CENTS OR PENCE?

The cents or pence debate only applies to American comic books and not British-produced comics like Dandy and Beano.

In the 1940s and 1950s, some American comics found their way over to the United Kingdom through American servicemen, through friends and family. Throughout the 1950s, the adventures of Superman and Batman and the like were reprinted and re-packaged for (mostly) the British and Australian markets.

In late 1959, the first American comic books were officially imported and distributed to newsagents and other magazine outlets. Batman #127 and Superman #132 (both cover dated Oct 1959) led the way in small quanities. The floodgates opened the following month with cover dates of Nov 1959. The quantities ordered would probably have been quite small as retailers tried out these new comics which would take shelf and counter space away from the vast array of British comics that had been sold for decades.

British editions of American comics were printed at the same time, on the same paper using the same machinery. The proportion of British copies was generally somewhere up to 5% of the print run but was probably much lower in the early days of Marvel and DC UK distribution, nearer 2-3%.

At the end of a print run, in the case of the early Marvels, a 9d (ninepence) cover price plate was substituted in place of the American 10 cents. For DCs, the cover was hand-stamped. The stamping varies - some can be quite light, others quite heavy and some can be stamped twice when the person concerned missed the first time!

Early Marvels have additional distributor information in the indicia - a single line saying Sole Distributors in the United Kingdom - Thorpe & Porter Ltd. But this needs comprehensive checking. There are also a few instances on 60s Marvel comics where the British cover paper seems to be fractionally thinner than on the US edition (eg Fantastic Four #56) but this again needs comprehensive checking.

Rather than call all these comics UK editions, it would perhaps be more accurate to call them 'pence copies' or 'British priced variants'. Overall they cannot be said to be a reprint of the US edition or, as such, inferior .

In fact it could be argued that in this day and age of variants and alternative covers offered as retailer incentives, British pence copies of American comics are much rarer and have an attraction all of their own. In very high grades or for key issues, one could argue that British pence copies offer value for money.

Some UK collectors prefer UK pence editions of American comics as that 's what they remember as children.

Other collectors prefer the purism of the cents copy, that an American comic should have an American cover price.

What it comes down to is condition, personal preference and spending power.

An early copy of Amazing Spider-Man in FN cents condition currently may be priced the same as a VFN/NM pence copy. If, for example, you have always wanted an Avengers #1 but see a cents copy is over a thousand pounds in VG condition, would you rather opt for a higher grade, better-looking pence copy for the same amount of money?

Sometimes, though, a cents copy just looks better . For example, some 9d and 10d cover stamps on early Marvels and especially DCs can be very heavy and randomly splattered on a character's face. Many 1970s Marvel comics were ND or Non Distributed in the UK and thus were always cover priced in cents. There may have been the odd issue or small run in a series which was distributed and have a British cover price before becoming ND again. Some collectors may feel that for a consistent looking run, all the copies should be cents.

Traditionally American collectors and dealers have frowned upon pence copies but increasingly they have come to recognise the rarity of these pence copies and perhaps see a potential treasure trove.

Indeed there have been reports of American dealers buying British pence copies and charging a higher rarity value!

It remains an inescapable fact that at the moment cents copies are valued higher than pence copies. Currently, general issues of pence copies seem to be valued at about a half compared to cents copies in the lower grades. From about Very Fine condition onwards the gap tends to widen to perhaps a third of the US value. Key issues in cents in very high grades tend to be stratospheric!

It is difficult to compare with very high grade pence copies and cents copies. Sales of, say, Very Fine/Near Mint Amazing Fantasy #15 or Journey into Mystery #83 pence copies are few and far between.

The highest CGC graded Amazing Spider-Man #1 pence copy was advertised in 2010 at the American cents guide price but only attracted bids at half that value. It remains to be seen if that gap between cents and pence copies will narrow or widen.

For the purposes of this guide, all values are in pounds sterling for pence copies. If a comic is only available as a cents copy, that value is given. If you have a cents copy of something that was available either in pence or cents, it would be reasonable to think in general terms about doubling the pence copy values.

The disparity in prices between pence and cents copies is absolutely at its greatest with major key and number one issues in very high grade. A 9.4 Near Mint, cents copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 (the first Spider-Man) has sold for $227,000. At what fraction would a Near Mint pence copy fetch if one ever became available for auction or sale?

BRITISH FREE GIFTS

Unlike American comics, British comics often came with a free gift. For the most part these were booklets of toys made of card to assemble and novelties. In later years these gifts became more extravagant, often packets of sweets, and would be taped to the cover.

If the tape has been left on the cover, it can very often be yellowed and stained. Sometimes the removing of the gift has resulted in a hole in the cover or a substantial patch of cover art torn away. These are quite serious defects and should be noted. Hasty gift removal may result in downgrading by at least two grades.

