As the 50th anniversary of Overstreet continues, 2021 will bring another golden anniversary. The rare blue cover edition, the second printing of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #1, will get a facsimile edition that is scheduled to hit comic shops February 24, 2021.

The first edition of the Guide featured Action Comics #1, the first appearance of Superman, as the top price in the book ($300), and Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman, in second place ($275). Most other comics were well below that.

Following the success of the first printing/white cover edition in 1970, Bob Overstreet was forced to go back to press the following year. He made a handful of corrections to the Guide and added several new pages of ads for the second printing, which featured the same cover art, but only this time it was done on a blue stock.

The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #1 Second Printing Facsimile Edition will be offered in soft cover, a short run edition of 400 hardcovers, and 100 numbered hardcover copies signed by Bob Overstreet. This is the same breakdown as was used on the white cover/first printing facsimile edition.

This spot-facsimile of the 1971 blue cover edition comes complete with the minor corrections and additional vintage advertisements that were seen in the original. The need for the rare, blue cover version showcased that the Guide was on its way to becoming the Bible of serious comic book collectors, dealers and historians. With a smaller print run than the white cover, the blue cover is among the rarest of all Overstreet editions.

The soft cover will retail for $16.95, the hardcover will carry a $25 cover price, and the signed and numbered edition will retail for $50. They will be listed in the December 2020 issue of Previews from Diamond Comic Distributors. The hardcover and signed and numbered hardcover will be exclusive to comic shops, as were the previous editions. They will also be offered on the Gemstone website.

“Our Overstreet #1 Facsimile Edition kicked off our anniversary year in great fashion. The hardcover and signed and numbered hardcover editions sold out at Diamond before they even went on sale, and the soft cover sold out as well,” said J.C. Vaughn, Vice-President of Publishing for Gemstone Publishing.

The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #1 Second Printing Facsimile Edition will continue the Guide’s landmark anniversary year. The Todd McFarlane-illustrated Spawn/Spider-Man hardcover edition of CBPG #50 has already sold out, as has the oversized version, The Big, Big Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #50. The Wynonna Earp and Valiant Heroes editions are running close behind and are expected to sell out soon.

“We have to thank our readers and the retailers for the tremendous response to our anniversary year. With COVID-19 and all the uncertainty, the speed with which the Guide has been selling actually caught us a bit by surprise,” Vaughn said.

The soft cover, hardcover, and signed and numbered edition are available for preorder at gemstonepub.com.