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Marvel Diamond Issues, 1977-1979

Diamond issues are the same printing as the newsstand issues but with modified covers to denote that these issues were sold directly for redistribution and not for newsstand sales (issues distributed by Curtis Circulation). The earliest distributor of these diamond cover issues was Western Publishing Company which sold these issues in their Whitman three-packs. Unlike newsstand issues which could be returned if unsold, diamond cover issues could not be returned and the cover modification was Marvel's way of marking these issues.

From Marvel in "The Marvel Comics Guide to Collecting Comics" (page 6):
The number, month and price in this diamond shape means the issue was not distributed by Curtis Circulation and, that you probably got it from a direct sales comic shop or other outlet. The two boxes (not shown here) with a little "cc" symbol means it was circulated by Curtis. It means nothing as far as value is concerned to collectors. Please Note: MARVEL has recently replaced the diamond shape with this newly designed symbol:
[pictured is the M symbol mentioned below]

While it is true Western Publishing was the largest distributor of these early diamond issues between 1977-1979 there is anecdotal evidence that indicates they were not the only distributor. Recollections of several dealers have indicate that they had received diamond issues at varying points in time prior to 1980. Regardless of these recollections, it is clear that Western Publishing was the driving force behind these early diamond cover print runs. Starting with comics cover dated June 1979, Marvel began sending diamond cover issues to subscribers and comic shops. At this point diamond cover issues became the de facto standard for Direct Sale destinations.

From the 10th edition Overstreet Price Guide (page A-2):
Marvel and DC, among other publishers, print comics which are slated for different markets. For bookkeeping reasons, special coding symbols were devised and appear on the covers of these comics. Below are the symbols used by Marvel as an example. The Spider-Man and diamond symbols are for direct sales clients (comic book shops). The covers with UPC symbols are distributed by Curtis Circulation to newsstands. The ones with the 12p price are for overseas. All of these comics are original first printings. The only difference between them are the symbols. It should be noted that due to the relatively low print runs of the non-newsstand variations, the Price Guide does not intend to show any valuation difference between them.

From the 11th edition Overstreet Price Guide (page A-4):
It seems that all comics going directly to the comic shops have to be coded differently, as they are sold on a no-return basis while newsstand comics are not. Marvel held a special meeting with many of the major dealers at the San Diego convention to discuss this subject. Most dealers did not voice strong complaints against the special coding. Both printed versions are first original printings. The emblem on the cover is the only difference.

Cover modifications exist in a variety of combinations including the following:
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4

Type 1: Diamond with UPC barcode (diamond can exist over newsstand starburst)
Type 2: Diamond without UPC barcode lines (diamond can exist over newsstand starburst)
Type 3: Square with UPC barcode lines that have a diagonal slash through the UPC box
Type 4: Diamond with UPC barcode lines that have a diagonal slash through the UPC box
[Note: In the 1980's Marvel began placing character graphics in the UPC box. Spider-Man's head was the most common graphic. Later on Marvel began using an "M" instead of the "diamond" for the issue number and price information]

Today the words "Direct Sale" appear in the UPC box eliminating the need for other types of cover modification.

Various theories have been submitted over the years to explain the differences in the size of the diamonds, why some issues have months in the diamond and others do not, and why some issues have UPC barcode lines and others have blank boxes. The size of the diamond appears to be related to how the cover was initially laid out for publication. Slim diamonds started to appear on all Marvel diamond cover issues in May, 1979, after a change to the cover design. But slim diamonds did exist on some Marvel titles as early as 1977 (see Tarzan #2). Some diamond issues have a month on the cover and others do not. This also extended to the regular newsstand editions (see Star Wars newsstand issues #10 through #13). The month not appearing on the cover appears to be a "random" Marvel behavior with no other significance. The existence of UPC barcode lines was thought by some to indicate if an issue was in a Whitman 3-pack or if the issue was sold as a single issue. Recently a series of early 3-packs surfaced on eBay, all of which contained Type 1 issues (diamond with UPC barcodes) and two different Star Wars 3-packs containing a #11 with UPC barcode lines and a #11 without UPC barcode lines have been found.

The list below contains grids for those titles known to have diamond cover issues published during the 1977 to 1979 time period. Links to examples are provided in the cases where I have an image to prove the existence of a diamond cover issue. This is not a complete set of titles or issues and the examples given below will expand over time as new discoveries are made.

