Cover Variants to the January 2022 Issue of the National Geographic Magazine

[George Thomas Wilson]

Cover Variants to the January 2022 Issue

As most collectors know by now, the January 2022 issue of our magazine has four variants advertised within its pages.  My copy of each is shown below.

If you notice, the last variant shown has the heading "2021 | The Year in Pictures" at the bottom of the cover instead of immediately below the magazine name as with the other three.  This was done due to the photograph selected.  Because of the heading's location, it was moved up to make room for a barcode on the Newstand issue of this variant.  The other three have newsstand versions identical to the subscription ones with the added barcode.

It is even more noticeable when the issues are placed side-by-side.

Tom Wilson

[Scott T. Shier]

Thanks for this Tom. I already ordered 3 of the covers from the NGM back issues website (the same place to get slipcases now), to go w/ the subscription cover I received. I think they're arriving today, as I have an email notification about a delivery coming. 

Scott

[George Thomas Wilson]

You're welcome, Scott.  The issue promotes the fact that it is the second annual "year in pictures" issue.  By extension, they may repeat this multi-cover run next year, probably depending on the extra sales they generate.

[Harold Woron]

That should make 8 different covers!

[George Thomas Wilson]

No, the other three's newsstand versions only have a barcode added, but the photo and location of the verbiage are the same as on the subscription versions.  Notice how the title is bumped up on the last version; that doesn't happen on the other three.

[Harold Woron]

So there are 5 versions?