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Flintstones at the World's Fair - 29 cent variant
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11 posts in this topic

My understanding is that this comic has three editions - the first print is 25 cents, and the third print is also 25 cents but with a big yellow banner across the top of the fc showing it is the 1965 edition. 

In between there was a second printing with a 29 cent price. Judging from what I have seen online, the second printing price variant seems to be scarcer than the other two.

I was wondering - how scarce is the 29 cent variant? And does anybody care? Is it worth anything? Thanks!

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There is someone out there that enjoys the Flintstones and does care about the 29 cent variant.

If I were collecting Flintstones comics I would certainly be interested in that book just as I am/was interested in all of the Sad Sack "One Shots", Promo's and Spinoffs for my Sad Sack collection.

Out of curiosity I looked in Overstreet and this is what is written...

"29 cent version exists, 2nd print?"

The 1st printing values listed are $5.00 for GD 2.0 to $75.00 for NM- 9.2.

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18 hours ago, pemart1966 said:

Any ideas as to what prompted the need for three versions?

The only answer I can come up with is that it is listed as starring almost all Hanna-Barbera characters so I would assume it was popular with kids.

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1 hour ago, marvelmaniac said:

The only answer I can come up with is that it is listed as starring almost all Hanna-Barbera characters so I would assume it was popular with kids.

That doesn't explain the need for 3 different covers though...three printings yes but three covers?

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6 hours ago, pemart1966 said:

That doesn't explain the need for 3 different covers though...three printings yes but three covers?

I'm guessing the 1965 banner was to make it look like a new book to people who went to the Fair in 1965; maybe they figured there was a chance to get somebody to buy it twice thinking there was at least some new material.

Again, just guessing here:  They did the 1st print at 25c, it sold well enough that they decided to bump the price for the 2nd version.  That didn't sell as well, so when they went to a 3rd printing for the second year they added the new banner as well as dropping the price back down.

It's also possible they printed the covers at different times from the insides, do we have hard info on the printings or is it purely speculative after the fact?

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Where this books sold exclusively at the Worlds Fair?

The only way to find out for sure why there were three separate issues would be to contact...

Dell/Gold Key, Warren Publishing or Hanna-Barbera.

This is one of those mysteries like the one I have been trying to solve for 10 years...

Why was issue #12 of the Sad Sack Armed Forces Complimentary Comics never published?  ???   (shrug)

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My guess is they were sold exclusively at the World's Fair; both the front and back cover have text that says "official world's fair comic souvenir."

The only copy I have, as you might have guessed, is the 29 cent variant. I took a look through it, and it didn't have much information. The copyright is 1964. Without looking at the 1965 version, I can't say for sure, but it does seem likely that this print came before the 1965 version, both because of the copyright, and the fact that it doesn't have the big yellow banner saying "1965 edition."

Mycomicsshop lists the 29 cent variant as a second printing, and the 1965 edition as the third printing. A quick look on ebay shows one copy of the 29 cent variant currently for sale, but no other 29 cent variants either offered or in the sold listings; the other copies in both are all either the regular 25 cent version or the 1965 edition. 

That's... basically all I have been able to come up with on this one.  

Edited by Crimebuster
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 My cousin Tom and I went to the Worlds Fair early on. He bought an issue of this book but I'd run out of money. I got one as a gift a few weeks later, but it disappeared as most things eight year olds play with. My cousins book ended up in his basement, alongside toys like the phantom freighter and a Bat Masterson board game. As I became a teenager and started collecting comics, I wanted a copy. I was negotiating with my cousin and  were close to a deal.  I was at a flea market and Richie Muchin  was selling comics. I asked him about the book and he had a copy. I think I paid about a quarter for it. Only years later did I notice my new copy was from 1965.

I don't remember ever reading the book.Ownership was enough for me.

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2 hours ago, shadroch said:

I think I remember seeing the book in some stores, but my Grandmother lived in Queens so it might have only been distributed in and around the fair.

For what it's worth, over at Grand Comics Database, a couple of guy's have indicated that they purchased it off the racks.   Where they purchased it is not indicated.

Edited by pemart1966
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