Unrecognized Items: Mark Jewelers and Direct Market

[Margaret Walsh]

Need some guidance on what I should do with my Unrecognized Mark Jewelers and Direct Market versions.  Over the past couple of months, I've started reviewing the Unrecognized Titles and Comics log after my weekly updates.  After cleaning up a lot of the list, there's still two dozen or more issues that I originally logged as either an MJ (Mark Jewelers insert) or DM (Direct Market).  For the DM items, I uploaded a copy of my cover because it didn't have the bar code.  For the MJ items (Newstand?), the opposite is true:" the main entry in the DB

[Margaret Walsh]

To finish my thought, the main entry for the MJ items could either be with a barcode and no mention of the insert OR it is a DM version without the barcode.  An example of an issue with the MJ insert is Uncanny X-Men #144.  DB entry shows barcode but no notes about having this insert.  I've attached my most recent log list, if that helps.  Do I try to merge my duplicate entry with the main one or just live with the situation I have now?  I'm wondering if my duplicate entries have value increases/decreases over time or not because they're unrecognized.  ComicBase Database.cbdb Unknown Items 23-Aug-2023 09-26.htm

[Randall J. Paske]

I believe the ComicBase policy is to not distinguish between newsstand and direct market versions of comics unless there is some difference other than the absence or presence of a bar code or diamond box. So if you submitted items as "DM" variants, they may not have been accepted into the master database. (I am only speculating. I have no inside knowledge.) If you want to distinguish your DM variants, they'll probably have to remain unrecognized, and their listed values won't be updated.

As for the "MJ" variants, I'd think they would be accepted, as I see quite a few of those in the database and don't know of an editorial reason for them to be rejected. Have you tried submitting those entries again (with the "Submit New or Corrected Data" feature)?  Maybe there was some technical reason they weren't transmitted before, or maybe you forgot to submit them after adding them to your own database. (Just speculating again.)

[Randall J. Paske]

On a separate note, I noticed this in your Unrecognized Comics list:

Strangers, The (Oni) 1

This title was corrected to Mysterious Strangers, The, so you can just add your quantity of #1 to that title and remove it from Strangers, The (Oni). Then it will stop showing up in your Unrecognized Comics list.

[Gregory Hecht]

I would echo all of Randall's responses.   

In looking at your list:

•  Not sure what Classic X-Men #11/A is and how it differs from Classic X-Men #11.  Similar comment for X-Men (1st series) #111/A.  

•  I'm guessing that what you have listed as Tales of the Teen Titans Anl #2 & Anl #3 are actually New Teen Titans (1st series) Anl #2 & Anl #3

•  Victorian Secret: Summer Catalog:  see this thread.  

[Michael R. Wagner]

I found some separate entries for issues with the Mark Jewelers insert, but there are a lot of titles that do not include them.  Should these issues really be listed separately in the database as variants?  Doesn't seem like a valid reason for a separate listing.

I ask because I have a lot of issues with the MJ insert (purchased when I was living on overseas military installations).  Before I change my database to add so many variants, I'd like to hear confirmation that they are, in fact, desired to be in the central database.

r/Mike

[Steven L. Dasinger]

Yes, Mark Jewelers have been approved as a valid variant in CB.

[Margaret Walsh]

Thank you all for your help!

Randall: the unrecognized issue of Mysterious Strangers is actually the FCBD issue, not regular issue #1.  I see that they have an "official" entry now so I switched that over.

Gregory: Classic X-Men #11: My copy has a barcode, no MJ insert.  I'll just migrate that over and make a note about the bar code.  X-Men (1st series): cover says 12p, not 35 cents.  So is that enough to be considered a variant?

 

[Margaret Walsh]

Gregory: Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #2 and #3 see attached photos.  Looks like I goofed and put the annual for the 2nd series with the 1st series. You're also right about the #3 annual.  Either that or someone else made an error around the time I tried to do my entries.

Edited August 25, 2023 by Margaret Walsh
added further comment

[Margaret Walsh]

Mark: thanks for the confirmation.  I'll review my unrecognized list and any MJ variants, I'll submit.

[Steven L. Dasinger]

25 minutes ago, Margaret Walsh said:

X-Men (1st series): cover says 12p, not 35 cents.  So is that enough to be considered a variant?

No. This would go in title Uncanny X-Men (UK Edition) as issue 111 (which CB doesn't appear to have).

[Margaret Walsh]

Steven: Ok.  If I trip across any others with British currency as I review them, I'll see if there's a UK Edition series and migrate.

[Margaret Walsh]

27 minutes ago, Steven L. Dasinger said:

No. This would go in title Uncanny X-Men (UK Edition) as issue 111 (which CB doesn't appear to have).

Follow up question: was it common for a UK edition to change the cover and keep the rest of the comic the same?  Because the indicia talks about US and Canadian price, not UK.

[Steven L. Dasinger]

I am not positive about this answer but I believe the 12p on the cover is more important as that indicates the market is sells in.

 

[Steven L. Dasinger]

I just found a Uncanny X-men #129 with 12p on the cover where I can see the indicia.

Comparing this to the US version, the indicia is identical indicating to me that the insides were printed at the same time but different covers were attached depending on where they would be sold.

So, yes, it should belong in the UK Edition title.

[Margaret Walsh]

22 hours ago, Steven L. Dasinger said:

I just found a Uncanny X-men #129 with 12p on the cover where I can see the indicia.

Comparing this to the US version, the indicia is identical indicating to me that the insides were printed at the same time but different covers were attached depending on where they would be sold.

So, yes, it should belong in the UK Edition title.

Thanks for researching this!  This will help me better electronically catalog what I own.  Physically, however, they'll all live together in numerical order because that seems a superficial difference.  If there were content or advert differences, that would be a different story.