Amazing Adventures
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978                        
1979                       1
Amazing Spider-Man (Annuals: 11,12,13)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175
1978 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187
1979 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199
Avengers (Annuals: 7,8,9)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166
1978 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178
1979 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190
Battlestar Galactica
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978                        
1979     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Captain America (Annual: 4)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216
1978 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228
1979 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240
Conan the Barbarian (Annuals: 3,4,5)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81
1978 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93
1979 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105
Daredevil
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 141 142 143 144 145 146 147   148   149  
1978 150   151   152   153   154   155  
1979 156   157   158   159   160   161  
Defenders
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54
1978 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66
1979 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78
Devil Dinosaur
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1979                        
Doctor Strange
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977   21   22   23   24   25   26
1978   27   28   29   30   31   32
1979   33   34   35   36   37   38
Eternals (Annual: 1)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
1978 19                      
1979                        
Fantastic Four (Annuals: 12,13,14)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189
1978 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201
1979 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213
Fantasy Masterpieces
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978                        
1979                       1
Ghost Rider
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977   22   23   24   25   26   27
1978   28   29   30   31   32   33
1979   34   35   36   37   38   39
Godzilla
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977               1 2 3 4 5
1978 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
1979 18 19 20 21 22 23 24          
Howard The Duck (Annual: 1)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
1978 20 21 22 23 24 25 26   27   28  
1979 29   30   31              
The Human Fly
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                 1 2 3 4
1978 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1979 17 18 19                  
The Incredible Hulk (Annuals: 6,7,8)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218
1978 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230
1979 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242
Invaders (Annual: 1)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
1978 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
1979 36 37 38 39 40       41      
Iron Man (Annual: 4)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105
1978 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117
1979 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129
John Carter, Warlord of Mars (Annuals: 1,2,3)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977           1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1978 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
1979 20 21 22 23 24   25 26 27 28    
Kull
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977   19   20   21   22   23   24
1978   25   26   27   28   29    
1979                        
Machine Man
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1979           10       11   12
Man-Thing
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978                        
1979                     1  
Marvel Fun and Games
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978                        
1979                 1 2 3 4
Marvel Premiere
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977   34   35   36   37   38   39
1978   40   41   42   43   44   45
1979   46   47   48   49   50   51
Marvel Spotlight
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978                        
1979             1   2   3  
Marvel Super Action
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977         1   2   3   4  
1978 5   6 7   8   9   10   11
1979   12   13               14
Marvel Super-Heroes
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 62   63   64   65   66   67 68
1978 69   70   71   72 73 74 75 76 77
1979 78   79   80   81 82 83 84 85  
Marvel Tales
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86
1978 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98
1979 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110
Marvel Team-Up (Annual: 2)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
1978 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76
1979 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88
Marvel Treasury Edition
                         
1977 14   15     16     17     18
1978/9 19   20   21   22          
1979 23 24                    
Marvel Triple Action
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 33   34   35   36   37   38  
1978 39   40   41   42 43   44   45
1979   46   47                
Marvel Two-in-One (Annuals: 2,3,4)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
1978 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46
1979 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58
Marvel's Greatest Comics
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 68   69   70   71   72 73 74  
1978 75   76   77   78   79   80  
1979 81   82                 83
Master of Kung Fu
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59
1978 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
1979 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83
Micronauts (Annual: 1)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978                        
1979 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Power Man (and Iron Fist)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46   47   48
1978   49   50   51   52   53   54
1979   55   56   57   58   59   60
Rom
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978                        
1979                       1
Sgt. Fury
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 138   139   140   141   142   143  
1978 144   145   146   147   148   149  
1979   150   151   152   153   154   155
Shogun Warriors
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978                        
1979   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Spider-Woman
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1979 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Spidey Super Stories
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977   21   22   23 24 25 26 27 28 29
1978 30 31 32 33 34   35   36   37  
1979 38   39   40   41   42   43  
The Spectacular Spider-Man (Annual: 1)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
1978 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
1979 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37
Star Wars (reprints: 1, 2, 3, 4, & 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; variant: 1, 11)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977             1 2 3  4  5  6 
1978 7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18 
1979 19 20 21 22 23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30 
Super-Villain Team-Up
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977   10   11   12   13   14    
1978                     15  
1979         16              
Tales to Astonish
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977                        
1978                        
1979                       1
Tarzan (Annuals: 1,2,3)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977           1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1978 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
1979 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29    
Thor (Annuals: 6,7,8)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266
1978 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278
1979 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290
Tomb of Dracula
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60   61  
1978 62   63   64   65   66   67  
1979   68   69       70        
What If...?
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977   1   2   3   4   5   6
1978   7   8   9   10   11   12
1979   13   14     15 16   17   18
The X-Men (Annual: 3)
  Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1977   103   104   105   106   107   108
1978   109   110   111   112 113 114 115 116
1979 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128

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