JetFire

Transformer 1985 Series 2 Autobot

JetFire is arguably the most complex and easily broken Transformer of all time. It has 11 pieces of armor, a gun, and a gun clip, and lots of these little parts got lost.

A few versions of this toy exist with a “Macross/Robotech” sticker on their wings. This eventually changed, due to design ownership rights. Aside from that, I have two of these toys, and when you study them side by side they are different. One has a vent or line in the plastic in one place where the other does not. This can be seen in the photos above. This tells me that they were cast in different molds. I only wish I knew how many different molds there were!

JetFire is based on the Macross VF-S1 Valkyrie. I have a great interest for this Mecha, so much so that I got a tattoo covering my upper left arm with this “robot”.

For more information about this and other similar toys, see Transformers Identification and Price Guide by Mark Bellomo.

Standing Liberty Quarter Type 1 & 2

1917-s Standing Liberty Quarter type 1

These coins are what America is all about.  An American eagle in full flight.  The olive branch for peace.  Lady Liberty bearing the shield for protection… and that’s not the only thing Miss Liberty is baring!

In 1916 the new Standing Liberty quarter replaced the Barber quarter.  Hermon A. MacNeil designed the Standing Liberty.  Midway through 1917 the Type 1 (exposed breasts) was replaced by the Type 2 that covered her breasts with a mail shirt.  It is said that many senators’ and representatives’ wives objected to the design because “they wouldn’t stack right” and there were “lots of nooks and crevices that would catch germs” but never because of the exposure.

All good things must come to a end,  and in 1932 the Standing Liberty was replaced by the Washingtion quarter we all know and love. To sum things up the Type 2 was minted for 18 years (1917-1930) and the Type 1 for only 2 years (1916-1917). In addition to the key dates and over dates I think I would “save the ta ta’s” if you’re looking to build your collection.

Thanks to the book Standing Liberty Quarters (4th Ed) by J.H. Cline for some of the above information.

The New Mutants

The New Mutants #22, December 1984, written by Chris Claremont with art by Bill Sienkiewicz.

Out of all my comic collections, The New Mutants is my most complete run of books, other than Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan. I have almost every issue in the series, with multiple copies of many of them. They only had 100 issues by the time they ended the series in 1991. When I started collecting comics in 1983, this series was my favorite, and one of the reasons I liked it so much was because I could buy all the back issues and the new issues and try to complete the series on a kid’s income. If you’re not familiar with The New Mutants, they could be described as “baby” X-Men, and the series described their struggles in growing up with mutant powers. Since I was a young teenager when I started reading them I could identify!

I think this issue has some of Bill Sienkiewicz’s best work. He does both the cover art and the inside art. He did some of my favorite covers, but I’m not generally a fan of his inside art – it’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just raw and rough looking compared to his cover work. Yeah, I know, they have deadlines and time constraints… but… still! Also, with Chris Claremont (the writer of the Uncanny X-Men at the same time) writing and Sienkiewicz doing the art, this was one of the best New Mutant writer and artist collaborations.

My Bar Code Theory

The Incredible Hulk #300, October 1984, written by Bill Mantlo with art by Sal Buschema.

In my humble opinion, this is one of the best Hulk comic books ever. The Hulk goes crazy and kicks everybody’s butts (except for Spider-Man, who ran away and hid).

Above, I’ve posted photos of what I consider to be two different variants of the same book. The first one is a retailer edition (therefore the bar code), which would’ve been commonly found at local convenience stores, grocery stores, etc… The second one is a direct edition that would’ve been seen at a local comic shop or received via subscription.

Most people don’t actually consider them variants, because they’re the same book with (basically) the same cover. The differences are in the box where the price is listed, and the inclusion of a bar code on one but not the other. Variants usually have different cover art, or a different price. Looking through The Standard Catalog of Comic Books (3rd Edition), it states that the circulation was 196,567, but doesn’t specify how many were retailer copies and how many were direct copies.

I consider these variants because… well… they vary! I have other comics with similar types of differences. For example, GI Joe #21 (The Silent Issue). I have three copies: one with a barcode (1st printing), one with a Spider-Man face where the barcode is on the other (1st printing), and one with a Black Spider-Man face in that same spot (3rd printing).

My theory is that the retailer edition will be a rarer book than the direct edition, due to the fact that unsold books at stores get the covers ripped off to return to the distributors for credit. Not only will there be less of this variant, but it will be more difficult to find copies in high grade condition. The reason this is so is because these copies would’ve been handled extensively in stores and generally not treated as well (stacking on shelves, etc…) whereas the direct editions would have gone directly to subscribers or comic book stores where they were more likely to have been treated with the reverence they so richly deserve.

What do you think? Do you buy one of each, if you see them, or do you not care whether it has a barcode or not? Do you think that one is rarer than the other? Should they be considered variants?

Dolley Madison

This is an uncirculated 1999 Dolley from the Philadelphia mint with a mintage limit of 500,000. According to the certificate of authenticity, the obverse is a portrait of Dolley Madison (designed by T James Ferrell), and the reverse is Montpelier (designed by Thomas D Rogers). It’s 90% silver and weighs 26.73 grams.