It must also be said, however, that collecting British comics free gifts is a hobby in itself. These were designed to be used and thrown away so most have not survived. An unused free gift, particularly an early or very popular one, can add a huge amount to the value of the comic.

Throughout the Guide, there are hundreds of pictures of free gifts, many that are seldom seen and very hard to come by.

7 - Personal Hints from The CGC Comic Shop on starting Collecting Comics

#7 Be Realistic

Amazing Fantasy #15 is the 1st appearance of Spider-Man and let’s be realistic, you’ll never own a copy. Being realistic is the first tip I have for you if you want to get into collecting older comics. You can’t set your sights on a 3 million dollar comic book unless you’re a Voodoo sorceror whose reading of the chicken bones gave them the winning lotto numbers.

But let’s say your favourite character is Moon Knight. The character 1st appeared in Werewolf by Night #32, a book that will set you back about 3 grand. Being realistic understands you might not own that book, but you can set your sights on the 3rd appearance of Moon Knight in Werewolf by Night #37, a £250 book.

#6 Set Your Budget

Once you’ve grounded your wants in reality, determine your budget and stick to it. Then do NOT exceed your budget.

Your budget could be a monthly spending amount or you might save up in order to have a wade of cash to spend at a con. You might even set a top dollar you’ll spend on a single issue, like, say, you’ll never go over £100 on a single comic. So, you can use a variety of methods to set a budget, but do make sure you set one, then stick to it.

Sticking to a budget requires patience. You don’t have to get into an eBay bidding war and you don’t have to make that impulse purchase at a con. If the price tag exceeds your budget, you have to learn to be patient and walk away knowing you can continue your quest to find that comic at the price that makes sense for you and your budget.

#5 Learn Who You are as a Collector

The beautiful thing about collecting comics books is you can approach the hobby in a variety of ways. You, of course, have modern collecting, which is primarily speculating, hoping you get a 9.8 in a hot comic or you catch lightning with a variant cover.

But collecting Silver and Bronze Age comics provides even more variety.

• Maybe you just collect “key” issues, defined as important issues like first appearances.
• You can collect runs. I, for example, have complete runs of old school Moon Knight, She-Hulk, Man-Thing, and an uninterrupted run of Uncanny X-Men from #94 up through when Marvel started renumbering every 5 minutes.
• Maybe you get into it for the artwork and collect covers. If I see a Jack Kirby or Jim Steranko cover for a nice price, I pick it immediately.
• Maybe you get esoteric
• You can collect just Silver Age. You can collect a Direct and Newsstand edition of each title, like I do with Claremont X-Men. You can collect certain creators. And on and on it goes!

The point is there is a variety of ways to collect old comics. Choose what you like and what speaks to you, then get after it!

#4 Get off the Beaten Path

Antique shops might have a comic or two and the thrill here is in the hunt. Really, it’s any place that might sell old stuff…I’ve even asked an antique coin dealer if he happened to have some old comics as well.

Speaking of asking? If you stop at a yard sell make sure you ask if they might have comic books as well. It never hurts to ask and you might get lucky! The point is to make it about the hunt, so try outlets other than shops, even though shops will obviously have your best selection.

#3 Condition

So expect 40 year old comics to be beat up a little bit. That said, condition is everything when collecting vintage comics.

First, read our page on CGC grading That will help set expectations. But then forget about grade as much as you can. Here’s what I mean: You won’t be able to afford a high grade in most old comics, unless you are independently wealthy. So get the best condition you can, then don’t stress about it.

It’s better to own a comic in a mid-grade condition than to not own it at all. Then, if you happen to find a nice price on a higher condition later, upgrade!

#2 Look for Lots

I love Thor, so I was excited to collect a run from #126 (when the title was renamed The Mighty Thor after starting out as Journey into Mystery)

So what did I do? I looked for a lot, which is a big bunch of comics. I found a lot of Thor comics that someone bundled up and was looking to get rid of at a good price. Because I bought them in a bundle I was able to get them at a steep discount.

I then filled in the issues around those that were included in the lot. But it was that first big purchased that kickstarted me.

#1 Collect What Makes You Smile

This one should be obvious but it isn’t always so. Collecting comics should be fun, so don’t place any undue pressure on yourself. Set yourself a reasonable budget, decide what type of collector you are, then have fun with it.

Comic books, like all things, change as they age and not necessarily for the better. Whether from the golden, silver or modern age, comic books are all printed on paper that is made from wood pulp. Lignin (a substance found in wood) breaks down and causes the paper to become increasingly acidic, discolored and brittle. Those of you who collect comic books have certainly seen and handled extremely brittle and discolored books. Conservators refer to this the inherent instability of wood pulp paper as “inherent vice.”

