The Distribution of US Published Comics in the UK (1959~1982) 15 15

[Mr Thorpe]

And another thing! Those Towers ....

That white stickered No-Man #2.

A theory, but I think you will agree very probably true. That white sticker's purpose in life is not to deface the CCA stamp and at the same time highlight the T&P price stamp! I think it's purpose is to conceal a 1/6d T&P price stamp beneath. I say this because it's a 25 center, and all 25 centers were stamped by T&P as 1/6d at the time. The Tower 25 centers, of course, were not 80 pages like the DC 80 page giants, so probably didn't sell too well to cash strapped 11 year olds (I was one of them who sniffily overlooked the quality of the contents and just looked at the page count my not so hard earned was paying for).

So... stuck with a load of unsold 25cent/1/6d Tower comic returns, T&P reduced them to 10d.

Now if you could only x ray that sticker ..

The 1/9d oversticker was T&P standard practise at the time when 'giant prices' were increased to 1/9d from 1/6d. The 1/- sticker over old 10d T&P stamps is more common.

 

Keep up the good work! 

 

 

[Get Marwood & I]

1 hour ago, Mr Thorpe said:

And another thing! Those Towers ....

That white stickered No-Man #2.

A theory, but I think you will agree very probably true. That white sticker's purpose in life is not to deface the CCA stamp and at the same time highlight the T&P price stamp! I think it's purpose is to conceal a 1/6d T&P price stamp beneath. I say this because it's a 25 center, and all 25 centers were stamped by T&P as 1/6d at the time. The Tower 25 centers, of course, were not 80 pages like the DC 80 page giants, so probably didn't sell too well to cash strapped 11 year olds (I was one of them who sniffily overlooked the quality of the contents and just looked at the page count my not so hard earned was paying for).

So... stuck with a load of unsold 25cent/1/6d Tower comic returns, T&P reduced them to 10d.

Now if you could only x ray that sticker ..

The 1/9d oversticker was T&P standard practise at the time when 'giant prices' were increased to 1/9d from 1/6d. The 1/- sticker over old 10d T&P stamps is more common.

 

Keep up the good work! 

 

 

I like those theories. I'll get the lighter fuel out later and see if I can prise it off. I think I have others in the files with the under stamp visible too. Wish me luck 

[OtherEric]

2 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

I like those theories. I'll get the lighter fuel out later and see if I can prise it off. I think I have others in the files with the under stamp visible too. Wish me luck 

Luck!

[Get Marwood & I]

10 hours ago, OtherEric said:

Luck!

I can't get in the garage to get to the lighter fuel - got the builders in - so we'll have to wait. In the meantime, a few more Dynamo pricing examples from the files:

[Get Marwood & I]

14 hours ago, Mr Thorpe said:

The Tower 25 centers, of course, were not 80 pages like the DC 80 page giants, so probably didn't sell too well to cash strapped 11 year olds (I was one of them who sniffily overlooked the quality of the contents and just looked at the page count my not so hard earned was paying for).

I don't remember seeing any Towers in my neck of the woods as a kid. Or Charltons for that matter. I know Charltons had limited regional distribution but I can't be sure if they were there and I just didn't pay enough attention. 

[Get Marwood & I]

Since I started collecting this information I have found three definable / named UK distributor stamps:

• Thorpe & Porter
• L Miller (and A Miller)
• RV (persona not knowna)

I've also found a lot of unbranded stamps with just prices, many of which are likely to be Thorpe's who, as Mr T pointed out, had a habit of forgetting their T&P in the late 1970's.

To date, the US publishers I've found with enough branded stamps to indicate a formal distribution arrangement are:

• ACG (with just Thorpe & Porter stamps)
• Archie (both Thorpe & Porter and L Miller)
• Atlas (just Thorpe & Porter)
• Charlton (both Thorpe & Porter and L Miller)
• DC (just Thorpe & Porter)
• Dell (just Thorpe & Porter)
• Gilberton (just Thorpe & Porter)
• Harvey (just L Miller)
• IW / Super (just L Miller)
• MF Enterprises (just Thorpe & Porter)
• Marvel (mostly Thorpe & Porter with a handful of L Miller)

In addition to those I've found two single examples as follows, both of which probably snuck in to the process in error rather than by way of any formal distribution arrangement:

• Gold Key - one T&P stamped book (the Thriller #2 shown previously in the thread)
• Headline / Prize - one T&P stamped book

And there are multiple examples in evidence in my files of unbranded UK stamped copies of Mighty Comics Group which may indicate something formal, or possibly just one outlet. 

Whilst we don't know for sure what date any of the books actually arrived or went on sale in the UK, we can now evidence the date window for the existence of UK stamped US comics as being 1958 to 1979 by cover date, and there is enough anecdotal evidence to indicate that the books likely first arrived on UK shores in late 1959 / early 1960.

