Pulps were featured in two recent Heritage Auctions: the Heritage Signature Auction taking place January 9 through January 12 and the Pulp Magazines Select Auction occurring on January 12. Let’s see how the pulps did.
Record Tied for Top Pulp
One of the most in demand pulps since CGC began grading is none other than Weird Tales #118. The iconic cover by Margaret Brundage published in 1933 has sold in more auctions over the past year than any other fantasy or science-fiction pulp. It was one of the first items up for bid in the first session of the Heritage Signature Auction on January 9. While the 7.5 graded copy tied the all-time record with a final purchase price of $31,200, the sale was a trifle disappointing. A 7.0 sold for the exact same price in a November 24 Heritage auction.
The CGC census now counts 32 graded copies of this pulp, more than double the census count eight months ago. We’re still in the nascent stage of graded pulps, but it’s not surprising that, as the number of graded copies increases, value will be affected. Additionally, the 7.5 is not a top of census magazine; there is an 8.0 that has yet to come up for sale.
Classic Norman Saunders Cover Sells High
The Heritage Select Auction also featured the only graded copy of All Detective Magazine #27, published by Dell in 1935, and it did not disappoint. The 5.5 graded copy (and the only graded copy at this time) featuring an all-time favorite Norman Saunders bondage cover sold in the auction for $20,400. While it’s a record for a graded copy, keep in mind that a FN- raw copy from the Kump Collection sold in a previous Heritage auction for $21,600. It’s not one that you see – graded or raw – come up very often in auctions. Keep an eye on this one as more graded copies are added to the census.
Select Auction Pulp Sales
Compared to November’s auction, the January Pulp Magazines Select Auction was a bit underwhelming, perhaps because the two biggest pulps were included in the January Signature Auction. The top seller was a raw copy of Weird Tales #71. The August 1929 issue featuring a nude bondage cover by Hugh Rankin and Kull’s first appearance in “The Shadow Kingdom” by Robert E. Howard was graded FN- and sold for $1,560. There is as yet only one graded copy – a 3.5 that has not yet been offered for sale.
On the graded side, parts one and two of the classic L. Ron Hubbard tale “Final Blackout” from 1940 were the big winners. A 9.6 graded copy of Astounding Science-Fiction #113 sold for $528 while a 9.2 copy of Astounding Science-Fiction #114 sold for $600. Both were the highest graded of two copies in the CGC census. Astounding Science-Fiction is one of the great science fiction pulps. Expect to see more in auctions as additional copies are graded.
A 9.0 graded copy of Beauty Parade #v10 #2 also sold in the auction for $528. This 1951 issue published by Harrison is one of only two in the CGC census, and the stunningly well-preserved copy included white pages. Featuring a “good girl” cover by pin-up artist Peter Driben, it’s a classic in the genre of “girlie” pulps, which continue to be a popular niche within the pulp market.
Rounding out the graded pulps were two more “girlie” magazines: Wink #v1 #4 (8.0 selling for $119) and Wink #v9 #2 (4.0 selling for $114) as well as a restored 5.5 graded copy of Planet Stories #54 selling for just $79. This May 1952 issue featured Poul Anderson’s “War-Maid of Mars.”
