How Many 12-15 cent Gold Key variants exist?


Between April 1968 and August 1968 Gold Key published 82 issues of 45 different comic titles, not including digests.  During this time period, Gold Key (Western Publishing) was making the transition from 12¢ prices to 15¢ prices.  Many, perhaps all, of these issues were published with both a 12¢ and 15¢ cover price.  I will refer to these as “12-15 price variants.”  An example with both prices for a single title is shown below with Mighty Samson #14, published in May 1968.


Of the 82 issues published during these five months in 1968, it has been confirmed that 76 were published with a 12¢ cover price, 63 were published with a 15¢ cover price, and 57 of the 76 issues were published with both at 12¢ and 15¢ cover price.  The listing of these issues is as follows:

Title
Issue No.
Date
12c
15c
Both
Baloo and Little Britches
1
04/68
x


Beep Beep, The Road Runner
7
04/68
x


Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom
23
04/68
x


Flintstones
45
04/68
x


Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes
1
04/68
x


Huckleberry Hound
33
04/68
x


Jetsons
26
04/68
x


Korak, Son of Tarzan
22
04/68
x


Lone Ranger
10
04/68
x


Movie Comics - Happiest Millionaire
10221-804
04/68
x


Owl
2
04/68
x


Space Family Robinson
27
04/68
x


Tarzan
175
04/68
x
x
x
Turok
61
04/68
x


Twilight Zone
25
04/68
x


Uncle Scrooge
74
04/68
x
x
x
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
331
04/68
x
x
x
Yogi Bear
32
04/68
x


Bonanza
28
05/68
x
x
x
Bugs Bunny
117
05/68
x
x
x
Donald Duck
119
05/68
x
x
x
King Louie
1
05/68
x


M.A.R.S. Patrol
5
05/68
x
x
x
Magnus Robot Fighter
22
05/68
x
x
x
Man from U.N.C.L.E.
18
05/68
x
x
x
Mickey Mouse
117
05/68
x
x
x
Mighty Samson
14
05/68
x
x
x
Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
9
05/68
x
x
x
Tom and Jerry
240
05/68
x
x
x
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
12
05/68
x
x
x
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
332
05/68
x
x
x
Woody Woodpecker
101
05/68
x
x
x
Boris Karloff
22
06/68
x
x
x
Daffy Duck
53
06/68
x
x
x
Flintstones
46
06/68
x
x
x
I Spy
5
06/68
x
x
x
Invaders
3
06/68
x
x
x
Jet Dream
1
06/68
x
x
x
Korak, Son of Tarzan
23
06/68
x
x
x
Marge's Little Lulu
188
06/68
x
x
x
Moby Duck
2
06/68
x
x
x
Movie Comics - Blackbeard's Ghost
10222-806
06/68
x
x
x
Porky Pig
18
06/68
x
x
x
Space Family Robinson
28
06/68
x
x
x
Star Trek
2
06/68
x
x
x
Tarzan
176
06/68
x
x
x
Three Stooges
39
06/68
x


Top Cat
22
06/68
x
x
x
Uncle Scrooge
75
06/68
x
x
x
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
333
06/68
x
x
x
Wild Wild West
3
06/68
x
x
x
Beep Beep, The Road Runner
8
07/68
x


Bugs Bunny
118
07/68
x
x
x
Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom
24
07/68
x
x
x
Donald Duck
120
07/68
x
x
x
Hanna-Barbera Super TV Heroes
2
07/68
x
x
x
Huckleberry Hound
34
07/68
x
x
x
Jetsons
27
07/68
x
x
x
Lone Ranger
11
07/68
x
x
x
Man from U.N.C.L.E.
19
07/68
x
x
x
Tarzan
177
07/68
x
x
x
Turok
62
07/68
x
x
x
Twilight Zone
26
07/68
x
x
x
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
334
07/68
x
x
x
Yogi Bear
33
07/68
x
x
x
Bonanza
29
08/68
x
x
x
Chip 'N' Dale
2
08/68
x
x
x
Flintstones
47
08/68

x

Korak, Son of Tarzan
24
08/68
x
x
x
M.A.R.S. Patrol
6
08/68
x
x
x
Magnus Robot Fighter
23
08/68
x
x
x
Mickey Mouse
118
08/68
x


Mighty Samson
15
08/68
x
x
x
Porky Pig
19
08/68

x

Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
10
08/68
x
x
x
Space Family Robinson
29
08/68

x

Tarzan
178
08/68

x

Tom and Jerry
241
08/68
x
x
x
Uncle Scrooge
76
08/68

x

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
13
08/68
x
x
x
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
335
08/68

x

Woody Woodpecker
102
08/68
x
x
x
Count

76
63
57

Is this all of them?

Looking through these 82 issues between April 1968 and August 1968, it would appear that there might have some issues that did not receive dual pricing during the transition, in particular the issues in April and August.  However, from May 1968 through July 1968 it has been confirmed that nearly all of the issues had dual pricing.  During these three months, there are only three issues that are not confirmed dual price variants:
King Louie #1, May 68
Three Stooges #39, Jun 68
Beep Beep, The Road Runner #8, Jul 68

If you have an interest in helping me locate any of these 12-15 cent variants, please contact me and we can begin to share information.

5 comments:

  1. Hello. I was really happy to see this post because I came across one of these '68 Gold Key issues with a 15 cent cover price and really having difficulty trying to find information about it. Do you or anyone reading have any information around value of these books with the variant covers? Can anyone suggest any resources that publishes that? I could not locate in Overstreet or any online sales forum. Please help! I would greatly appreciate it!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. hello
    i have the man from uncle gold key #10 in both a 12 cent and 15 cent variantion. the 12 cent version is also nearly 1/2 inch wider. danny. mtctoys.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. This may be very late-coming information, but there does exist a copy of The Three Stooges #39 (Jun, 1968). I am in the process of adding it to the Grand Comics Database - it should be there (along with a scan of its [rather water-damaged] cover) in the next day or so.

    ReplyDelete
  4. ...And the 15¢ variant has now been added to the Grand Comics Database - here is the entry, asking with a scan of the cover: https://www.comics.org/issue/2277198/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is there a way to search the grand comic database for these 15 cent variants? It would be nice if the list above had hyperlinks to pictures so I don't have to look them up every time I come across an early 15 cent issue to make sure they are not one of these books.

      Delete