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pukie2122 Posts: 85
1/18/2022
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Does anyone know if there is a comprehensive source to see how many issues were printed of a comic book?
Like a price guide but instead of prices, showing print runs.
I seem to remember browsing thru a book like that many years ago at Half price books. Unfortunately I did not buy it.
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collectibleshop Posts: 2358
1/18/2022
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there are 1-2 online sources, I don't remember the names or have time to search (anyone hear of google?), but word is they may not be all that accurate, as that info may not have been kept or isn't public or findable by the defunct publishers now. do a net search for 'comic book print runs' and you'll find some. or go to the CGC forum and do that search, they have covered that subject a few times. https://boards.cgccomics.com/forum/8-comics-general/
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Gilgandra Posts: 1246
1/18/2022
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Try Comichron there good.
https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales.html
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collectibleshop Posts: 2358
1/18/2022
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Gilgandra wrote:
Try Comichron there good.
https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales.html
yeah, that's the main one I've heard about. Sounds like a Transformers robot tho.
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Gilgandra Posts: 1246
1/19/2022
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collectibleshop wrote:
Gilgandra wrote:
Try Comichron there good.
https://www.comichron.com/monthlycomicssales.html
yeah, that's the main one I've heard about. Sounds like a Transformers robot tho.
Or something from 80's Astroboy
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pukie2122 Posts: 85
1/19/2022
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Thank you. I was mostly interested in Marvel & DC comics maybe from 1950 thru 1985.
For instance Worlds Finest #71 from 1954. Not many in CGC census and you never know how many were broken out and submitted to CGC again resulting in duplicate listings.
So how may really exist. Some comic publications guess maybe there are only 100 copies in existence. Made me wonder how many were printed.
An easy, alphabetical listing like a dictionary would be an easy resource to consult. I saw a book like that once. The web sites I saw look awkward to navigate and are limited in range and info.
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aarondawe Posts: 158
1/19/2022
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pukie2122 wrote:
Thank you. I was mostly interested in Marvel & DC comics maybe from 1950 thru 1985.
For instance Worlds Finest #71 from 1954. Not many in CGC census and you never know how many were broken out and submitted to CGC again resulting in duplicate listings.
So how may really exist. Some comic publications guess maybe there are only 100 copies in existence. Made me wonder how many were printed.
An easy, alphabetical listing like a dictionary would be an easy resource to consult. I saw a book like that once. The web sites I saw look awkward to navigate and are limited in range and info.
Before the direct market in 78-79, print runs wouldn't really provide any meaningful numbers. In the '40s, comics were printed in the millions (supposedly), but most were pulped because of wartime shortages.
Also, newsstands were also able to return unsold books, so a book with a print run of 350K could have had more than a third of those returned. Without return figures, you wouldn't be able to really know how many 'exist/existed' at publication time. I recall on Jim Shooter's blog, that he mentioned that sometimes they had more returns of a title than were printed due to an involvement of criminal activity in the process.
Aaron
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pukie2122 Posts: 85
1/19/2022
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Great information. Thank you.
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collectibleshop Posts: 2358
1/19/2022
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pukie2122 wrote:
Great information. Thank you.
was the book maybe The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books? Has several volumes covering A-Z, goes from 1938 to mid-'80s I think. amazon has some cheaper softcover versions. "In addition (to the photos), each series listing features supplemental information noting publication year, creators, scarcity guide, and more." Not sure if it has actual print runs tho, or how much info has changed since the internet came along and turned many collectors into sellers that made 'scarce' copies less scarce.
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Gilgandra Posts: 1246
1/19/2022
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Yeah print runs knowing or not knowing make collecting comic books work. To add to the debate, Underground comic books are in the same boat. Some are totally unknown (both prints runs or even if they exist at all). It is truly in the hands of the collectors themselves.
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lokyel Posts: 430
1/19/2022
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not to say that how many books were recycled, gone up in house fires or national disasters.
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