Set Description:
This is a collection of the HIGHEST GRADED CANADIAN PRICE VARIANTS (CPVs)-"TYPE 1A VARIANTS" ACTION COMICS. It was not an easy task to assimilate this collection.
I will also try to add the CANADIAN EDITIONS of ACTION COMICS but that is another impossible task.
CANADIAN PRICE VARIANTS
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
Before the publication window for CANADIAN PRICE VARIANTS opened, as we entered the 1980's both Marvel and D.C. sold their comics through two distinct distribution channels: "DIRECT EDITION" copies were direct-sold to comic shops on a discounted but non-returnable basis; and "NEWSSTAND" copies were meanwhile distributed to newsstands across North America, and there, the fate of unsold copies was completely different: While comic shops that ordered DIRECT EDITION copies were stuck with any unsold copies, meanwhile under the newsstand distribution model unsold copies could be returned (the newsstand was not on the hook if there was no sale).
Before October of 1982, all of North America got the same identical newsstand copies. But then in October of that year, on account of sustained currency movement, publishers could no longer afford to charge customers the identical 60¢ price anymore on newsstands in population centers like TORONTO, VANCOUVER, and MONTREAL — i.e. locations where customers would be using Canadian currency to pay for their comics. And so, publishers started to require 75¢ from CANADIAN newsstand-goers.
The publishers might have elected to place both the US and CANADIAN price amounts on all newsstand copies — which is what they eventually did. But during an initial publication window starting in October 1982 and going out to August 1986 for Marvel and out to September 1988 for D.C., these publishers actually produced two unique single-price batches of newsstand copies. They published a lower cover price batch of newsstand copies (such as the 60¢ copy), along with a higher cover price batch (the 75¢ copy). The higher cover price batch are called the CANADIAN PRICE VARIANTS
All three types were produced simultaneously on the same manufacturing equipment, so all are equally deemed to be 1st print copies (each batch involved only a change of the black/key plate, and the indicia and interior pages are fully identical). But while the THREE TYPES are equally 1st print copies, they are NOT EQUAL IN RARITY. The number of copies created for each batch was UNIQUE to its corresponding target market, with the size of the Direct Edition batch informed by comic shop order levels; meanwhile the sizes of the two Newsstand batches would naturally have been informed by the size of each target market and newsstand sales trends.
The batch of newsstand copies today known as the CANADIAN PRICE VARIANT copies would have been the SMALLEST BATCH, making the CANADIAN PRICE VARIANT TYPE the MOST RARE TYPE of the three available choices: and that's why we collect them, because they were sold in VASTLY SMALLER NUMBERS, were purchased mostly by readers (keeping typical condition lower in grade), and have estimated survivorship of around 2% of copies (CGC census data for most issues shows variant rarity between 2-3% of census copies).
13 SUMMARY POINTS
1. DC Canadian Price Variants (CPVs) ACTION COMICS existed from OCTOBER 1982- SEPTEMBER 1988.
2. Massive CURRENCY FLUCTUATION occurred in OCTOBER 1982.
3. The currency fluctuation led to US Comics with cover prices of 60 CENTS and the CANADIAN cover prices of 75 CENTS.
4. All comics were FIRST PRINT copies.
5. The Canadian Price Variants (CPVs) were printed for CANADIAN NEWSSTANDS and purchased mostly by CASUAL READERS. They had a BAR CODE on the cover and only the CANADIAN PRICE was listed, and they were handled like magazines.
6. They are also referred to as "TYPE 1A" Cover Price Variants.
7. There was an enormous market size difference between the LOWER COVER PRICE newsstand distribution area and the TYPE 1A HIGHER COVER PRICE VARIANT newsstand distribution area even before considering the impacts of:
(a). The size of FRENCH speaking population in the CANADIAN PROVINCE OF QUEBEC and,
(b). The 25 CENTS cover price hike likely reducing the number of copies buyers could afford.
8. Canadian Price Variants (CPVs) had LIMITED GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION and served a vastly SMALLER MARKET POPULATION.
9. The SURVIVORSHIP of Canadian Price Variants was very LOW. It has been estimated that LESS THAN 2% of the comics from that period were Canadian Price Variants (CPVs).
10. Canadian Price Variant (CPV)-ACTION COMICS from the year 1988 are the RAREST.
11. In the year 1986 the cover price of CANADIAN PRICE VARIANTS (CPVs) jumped to 95 CENTS.
12. There were EXTREMELY RARE Canadian Price Variants with a cover price of $1.00 and some special anniversary issues had cover prices of $1.25, $1.50, $1.70 and $2.10.
13. High grade Canadian Price Variants (CPVs) are EXTREMELY RARE.
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