Perennial headliners Playboy and Sports Illustrated had some eye-popping sales in April. There were also a number of pulp magazines that sold as well – and GoCollect now has pulp values listed! Let’s check out the big sales in April!
First Playboy
Heritage Auctions may call it the Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction, but magazines are often offered up for sale in these auctions as well, and April’s was no exception. A 9.0 graded copy of Playboy #v1 #1 sold for $25,200 in the April 6 auction. It’s the highest price paid for the first issue since a Hugh Hefner signed copy sold in a May 2018 Heritage auction for $26,290. The record holder is a 9.4 graded copy that went for $71,700 in 2016.
A 5.0 graded copy of Playboy #v1 #1 (Red Star Copy) sold in an April 9 fixed price eBay sale for $6,499. The Red Star copies are thought to be second printings of the first issue and can be identified by a red star to the left of the masthead. While not on the high end of sales for this issue, it’s worth noting as it’s only the tenth recorded sale from a small census of only 29 graded copies.
Weird Tales Key Issues
The first appearance of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian made a splash when a 6.5 graded copy of Weird Tales #108 (v20 #6) sold in the April 6 Heritage auction for $13,200. We’re also thrilled to announce that this is one of many pulps that GoCollect has recently added to its expansive database! There are 61 graded copies of this 1932 published magazine, but only four sales to date. There are six copies graded higher; however, none are higher than 7.5. The sale in the April 6 auction is down a bit from two 2024 sales: a 6.5 that went for $14,400 and a 6.0 that sold for $13,800. As the census of graded pulps grows, we’re starting to see some slight corrections in pricing; supply is increasing, so values are beginning to decrease, albeit still remaining high for key issues like this.
Not to be outdone is the 5.0 graded copy of Weird Tales #53 (v11 #2) that sold for $12,000 in an April 24 Heritage auction. It's the first sale of a graded copy of this classic that includes the "Call of Cthulhu," the first in H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. There are only 28 graded copies of this 1928 issue, none graded higher than 5.5.
Perhaps no pulp is more popular than Weird Tales #118 (v22 #4). A 5.0 graded copy sold in the April 6 auction for $7,500. It’s a middle of the road sale for this famous issue with its Margaret Brundage painted Batwoman cover, which isn’t surprising. Out of a census of 75 graded copies, ones in the 5.0 grade rank only in the top 54.9%. The record holders are a 7.5 that sold for $31,200 on January 12 and a 7.0 that sold for the same price on November 24 of last year. There are two 8.0 graded copies that have yet to sell.
Other Pulp Sales
Another big sale in the April 6 auction was a 7.0 graded copy of Amazing Stories #29 (v3 #5). The first appearance of Buck Rogers sold for $7,800. That's down a bit from the sale for $9,600 of a copy in the same grade in a September 2024 auction. Of course, that auction also included the monster sale of a 9.8 graded copy for $105,000, making it one of the top pulps to ever sell. There are 98 graded copies in the CGC census with a surprising two at the top grade of 9.8.
A 6.0 graded copy of Spicy Adventure Stories #43 (v8 #2) set a record when it sold for $3,840 in the April 6 auction. There are 18 graded copies in the CGC census and only two copies are listed higher; they’re both in the 7.0 grade. The 6.0 was the highest grade to sell so far. This 1938 issue published by Culture Publications sports a bondage cover that’s a prelude to a beheading, making it popular among pulp afficionados.
A record was tied when a 5.5 graded copy of Terror Tales #32 (v8 #4) sold in the auction for $3,120. It’s another pulp with a bondage/torture cover that pulp fans can’t seem to get enough of. Published by Popular Publications in 1938, there are 12 graded copies in the CGC census. Two come in at the 7.5 grade, so it’ll be interesting to see how much they can fetch if they ever go up for sale. The previous sole record holder was also a 5.5 graded copy that sold in an April 7, 2024 Heritage auction for the same price.
First LeBron Sports Illustrated Cover Sets Record
LeBron James set a new record when his first ever Sports Illustrated cover sold in an April 26 fixed price eBay sale for $2,000. Sports Illustrated #v96 #7, published in 2002, showcases James on the cover when he was just a junior in high school. There are 365 graded copies of this magazine in the CGC census. While 47 of them are in the 9.8 grade, it wasn’t until this year that any of them sold. The previous record holder was the other 9.8 going for $1,500 in a January 25 fixed price eBay sale.
