc6a2087f9edcce50.jpg

20170518_142448.thumb.jpg.c0c9faa9ab58e52d3a7a86e212b7636e.jpg

 

Cheers! dls.png.a8da72f60aa32cc2dd15926bd0d2e18e.png

 

 

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And here's a DC pence cover which I'm posting just because I like it :cloud9:

209.thumb.jpg.6b281e0822f486c6e92b936b0e00164a.jpg

Can't think why..... :whistle:

 

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8 hours ago, 1950's war comics said:

Cool cover !  back in the day did 15 pence = about 75 Cents?

A bit less @1950's war comics

In August 1978, the US cover price was 35c, UK 12p. When DC increased the price to 50c for 3 months, the pence copies stopped. When they dropped the price back to 40c, the pence copies started up again at 12p still:

1.PNG.01f5a59a0dcee1349c10abda5e551029.PNG

On September 1979 the UK price went from 12p to 15p whilst the US stayed at 40c.

I wish comics were still 15p.....

 

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36 minutes ago, shadroch said:

While I have a dozen or so books with British prices stamped on them, I don't recall ever seeing one any of these printed prices.

Very interesting thread.

 

Cheers @shadroch. If you want to see any particular issues, let me know (thumbsu

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Just out of curiosity Marwood and I, where do you stand on Thorpe and Porter pence price stamped copies? Do you see them as pence variants or as defaced regular copies? I personally didn't count them when I did ppv but I like hearing other opinions!

 

James

Edited by Kahnadah
Spelling mistake. >.<
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2 minutes ago, Kahnadah said:

Just out of curiosity Marwood and I, where do you stand on Thorpe and Porter pence price stamped copies? Do you see them as pence variants or as defaced regular copies? I personally didn't count them when I did ppv but I like hearing other opinions!

 

James

Hello @Kahnadah, thanks for dropping by. I see them as cents copies with dirty great stamps on them. I frown when I see them referred to as British variants and I've seen various reference sites get muddled between actual pence printed price variants and T&P stamped cents copies. On a similar theme, the phrase 'non distributed' causes havoc in my opinion, when used in the wrong hands. (thumbsu

Don't forget to drop by my Marvel pence thread James - link in my signature line below (if you have them switched on) ?

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Afternoon Pence Friends!

I picked this book up today at the London Comic Fair (see my Marvel Pence Thread for more on that shortly).

Nothing special about it really, but I noticed that the guy who set the printing plates for the pence pricing may have had one too many sherbets that day...

59590145d5d42_GL11512p.jpg.ec4066dc7c58b42919ae2e3e4165cbb2.jpg

 

He shoots - he misses! :headbang:

115.thumb.jpg.d1650c8801c5cb998ad24ec9099afe24.jpg

 

I luv yu, hic :headbang:

 

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3 hours ago, 1950's war comics said:

Marwood/I

Did you pay the 12P with six of these cartwheels?  :bigsmile:   (one of my all time favorite coins)  :cloud9:

Image result for george third cartwheel twopence

No, I used the local fair currency. A head of sheep and a bag of rice ?

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2 hours ago, quicksilver said:

How about this one from August 1971 ?

 

flash208p.jpg

Oh my, I've just pooped myself!

Thank you @quicksilver, THANK YOU!  This is why I post on these boards!

I will be back when I have looked into this. Not only does it break the 'July 1971' one off rule, it also bucks the trend that no double sized issues exist. I take it you lifted the picture from the ebay sale - it looks the same? Hopefully someone hasn't been playing silly buggers with photo-shop.

I salute you! :headbang::banana::golfclap:

Now to try and find another, and others that month....

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