Yeah, this would have been an awkward time to drop in on the series. But ties are a lot rarer than this.
To contribute to it myself, I'd say that Calvin and Hobbes is a LOT more thought provoking than Peanuts. Peanuts is a nice, simple read. Well established but light on the ol' thinking cap.
I guess what I'm trying to evaluate is the point they're driving for. Perhaps comics shouldn't be evaluated based on meaning, maybe that's unfar. But Calvin and Hobbes, by the virtue of even its philosophically weigthy name-sake, is a deeper delving search for meaning than Peanuts ever takes a shot at. I mean, there's a lot of metaphor in Peanuts, or there's not. I guess it depends on how deep you're willing to dig for meaning in it. Lucy with holding the football (spoiler... hah) constantly can mean all sorts of things that you want it to. But Calvin is much more overt about it. That's why Calvin sticks with me and Peanuts doesn't. I think of peanuts as a body of work while thinking of specific Calvin and Hobbes works and references that were meaningful and though provoking.
They are both time honored and beloved. One simply has more meaning. I would put Farside in an equally thought provoking arena (at times). Garfield is one I'd put in the Peanuts category, but as a newer and more relevant one.