Heritage Auctions held a Pulp Magazine Showcase Auction on February 20 and pulps ranging from spicy to sci-fi to weird went for record prices. Let’s take a look.
Records for Spicy Pulps
A number of spicy pulps published by Culture Publications sold in the February 20 Heritage auction for huge record-setting prices. The top seller was Spicy Mystery Stories #5, published in October 1935. A 6.5 graded copy sold for $22,800. It’s the highest grade in the CGC census and the first recorded sale of a graded copy. The issue’s cover was illustrated by Norman Saunders and features “good girl” bondage and a hypodermic needle.
Not to be outdone, a 7.0 graded copy of Spicy Mystery Stories #10, featuring “good girl” cover art by Delos Palmer, sold for $18,600. It was also the top graded issue and the first recorded sale of a graded copy.
A 6.5 graded copy of Spicy Adventure Stories #22 from 1936 sold for $10,200. This popular H.S. Ward “good girl” cover features an octopus attack. Other spicy pulps that saw record prices in the auction included a 6.5 Saucy Movie Tales #13 going for $7,200 and a 4.0 Saucy Detective #3 selling for $3,720.
Top Sci-Fi Pulps
A favorite of science fiction pulp fans is robot covers, and they don’t get much better than this classic by Early K. Bergey. It’s featured on Startling Stories #60, published by Standard Publishing in January 1950. An 8.5 graded copy sold for a record setting price of $5,280. It’s one of the top two graded copies in the CGC census out of 36. Definitely keep an eye on this one. It’s a popular pulp that deserves respect and attention. It will be interesting to see if it can maintain its current value as the census count rises.
Published by Red Circle in 1938, Marvel Science Stories #1 features a cool Norman Saunders sci-fi cover. An 8.0 set a record with a $4,320 sale for the singular top graded copy. Like Startling Stories #60, this is a big favorite of sci-fi pulp collectors and should be watched.
A 7.5 grade Yakima Pedigree copy of Planet Stories #10 tied a record when it sold for $3,000. Featuring stories by Isaac Asimov and Leigh Brackett, this is a great late 1930s pulp that has been getting more attention due to the well-preserved pedigree copies that exist, the wonderful monster bondage cover by Alexander Leydenfrost, and the importance of authors like Asimov and Brackett published in its pages.
Weird Tales
Of course, it wouldn’t be a pulp auction without some sales of issues of Weird Tales. The one that fetched the highest dollar amount – out of many sold – was a 7.5 graded copy of Weird Tales #173 going for a record-setting $4,080. This 1938 issue features a favorite Margaret Brundage torture wheel cover and stories by H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Seabury Quinn, and Robert Bloch.
While it didn’t set a record, Weird Tales #119, featuring the first published story and the first Northwest Smith story by C.L. Moore as well as a Margaret Brundage cover, sold for $3,240. Published in 1933, this issue tends to be on the overlooked side when compared to ones containing Robert E. Howard stories or more scintillating Brundage covers. But it’s definitely worth seeking out to add to your pulp collection.
