I typically update the spreadsheet for my collection annually. I was doing the yearly inventory and came across an interesting surprise. Now, the list is very old and I only haphazardly update it once a year or so. By update what I mean is,  I check prices to track my loss or gains and clean up any partial data or inaccuracy.  I review relevant details to see if I missed anything. Low and behold, three newsstand editions that I had forgotten in my inventory jumped out from a price point and higher return standpoint. This was music to my ears, and I wanted to sing "Joy to the World..!" Well, needless to say, I was a happy X-mas camper. Further, upon update of the prices, I was pleasantly surprised that these mid-grade books were selling at what appears to be a premium.

Yep, I owned three of these beauties and did not even know it. The grades were only around 7.0-9.2 so we are not talking big money here. However, I felt the need to expand on the difference in price between newsstand edition and direct edition. The books in question were all Amazing Spider-Man volume one. What do these newsstand books return? Further, how do they compare to their non-newsstand brethren? Finally, are these books more secure and safe as investments because of rarity?

Newsstand vs. Direct Edition

Back in the good ole' days, comic books were primarily purchased in small stores or discount shops. You could buy them at Woolworths, Walgreens, K-Mart, just about any small store that had a few spinning racks. Back in the day, they were everywhere. The publishers began to realize in the late Bronze Age that it could be more lucrative to direct edition comics to specialty retailers. At that point, the industry changed focus and let these newsstand issue subscriptions slowly die on the rack over time. The ramifications are a built-in rarity and low print run on newsstand editions after 1985.

The three books to review are Amazing Spider-Man #238, Amazing Spider-Man #300, and Amazing Spider-Man #361. These are the first appearances of the Hobgoblin, Venom, and Carnage.  Let's compare these three books and compare and contrast them to direct edition books. Further, let's track the last two years of returns for these newsstand edition keys.

Amazing Spider-Man #238 newsstand

The first appearance of Hobgoblin is no small book to own. Hobgoblin has some interesting qualities as a villain, not the least of which is that he is not the Goblin. This book usually has a Tattooz insert and sample. This is often lost and not in the book, earning it an incomplete rating and crushing any profits in its wake. This book was a father and son team up with John Romita Sr. and Jr. doing art with Roger Stern as the writer.

Amazing Spider-Man #300 newsstand

This book has been written about more than any other Modern Age book and needs no introduction. It has to be the most popular book in the Modern Age. Created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane in 1988 it is the first full appearance of Venom.

 

Amazing Spider-Man #361 newsstand

Carnage is the nemesis to Venom. He first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #361. This book was written by David Michelinie and the art was Mark Bagley. This book has been very popular in the last two years or so. The cameo of Carnage in Venom the movie was simply beyond weak and left a lot to the imagination. Scroll forward a few years and we have Venom 2 out (eventually). This has stoked this book into one of the most popular of the Copper/Modern Age. 

 

 

 

1-Year Returns

Title Grade Newsstand Price Direct Edition Price Return % Newsstand/DE
Amazing Spider-Man #238 9.6 $535 $530 -18.3%/+31.5%
Amazing Spider-Man #300 7.0 $575 $430 +20.4%/+50.2%
Amazing Spider-Man #361 9.6 $299 $203 +.8%/+8.8%
  9.2 $200 $130 +35.6%/+1.8%

Conclusion:

Apparently, within the same grade, the price can vary by as much as $145; however, the returns are greater for the direct editions. This is a bit odd and requires additional research. By my limited research notated above the premium paid for newsstand-editions is roughly positive +29% on average. However, I believe this is substantially undervalued. Especially for books printed in the 1990s or late 80s. So check your inventory and maybe Santa will surprise you. Perhaps the issues you haven't checked in years will wind up being a newsstand issue! Merry Christmas!