On the eleventh day of Christmas, your GoCollect gave to you another Shortboxed sponsored giveaway and a guide to the National Diamond Sales Insert!
As part of the 12 Days of Christmas, we have partnered with Shortboxed for six of those days and this is the last day! While there is still one more giveaway (and surprise) tomorrow, this is the last Shortboxed giveaway so let's learn more about it!
Shortboxed is the mobile app marketplace to buy and sell graded comic books. It's the easiest way to list your graded comics for sale and get them in front of thousands of collectors daily. You can download Shortboxed now on iOS and Android.
What is the Giveaway?
Shortboxed has chosen to giveaway a 5.0 graded Tales of the Unexpected #43. This is the first space rangers cover of the series and was released in 1959 making it a Silver Age comic and 61 years old! The current FMV of this comic is $120.
How to enter the Shortboxed Giveaway
To enter today's 12 Days of Giveaways, head over to Instagram and be sure to follow both GoCollect and Shortboxed and like the most recent post from both. Then head over to the giveaway page and fill it out! It's that simple! We will announce today's winner Wednesday at 5pm EST. You have until midnight tonight to enter! Stay tuned every day until Christmas for more giveaways. If you want the chance to win every day, you have to follow the instructions every day - so don't miss out!
Now - check out their blog: Guide to the National Diamond Sales Insert
Guide to the National Diamond Sales Insert
Most collectors likely know about the Mark Jewelers inserts. But there were other jeweler inserts that preceded those. The National Diamond Sales inserts (NDIs for short). Now, some may say “ah those are the same thing”. Alas, while they are quite similar, I can assure you they are very different. Dare I say, a little bit harder to come by.
What is the National Diamond Sales insert?
However, there are other examples of NDIs. The image to the right is the first page of an insert from a copy of Marvel Spotlight #5 which offers free schooling for servicemen and veterans.
My understanding is that there are others where the first image is different. The middle of the insert, which seems to be consistent, can be seen below right. It is found in the centerfold of the comic.
The last page is a lingerie ad from the California Gift House and again, is consistent amongst books containing the NDI, however there are different images. Below are examples from my personal copies of Captain America #141 and Amazing Spider-Man #106.
Where were they distributed?
Like Mark Jewelers, they were aimed towards US military installations around the world. I have heard some collectors say they were exclusively featured in comics that were sold overseas. I've also heard many collectors say they were sold overseas and on US military installations in the US. I have even heard a few collectors say they were sold in stores nearby these bases. A couple collectors insist they were sold at a certain department store as well.
I personally know a collector who was an airman during this time. He bought them overseas with the inserts in them. Because of this, I feel confident in saying they were sold overseas. I also feel confident they were sold on (or very close to) military bases and installations. The first ad of my Captain America #141 asks for the APO/FPO information. Plus, the fact that I have heard enough collectors say they were sold on bases stateside leads me to believe this is true. Although this is still up for debate. If they were only sold overseas, I feel like they would be much more scarce.
Unless lots of comics were shipped over and then shipped back which, to me, does not make a lot of sense since comics were a source of entertainment. The likelihood retailers would “waste” money to ship back unsold comics seems odd but it could be possible. Plus, the likelihood of comics being shipped overseas, bought by a member of the armed forces, read, kept and then brought back to the US seems unlikely as well. Perhaps they were only available on the larger US bases? My search to narrow down this information will continue!
What issues do they appear in?
The ads ran from April of 1971 to April of 1973, taking a break for two months in 1972. These two months were November and December from what I have researched.
I have not been able to narrow down a definitive list but there are a couple of die hard collectors that have personal lists. I do know for sure that they only appear in Marvel and Archie comics (sorry DC fans). If anyone can prove or show otherwise, that would be a true rarity and welcomed added knowledge to the comic world.
Some websites list “all” Marvel books containing the NDI, however these lists are not accurate. Originally, issues with the NDI were listed as Mark Jewelers inserts. Within the past couple of years, the lists of all Marvel books and Archie books during the time period have the potential to have the NDI, although many have not been confirmed and some are not even listed. For example, Amazing Spider-Man #106 is not listed however I own a copy.
Between the dates of April 1971 and April 1973, it is possible that some Marvel or Archie books with the NDI do not exist and it is possible that some are incredibly rare. For example, Amazing Spider-Man #102 is a square bound comic and no copies of it containing the insert have ever been found. I have also never met anyone or seen any info on print counts for books with these inserts.
Does it affect comic values?
It depends. Some people do not care much about them at all, and there are niche collectors who will pay a bit more. One thing I think is safe to say is that if priced accordingly, the book with the insert will sell much quicker than without. Here’s some recent sales data that I could find:
Amazing Spider-Man #100 CGC 5.0 with the insert sold recently for $180. Regular copies in this grade sell for around $100.
Amazing Spider-Man #101 CGC 5.5 with the insert sold recently for $350. Regular copies have recently been around this amount, if not closer to $400.
Marvel Spotlight #5 CGC 8.5 with the insert sold for over $2000. This seems to be around what they sell for even without the insert.
As you can see from a small sample, it does not appear to make a huge difference with graded comics.
It is more likely to pay off with raw, ungraded copies. If you have a random Avengers issue like #97 in which the insert has been proven to appear, in mid grade shape, this is maybe a $10-15 book. But with the insert, you are likely to sell quicker and may even get a bump closer to the $20-25 range. If you have a non-key book with an insert though, and are pricing it three or four times as much as it normally cost, well despite it being a bit cooler, you may be waiting a while for a sale.
How do I find these issues?
You can search for them online, but prices on eBay seem inflated as we just discussed. There are not many that are sold with the tag “National Diamond Insert” either. Likely because of their rarity and also because a lot of collectors may not know of them or take the time to check their books. You can sometimes get lucky when purchasing lots. Online hunting can be tricky, especially if you want a copy without paying the premium sometimes asked.
Another feature that appears on some, but not all, is the star stamp. This seems to be commonly done on books sold or distributed on bases. You can see it faintly in the price box of the Captain America issue below and also in the “O” of “Hero” in the Luke Cage issue, both proven to exist containing the insert.
You can also look for military stamps, like the one on the back of my Captain America issue seen below or like the one on the front of Amazing Spider-Man #100 in the price box.
Finally, another feature is a detached staple on these issues that carry the insert. Because the insert is thicker and on glossier paper, it is heavier and can pull at the staples. Check out my Amazing Spider-Man #106 for example.
Final Thoughts
Overall, NDIs are unique and fun finds. I think every collector should own one eventually. Be it on a key issue to make it that much cooler or on a book from a character they actively collect and enjoy. They are definitely rare but not impossible to find. Perhaps one day they will be regarded higher, like price variants. After all, if slabbing a comic, you can clearly see you have a price variant by looking at the cover. With an insert like this, all you get is a notation on the label. I hope this article helps shed a bit more light on them and gets the ball rolling on a definitive public list but for now. They are a unique niche in the collecting world. Now if you will excuse me, I have some rings and lingerie to order!
About the Author
I am an avid Canadian collector of all things comics, specifically comics from the Golden to the Copper Age. Preferential to Making Mine Marvel more often than not. At 31, I wish I had been born 30 years sooner but then, I wouldn’t be 31, so…
You can connect with me on Instagram at @comicginger1789.
This article originally appeared on Shortboxed, the mobile app marketplace to buy and sell graded comic books. Shortboxed is the easiest way to list your graded comics for sale and get them in front of thousands of collectors. You can download Shortboxed now on iOS and Android.