If you wish to preserve your comics, you need to take measures to combat this inherent vice by minimizing factors that accelerate deterioration. Steps that you can take to fend off inherent vice include:

Limiting exposure to high levels of moisture, either in the form of water or high humidity. Both can damage comics and accelerate degradation.

• Avoiding exposure to ultraviolet and visible light, which can cause inks to fade and paper to become yellow.
• Using inappropriate non-archival storage or display materials, such as PVC vinyl plastic bags or boxes, inexpensive wood pulp cardboard boxes, wood pulp mat boards, wooden boxes or wooden frames. Contact with these can cause discoloration.
• Avoiding frequent handling.
• What can be done to preserve comic books?
  
  Take measures to limit exposure to moisture by placing books in archival bags or sleeves made from polypropylene, polyethylene or polyethyleneterephalate (Mylar).
  
  Never store comic books directly on the floor.
  
  Avoid storing books in attics, basements or other damp areas. If no alternative is available, use watertight polyethylene or polypropylene boxes and add a few silica gel packets conditioned to 45-50% relative humidity. The packets will need to be changed periodically.
  
  Limit exposure to light including visible and invisible ultraviolet light. If you wish to display your comics, consider display methods that limit light exposure by avoiding display near windows and turning off the lights when you are not in the room. If you choose to display your books in a lighted showcase case, LEDs on a timer are the best option since they emit minimal ultraviolet light and minimal heat. At The Henry Ford, we have noticed that Mylar covers appear to block some of the damaging effects of light, providing some protection from fading.
  
  All books should be bagged and boarded or encapsulated (see image below) for storage, display and handling. This protects them from dirt and moisture, minimizes flexing and stress of the fragile paper, and protects from the oil and salt in people’s hands. The use of archival materials and methods for storage and display can have a big impact on the longevity of your collection.

The use of acid-free, lignin-buffered mat board, boxes and paper inserts are recommended. These products are made from cotton, and generally contain calcium carbonate, which helps to neutralize the acid that is formed in the comic books as they age. They do cost a bit more, but are well worth it. The Henry Ford uses a variety of display and storage methods for comic books. Some examples include:

• Plate stands (see image below) can be used to prop up covered and boarded comic books. I’ve seen nice ones online that have a continuous ledge. This method can also be used for comics that are in hard shell cases.
• Hard shell cases are often used by collectors. In our current exhibit, Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes, a slabbed and graded edition of Marvel Comic #1 is displayed on a slanted stand. When these hard shell cases are sealed and made from stable materials, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, they should preserve your comic when stored in an appropriate environment.
• Last but not least, non-archival tape should never be used to repair torn comics. If you feel that something really must be repaired and you can’t hire a conservator, I suggest that you use archival document repair tape (mending tissue and Filmoplast shown in the image below). Both are available from a number of conservation suppliers listed in our 
• caring for collections fact sheets

. It's best to cut a piece of tape that is just slightly bigger than the torn area, making sure that all the edges of the tear are lined up properly before you press the tape into place. Tweezers make this process a bit easier.

ARE "ACID FREE" BOARDS REALLY ACID FREE? Most comic and magazine collectors use backing boards to protect their collectibles from damage by bending. But what if they are causing more harm than good? What if they are adding to the acidity and resulting yellowing of the items you are trying to protect? The sad truth is most backing boards are. Don't believe the packaging when it claims that the boards are "acid free" because only two brands really are. And one brand qualifies for "Pants on Fire". Here is the best research study we have found: https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/topic/205695-are-acid-free-backing-boards-truly-acid-free-time-to-ph-test-amp-find-out/

TOP 10 WAYS TO DESTROY YOUR COMICS AND MAGAZINES (And you probably have never thought about them!)

You can also hear our discussion on the I Want More Comics podcast here: http://podcast.iwantmorecomics.com/?name=2016-08-28_episode_017_mixdown.mp3

10. Storing them where they can get wet. This is less obvious than it seems. Not only do they need to be stored on a raised platform if they are in your basement, you need to ensure that there are no pipes overhead. The worst tragedies we have heard of come from some type of flooding. But wait, you say there no chance of flooding? What about humidity?

9. Reading them while eating. Oops happens!

8. Storing them in a warm area. One of the greatest enemies of paper is heat. This will accelerate the acidification process, causing the paper to yellow prematurely.

7. Packing boxes too tightly. The reality is one of the most commons forms of damage is self-inflicted. Comics were never meant to be slid between one another. Worse, the pressure from the comics being squeezed can cause the same spine roll found when they are stacked.

