NGM, Modern cover varieties

[Jean Thibault]

I have two different covers on July 2004 magazines:

1) Sun burst photo on front cover, Toyota ad on back.
2) Heavily armed female guerilla fighter, presumably columbian, Olympus ad on back.

There are other differences on the covers, and in the front and back ads on or near the covers.
How unusual is this?. Is one of them rare? Are there other examples of totally different front covers on any other (modern) issues?

[Jean Thibault]

(oct 05 His Finest Hour) newstand edition

[John Mahoney]

A couple more variants:

June 2004: Newsstand edition, same picture but the caption" THE END OF CHEAP" Oil, words going across entire cover.

February 2005: Tales from a Nazi Ghost Ship found after 60 years.

Still looking for Sept 03-Slavery, Nov-03-surveillance, and May-07 Pig on front cover. Any buying opportunities out there???

[John Mahoney]

Found the Bollywood issue Feb-05 and Hanoi issue May-04 in India. Has anyone actually seen the covers of the Slavery issue Sept-03 or the Banjo Patterson issue aug-05? Any word on the alleged cover variant in the Saudi issue in the 1980s? Was it issued in english?

[Jean Thibault]

Hello John,

Here are the photos of the cover variants of sept 03 (slavery) and aug 04 (Banjo Patterson). I have a copy of the first named, but not the other. I find the postal rates from Australia are a bit much!?
Could you send along cover photos of june 04 The End of Cheap (oil), newstand ed. and feb 05 "Tales from a Nazi ghost ship after 60 years..."
I want to update my list of cover vars with photos for all...

[John Mahoney]

Jean, here are the issues. Could you upload the slavery and Banjo issues again or send directly to me at [e-mail]. Your photos do not show up at the website.
JMahoney

[Jean Thibault]

[John Mahoney]

Well you were right. Had to go to Australia for the Banjo issue and UK for the Slavery issue. Still have not found the surveillance issue or the 5/07 Pig issue.
Did find one more cover variant issue sort of like the Oil issue with the title words either changed or placed differently. Changes the title fron FLYING to THE FUTURE OF ..........Again, these subtle changes seem to News stand copies usually in the UK.

[Scott T. Shier]

I found another one. January 2005 has 2 versions of the "caffeine" cover story. I don't have photos to post yet. One says "Whe we love caffeine" with a coffee mug, then the alternate European cover (English) shows a different coffee cup, and says "HOOKED" in big letters.

So obviously the "hooked" one is more provacative then the standard US version. But when it comes to these newstand or non-U.S. covers alternates, I see that they are always tending to be more "in your face" type photos and titles. Does everyone agree with that assessment?

Like the cocaine guerilla fighter, and the BOMB covers - not typical NGM "nice" imagery!

- Scott T. Shier

[Scott T. Shier]

Jean and John,

4 more alternate covers I have found since our last communications (perhaps you already know of them by now anyway!)

1 - April 2005 - Civil War soldier w/ rifle - U.S. newsstand (vs. standard early man cover)

2 - July 2008 - Western US Wildfires (vs. standard murdered Gorillas)

3 - August 2009 - Venice is Sinking UK/Canada edition (vs. standard Yellowstone cover)

4 - September 2009 - Solar Power (Sun) - Euro+Hong Kong edition (vs. standard Before New York 1609 cover)


***Of course, I am still excluding non-English versions. I am working on getting pictures of them posted.


- Scott S.

[John Mahoney]

Thanks Scott. I thought that this marketing ploy had stopped in 2007! Still haven't found that silly little pig may 2007 issue and now I have to search for others. Ugh!/ Oh Joy?
Regards,
John Mahoney

[Scott T. Shier]

John,

I don't know if you are interested in this one, or you perhaps have a copy already:

(May 2007 - UK/Canada/India member's version - "India's Shadow City: Dharavi" on cover)


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150413711615...



Anyways, I am annoyed because I acquired Jan '06 Iraq cover, and Aug '08 Wildfires cover from a Seller on eBay. But when they arrived this week he sent me the regular versions with Grand Canyon and Murdered Gorillas covers....well duh! I already have those. I only wanted them because he listed them with the photos of the 2 alternate covers. So then he tells me he mailed those both to two different people "a while ago". Now he does not want to refund my money!

So I just bought that Iraq cover from somebody else, but the 8/2008 Wildfires and 11/2003' "Eye" covers are proving to be quite elusive (and since I found my one copy of the "silly little pig" May 2007 I have never seen a 2nd pig cover available on eBay for you). If I ever do see it I will let you know.


- Scott

[Jean Thibault]

Hello Scott,

The Apr 05, Jul 08 and Aug 09 are all news to me. I did get a copy of the Sept 09 var. on Ebay. In Aug 09, I got the standard Yellowstone cover, so I guess the variant was UK only. Do you know the origin of the Jul 08 cover var.?

Would like to do a systematic update of this discussion group, with intro, photos of all covers and descriptions... but don't know how to do it, or if I should attempt it. What do you think?