For me, this 20 year period is easily the most rich, exciting, ground breaking and often madly illogical time in comics history. The early distribution years are littered with practices and nuances which just don't exist beyond the 1980's and certainly not in the bland, soulless current age. I've mentioned many times in my threads here on the CGC boards that Thorpe & Porter have always been assumed by the masses to be the 'sole distributor' of US comics in the UK. I hope I have done my bit to dispel that myth with my work on uncovering L Miller's role, both in respect of UKPVs (which no one knew existed) and also the distribution of non-reprint tiles (virtually every online source cites them as a reprint specialist only).

I'm going to step away from the boards again for a while now due to other pressing matters, but I hope you guys reading have enjoyed everything I've posted here so far. Don't forget the Pence Palace summaries which, for the time being, will be crystallised until I return. I'm quite pleased with them to be honest - a wealth of information there - much of it 'new' - about all those little nuances that only nutters like us appreciate.

Have fun boys and thanks for playing 

Be seeing you...

 

 

[Kevin.J]

[Kevin.J]

[Kevin.J]

 

[rakehell]

2 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

I'm going to step away from the boards again for a while now

See ya, Florence. 

[Get Marwood & I]

On 9/22/2020 at 1:46 PM, Kevin.J said:

 I didn't have a picture of a stamped one of number 5, thanks Kevin. Have you read them?

On 9/22/2020 at 2:21 PM, rakehell said:

See ya, Florence. 

I popped back because I got a notification that Jimmery was back in town and was hoping to catch him Geraldine. He's gone back into hiding though from the looks of it.

Shame, he'd like this thread... @porcupine48

[Kevin.J]

5 hours ago, Get Marwood & I said:

 I didn't have a picture of a stamped one of number 5, thanks Kevin. Have you read them?

 

I have complete set of Tower books, these were the only ones with visible stamps, I have read them all maybe 30+ years ago 

As usual all the Pence issues are in much worse condition that the cents

[Get Marwood & I]

4 minutes ago, Kevin.J said:

I have complete set of Tower books, these were the only ones with visible stamps, I have read them all maybe 30+ years ago 

As usual all the Pence issues are in much worse condition that the cents

[Kevin.J]

1 minute ago, Get Marwood & I said:

[Get Marwood & I]

3 minutes ago, Kevin.J said:

Every one a winner 

[Get Marwood & I]

Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! 

[Mr Thorpe]

Steve,

You are teasing us!!!

I don't recognise the comic at all, but that's almost by the by.

The dual price stamping is the focal point of this cover.

So, does this mean that the mysterious Charlton RV stampers have a relationship with old favourites T&P?

Using my secret forensic UKPV powers, I would guess the T&P stamp is about 1966?

Come on! What do you know, Steve?!!!

[Get Marwood & I]

25 minutes ago, Mr Thorpe said:

Steve,

You are teasing us!!!

25 minutes ago, Mr Thorpe said:

I don't recognise the comic at all, but that's almost by the by.

25 minutes ago, Mr Thorpe said:

The dual price stamping is the focal point of this cover.

So, does this mean that the mysterious Charlton RV stampers have a relationship with old favourites T&P?

Naah. Just both tried to sell the same book I reckon 

25 minutes ago, Mr Thorpe said:

Using my secret forensic UKPV powers, I would guess the T&P stamp is about 1966?

The mag is a 1961 issue

25 minutes ago, Mr Thorpe said:

Come on! What do you know, Steve?!!!

 

Have a read of this post from my Charlton thread Mr T and all will be revealed:

[Mr Thorpe]

But, but ....

that 2/6d T&P stamp would have been the big clunky font typeface that T&P were using up to June 1965 if this was distributed in the UK in 1961 or even 1962. The much neater font typeface didn't start until July1965.

'RV' was only around for about a year, around 1964/65.

Was this 1961 magazine 'dumped' on the UK by Charlton in 1965?

[Get Marwood & I]

7 minutes ago, Mr Thorpe said:

But, but ....

that 2/6d T&P stamp would have been the big clunky font typeface that T&P were using up to June 1965 if this was distributed in the UK in 1961 or even 1962. The much neater font typeface didn't start until July1965.

'RV' was only around for about a year, around 1964/65.

Was this 1961 magazine 'dumped' on the UK by Charlton in 1965?

I know, none of the dates make sense do they. My money's on RV got hold of and overprinted some old magazine stock - which might explain all the missing issues - and sold them much later, probably around the same time as the Charlton comics they stamped between 64/65. The odd copy then fell into the T&P process, like the other odd comic examples we've seen, hence their later more finessed stamp competing on this copy. I'm only guessing though. Who knows what the  went on