Marvel 35¢ Price Variants
Marvel Comics, June - October 1977.
As noted on the Iron Fist #14 35¢ Price Variant page, between June and October 1977, Marvel experimented with a 5¢ price increase, similar to what they did the previous year (giving us Marvel 30¢ Price Variants).
As a result of an letter sent to Marvel concerning the 35¢ price of a copy of Star Wars #1, Marvel's circulation department confirmed that there were six test cities for the 35¢ price variants, including Memphis, Tennessee. However, these generally seem to be rarer than the 30¢ price variants (which also had six test areas) and there is speculation that there were in fact only four test cities for the 35¢ price variants although there does appear to be 5 sets of distribution marks (but these are likely not 100% reliable to determine the point of distribution). Possible areas:
- Alabama: Tuscaloosa area
- North Carolina: Wilmington area
- Ohio: Toledo area (original purchases confirmed by local collector; distribution marks also seem to match)
- Tennessee: Memphis (confirmed by original purchaser and Marvel)
- Texas: San Antonio area (quoted as a possible area; no direct evidence cited)
Here are three of the possibly most valuable of these variants:
- Captain America #212 35¢ Error Variant
- Iron Fist #14 35¢ Price Variant
- Star Wars #1 35¢ Price Variant
Below is the full list, showing the published month i.e. the month shown in the indicia and/or on the cover (the month of distribution will have been earlier):
| Issue | June | July | Aug. | Sep. | Oct. |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | |
| Amazing Spider-Man | #169 | #170 | #171 | #172 | #173 |
| Avengers | #160 | #161 | #162 | #163 | #164 |
| Black Panther | #4 | #5 | |||
| Captain America | #210 | #211 | #212 | #213 | #214 |
| Captain America Error Ed. | #212 | ||||
| Captain Marvel | #51 | #52 | |||
| Champions | #14 | #15 | |||
| Conan | #75 | #76 | #77 | #78 | #79 |
| Daredevil | #146 | #147 | #148 | ||
| Defenders | #48 | #49 | #50 | #51 | #52 |
| Dr. Strange | #23 | #24 | #25 | ||
| Eternals | #12 | #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 |
| Fantastic Four | #183 | #184 | #185 | #186 | #187 |
| Flintstones | #1 | ||||
| Ghost Rider | #24 | #25 | #26 | ||
| Godzilla | #1 | #2 | #3 | ||
| Howard the Duck | #13 | #14 | #15 | #16 | #17 |
| Human Fly | #1 | #2 | |||
| Incredible Hulk | #212 | #213 | #214 | #215 | #216 |
| Inhumans | #11 | #12 | |||
| Invaders | #17 | #18 | #19 | #20 | #21 |
| Iron Fist | #13 | #14 | #15 | ||
| Iron Man | #99 | #100 | #101 | #102 | #103 |
| John Carter | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 |
| Kid Colt Outlaw | #218 | #219 | #220 | ||
| Kull the Conqueror | #21 | #22 | #23 | ||
| Logan's Run | #6 | #7 | |||
| Marvel Premiere | #36 | #37 | #38 | ||
| Marvel Presents | #11 | #12 | |||
| Marvel Super Action | #2 | #3 | |||
| Marvel Super-Heroes | #65 | #66 | |||
| Marvel Tales | #80 | #81 | #82 | #83 | #84 |
| Marvel Team Up | #58 | #59 | #60 | #61 | #62 |
| Marvel Triple Action | #36 | #37 | |||
| Marvel Two In One | #28 | #29 | #30 | #31 | #32 |
| Marvel's Greatest Comic | #71 | #72 | #73 | ||
| Master of Kung Fu | #53 | #54 | #55 | #56 | #57 |
| Ms. Marvel | #6 | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 |
| Nova | #10 | #11 | #12 | #13 | #14 |
| Omega the Unknown | #9 | #10 | |||
| Power Man | #44 | #45 | #46 | #47 | |
| Rawhide Kid | #140 | #141 | |||
| Red Sonja | #4 | #5 | |||
| Scooby Doo | #1 | ||||
| Sgt. Fury | #141 | #142 | |||
| Spectacular Spider-Man | #7 | #8 | #9 | #10 | #11 |
| Star Wars | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | |
| Super Villain Team Up | #12 | #13 | #14 | ||
| Tarzan | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 |
| Thor | #260 | #261 | #262 | #263 | #264 |
| Tomb of Dracula | #57 | #58 | #59 | #60 | |
| X-Men | #105 | #106 | #107 |
A number of collectors are known to have managed to collect all of the above standard 35¢ issues in raw (ungraded) form although it is not known if any collector has a full set that includes the incredibly rare Captain America #212 Blank Bar Error Variant.
At present there isn't a completed Marvel 35 Cent Price Variants set in the CGC Comics registry but one collector is getting close.
Below is the very hard to find Scooby Doo #1 35¢ price variant:
Realized sale prices for these 35¢ price variants vary considerably but some like the popular Star Wars #1 35¢ Price Variant can realize incredible sums.
Related pages: