Always wondered what a No Prize was

[clemso]

Vintage Marvel No Prize Signed Jack Kirby Marvelmania - eBay (item 230400662904 end time Nov-19-09 17:37:52 PST)

Is it just an empty envelope from Marvel?

[The Toyroom]

Yup it's just an empty envelope.....

[Meule]

Well that sucks, try explaining that to a kid.
"Hey, you just won a prize. And it's an empty envelope."

[clemso]

Well that sucks, try explaining that to a kid.
"Hey, you just won a prize. And it's an empty envelope."

Yeah, but have you seen the price of this empty envelope now

[johnnystorm]

I think the price is more for the Kirby auto than the actual no-prize.
It was just an empty envelope (hence NO prize), but you can't imagine the thrill of recieving one from Marvel Comics. Back in the days when Marvel was this mythical place where magic happened, not the business that is endleslly reported online like it is today. I recieved one myself for a mistake I noticed in an issue of Tarzan. It was signed on the back by Bill Mantlo, still have it.

[Bizarro Amy]

That's pretty cool that someone got one signed by Kirby. I always thought Stan Lee signed all of them. So was it usually the artists that signed, instead?

[clemso]

I think the price is more for the Kirby auto than the actual no-prize.
It was just an empty envelope (hence NO prize), but you can't imagine the thrill of recieving one from Marvel Comics. Back in the days when Marvel was this mythical place where magic happened, not the business that is endleslly reported online like it is today. I recieved one myself for a mistake I noticed in an issue of Tarzan. It was signed on the back by Bill Mantlo, still have it.

That is very cool to have. Sure with Marvel, back in the day, it felt like a exclusive club. I have my original Foom badge somewhere.

[generic]

That seems like a mean thing to send to a kid.

[johnnystorm]

I actually got a couple postcards from Mantlo as well in response to a letter I'd sent in. He was a pretty prolific writer at Marvel in the 70s, shame about what happened to him (in case you don't know, he was rollerblading and was hit by a car suffering brain damage. Marvel recently did a tribute book to help raise funds for the care he still requires.)

And the no-prize wasn't mean...if you read Marvel through the sixties and Stan's Soapbox, I think you pretty much knew there was nothing to be won. I don't know when they began or ended sending the empty envelope, but it was still pretty neat. Had a cool blurb printed on it telling you that it contained no prize.

[VintageMike]

I actually got a couple postcards from Mantlo as well in response to a letter I'd sent in. He was a pretty prolific writer at Marvel in the 70s, shame about what happened to him (in case you don't know, he was rollerblading and was hit by a car suffering brain damage. Marvel recently did a tribute book to help raise funds for the care he still requires.)

And the no-prize wasn't mean...if you read Marvel through the sixties and Stan's Soapbox, I think you pretty much knew there was nothing to be won. I don't know when they began or ended sending the empty envelope, but it was still pretty neat. Had a cool blurb printed on it telling you that it contained no prize.

Mantlo did so much great stuff including topically The Micronauts comic series.