Is there a tell tale way to spot a fake BATMAN 1 from1940 0

[collectiblepaper]

I have an opportunity to maybe get a BATM 1 from 1940.  Is there an easy way to tell if it is a fake a or a reproduction?  Something I should keep an eye out for?  I have not seen it in person yet but I will attach some photos that were sent to me.  Any help would be appreciated.

[telerites]

What @Z List said is correct.  Another clue that this is a reprint is the DC publication indica is more to the left on the original but on the reprint, it is more centered right under the left part of the cape like your copy.  Below is the real thing (not mine but I wish).  See the difference of the indica position and the red building is not as full as the original.  

 

Edited September 21, 2020 by telerites

[theCapraAegagrus]

"No. I" is a dead giveaway.

The original is printed "No. 1".

[theCapraAegagrus]

4 minutes ago, Z List said:

Good one! That's frigging weird too. It's a Roman numeral 1 is guess? 

Yup.

[Keys_Collector]

You should probably spend a lot of money on it, send it into CGC for grading and then come here to drop a thread on Friday about how CGC swapped your book or something along those lines.

[revat]

It’s a ton of money, so just negotiate a contract price for you to pay xx for whatever grade, plus the grading fee IF it comes back from CGC as the real deal.  And they do the submission.   If your offer is fair but they’re not willing to get it graded, it’s not worth it for you to roll the dice.  

[MatterEaterLad]

It's possible that the person selling it to you doesn't even know it's a reprint.

Don't buy it, but definitely let us know what the seller says when you show them a real copy vs. theirs. 

[10centcomics]

This looks like it might be a copy of Famous First Edition No.5 (with the cover ripped off) which reprints Batman 1 in treasury format. Ask him to send you a photo with a banana for scale

[OtherEric]

 

5 hours ago, 10centcomics said:

This looks like it might be a copy of Famous First Edition No.5 (with the cover ripped off) which reprints Batman 1 in treasury format. Ask him to send you a photo with a banana for scale

Agreed.  The fact you can't see the lower left corner of the front cover is another giveaway; I'm pretty sure on the FFE the building there is missing.

[James J Johnson]

48 minutes ago, OtherEric said:

 

Agreed.  The fact you can't see the lower left corner of the front cover is another giveaway; I'm pretty sure on the FFE the building there is missing.

In which case the seller knows exactly what this is and is trying to pull a fast one. It's the DC Treasury edition. There's three staples in this book. He's only using images that almost hide that too.  Who is this thief? is he selling on a national platform or just some local yokel trying his hand at fraud?

Edited September 22, 2020 by James J Johnson

[comicginger1789]

Def appears to be the treasury. There are enough random dumbos out there that would see this and think it is legit. There are also enough who think they can scam someone. 

Don't buy for more than $20. I would tell the seller and if it is someone with an ebay account or who sells comics in general, they should be known so others (experienced folks or amateur collectors) don't give him the satisfaction of a fraudulent sale. 

Oh and as mentioned....dead giveaway is the size (treasury is much larger than the golden age original) and the No. I versus No 1. I always said, no one wants a period in their first issue. No one.

[William-James88]

On 9/18/2020 at 11:40 PM, collectiblepaper said:

I have an opportunity to maybe get a BATM 1 from 1940.  Is there an easy way to tell if it is a fake a or a reproduction?  Something I should keep an eye out for?  I have not seen it in person yet but I will attach some photos that were sent to me.  Any help would be appreciated.

Wow, whoever sent you those pics is a POS scammer since you see everything EXCEPT the part that is a dead giveaway (well aside form the roman numeral). They don't even give you an actual good image of the complete front of the comic. Glad you wrote to us here before making your purchase.

[Qalyar]

5 hours ago, comicginger1789 said:

Oh and as mentioned....dead giveaway is the size (treasury is much larger than the golden age original) and the No. I versus No 1. I always said, no one wants a period in their first issue. No one.

Humor there notwithstanding, there are both with-period and without-period versions on legitimate originals. However, the 1940 books have a serif number 1, and the treasury reprint (besides being larger size) have a sans-serif number 1 (or a Roman numeral I, depending on your point of view...).

As for value, this is worth about zero. It has the outer cover removed, for one, and is in terrible condition notwithstanding that.

[comicginger1789]

If it had the cover, maybe $20-30 @collectiblepaper

Google Batman #1 treasury and you will see the cover.

As is, maybe worth $5

[James J Johnson]

Here's the most obvious tell, before even bothering to match artwork. How many staples does the book have.

Original Batman 1, Superman 1, Action 1, Detective 27 = TWO staple, typically in normal position. That is, at 10 and 8 o'clock, if the cover were a clock face.

Treasury editions = THREE staples, with the top staple at about 10:30, the middle staple, usually close to spine dead center at 9 o'clock, and the bottom staple at 7:30, again, if the cover were a clock face. 

[Semicentennial]

On a true copy of Batman #1, the building on the right should have what looks like a cross on top of the building.  The one pictured does not have the cross on top of the building. 

[James J Johnson]

24 minutes ago, 50 Fiddy said:

On a true copy of Batman #1, the building on the right should have what looks like a cross on top of the building.  The one pictured does not have the cross on top of the building. 

But when pressed for time, one may forget which is which. The cross, the period, the building, etc., unless you'rte very familiar with what should be on the cover of a 1940 Batman 1 and what shouldn't, it can be confusing, memory being sometimes an imperfect thing.

The two staple, three staple rule is the easiest to remember. 99.99% of all comics have two staples. The treasury editions have 3. When someone is hawking a Bat 1 (or other DC key G.A. issue) that has three staples, be suspicious. Be very suspicious. 

[Semicentennial]

9 hours ago, James J Johnson said:

But when pressed for time, one may forget which is which. The cross, the period, the building, etc., unless you'rte very familiar with what should be on the cover of a 1940 Batman 1 and what shouldn't, it can be confusing, memory being sometimes an imperfect thing.

The two staple, three staple rule is the easiest to remember. 99.99% of all comics have two staples. The treasury editions have 3. When someone is hawking a Bat 1 (or other DC key G.A. issue) that has three staples, be suspicious. Be very suspicious. 

The staple rule wouldn't apply in the OP case since the seller didn't include pictures of the staples, but the top of the building is clearly visible and is missing the cross or whatever is supposed to be. 

I have to agree that the staple rule is easier to remember than the missing cross on the building. 

 

 

[James J Johnson]

5 hours ago, 50 Fiddy said:

The staple rule wouldn't apply in the OP case since the seller didn't include pictures of the staples, but the top of the building is clearly visible and is missing the cross or whatever is supposed to be. 

I have to agree that the staple rule is easier to remember than the missing cross on the building. 

 

 

He showed enough of the staple area, or should I say the area in close enough proximity of the staples for me to clearly see the "gathering" pattern in the paper of where the three staples are located, just outside of camer range. Look closely. You'll see it in more than 1 picture. Once I noticed that, almost immediately, there was no need for me to look at the cover art or anything else to know it was a T-edition. 

Edited September 25, 2020 by James J Johnson

[James J Johnson]

2 hours ago, Moater said:

Pressed for time when buying a Batman #1?  

Yes. Why not? Did I specify a length of time? Or the resources at hand that a potential buyer may have at disposal if suddenly presented with a Batman 1 for possible purchase? Before even wasting time on researching artwork or any other elements, wouldn't it be easier to simply look at the spine, see three staples and derive the answer? That should take a second or two to count the staples, yes?