6. Leaving them in polyethylene (and polypropylene?) bags without changing the bags periodically. These bags contain plasticizers that can leach into the paper, causing the white area of the paper to take on a yellow cast. If the bag feels oily it is already too late. Far too many collectors choose these bags because they are less expensive than Mylar or Mylites. But they forget that these bags must be replaced regularly. When you consider the cost of replacing the bags over a 10 or 15 year period and the value of your time to re-bag your entire collection, the savings in buying cheap bags is truly a false economy. What's that you say? Your store sells them in a bag already? Better ask what kind of bag they use.

5. Tape on bag flaps snagging the comic when it is removed or inserted in the bag. So easy to do. Either take the tape off completely or using double faced tape applied to the bag itself and always peel the flap off the tape.

4. Allowing them to sag and bend in boxes, causing spine cracks. Regardless of how thick the backing board is, it is going to bend under the weight of 40-50 pounds of paper lying on top of it.

3. Stacking them for any period of time, causing spine roll. Remember that the spine side of the issue is actually thicker because of the fold in numerous sheets of paper and the staples. This thickness may not be noticeable in one issue, but stack 10-20 or more issues and that difference becomes multiplied. Add the weight of those issues it won't take long for them to take on a slight bend near the spine. The worst part is it is n easy habit to fall into and it doesn't take long.

2. Storing them nose down. Seriously, never do this. Comics and magazines must always be stored on end such that the spine supports the issue. Even if you have them in a board and bag, the issue can sag in the bag causing a slight permanent bend.

1. Allowing them to be exposed to sunlight. So the simple solution is to never display them. That's a start. But the UV light from florescent lights is also bad. Think you are safe because you don't have flourescent tubes lights around? Think again. What about compact flourescent light bulbs?

It’s not surprising that there is quite a bit of confusion about how to best protect your comic or magazine collection. The Internet has a profusion of suggestions, everything from comments on message boards to blogs to websites reputing to be “experts” on the topic. Unfortunately, most of this information is incorrect despite the sincere efforts of the writers. There seems to be two major causes for this: collectors who forget that paper is subject to a variety of climate issues and what may work in their area is inadequate elsewhere. Additionally, many of these writers have only been collecting for a short period of time. What works for 2 or 3 or 5 years may be destructive 10-20 years later. The point of protecting your periodicals is to avoid problems over the long term.

We at The Collection Drawer Co. have one significant advantage because we are collectors ourselves and have been collecting for over 50 years (egads!), well before the first preservation products were invented. During that period we have tried a number of techniques, that is, we have made every mistake in the…ummm… magazine. This has given us the opportunity to see first hand what works and what does not over a prolonged period of time with a variety of approaches. So following are some things we have learned over that time. Keep in mind that your mileage may vary for all the reasons listed above.

BUT WAIT! -- WE HAVE MORE TO SAY... By far the single most important technique in preserving your comics and magazines has nothing to do with spending money on costly products. It is very simple. Always store your collectibles in a cool, dry place. Heat and moisture are paper’s worst enemy and the newsprint used in older comics is particularly vulnerable. A warm air temperature can cause the paper to turn yellow in less than a year. One of the most valuable collections ever found is the Mile High Collection, owned by Edgar Church and uncovered after he passed way by Chuck Rozanski. A significant characteristic of those issues are the whiteness of the pages despite being printed on cheap newsprint in the 40’s. But this is not surprising when you realize that they were stored in his basement, the coolest area of the house, and he lived in Denver, Colorado, known for its dry climate.

Storing print collectibles in a cool area is easy as long as you have air-conditioning or a basement (assuming it will not flood! You DO have everything raised off the floor, right?!?) but humidity is a bigger challenge since some areas of the country tend to be quite humid. Some collectors suggest using silica packets such as those found in shoeboxes, electronic equipment boxes and so forth. These do not work. They are only capable of absorbing a small amount of moisture and once they reach their maximum saturation cease to absorb. We have investigated materials that can be baked to dry them out but even these seem to have only limited usefulness.

The most effective method to reduce humidity is to purchase a dehumidifier and have it run continuously in the area where the collectibles are stored. Circulation in this area should also be kept to a minimum so moist air is not introduced. The key here is in realizing that if your area is humid, it is always humid in greater or lesser degrees. The air is constantly circulating in and around your collectibles, so the moisture must be constantly removed from the air. Note, too, that the cooler the air is the less moisture it can hold, so reducing the temperature even further helps as well.

The second most common damage collectors that we know have experienced is bending. Step one in preventing this is to never stack comics or magazines lying flat. This will cause the spines to curl and can occur even if they are stacked for a short period of time. Even standing periodicals on their “nose” end (the end you open them from) will cause warping over time. Comics and magazines should always be stood on the bottom (or top) end with the spine vertical so it provides some support. To prevent the other causes of bending the next most important item you need (besides our BoxSort Upright Dividers) is backing boards. But care needs to be taken in their selection and use as well since they can introduce more acidity to your comic or magazine.