High-grade “Spicy” and Weird Tales standouts powered Heritage’s first Pulps Signature® Auction and expanded the six-figure pulp tier.
By Intelligent Collector Staff | December 10, 2025
Heritage Auctions’ first-ever Pulps Signature® Auction (Dec. 4–6) opened with a clear message: the top end of pulp collecting is increasingly defined by grade scarcity and iconic cover recognition, especially when both converge in the same lot. The three-day sale totaled $1.84 million and set multiple category records, led by a debut issue that has long been a measuring stick for “Spicy” pulp demand.
The headline result came from the June 1935 debut issue Spicy Mystery Stories #1 (Culture) CGC 9.6, which realized $156,000 with buyer’s premium and set an issue record, according to Heritage. The press release notes the copy is the highest-graded example at CGC’s 9.6 level, a reminder that in pulps—where handling and paper quality tend to cap survivability—top-grade population is often the real driver of headline pricing.
Close behind, Heritage reported a second record reset for one of the hobby’s most recognizable images: Weird Tales #118 (Popular Fiction) CGC 9.2, featuring Margaret Brundage’s “Bat Woman” cover, sold for $105,000 and “smashed” the previous issue record. The release ties the issue’s appeal to both the cover and the contents, including a Robert E. Howard Conan story and a reprint of H. P. Lovecraft’s “The Festival.”
The Platinum Session depth mattered, too. Heritage cited a Weird Tales #1 (Rural) CGC 6.5 at $90,000, plus Weird Tales #2 (Rural) CGC 8.0 and the one-known-copy Snappy Mystery Stories Ashcan #1 (Culture) CGC 9.0, each at $66,000, along with Weird Tales #114 (Popular Fiction) CGC 9.8 at $40,800.
For collectors, the broader takeaway is that pulps are increasingly behaving like adjacent CGC-driven fields: when the cover is famous, the title is foundational, and the grade sits at or near the top of the census, the market treats the result as a benchmark—not an outlier. Heritage’s debut Signature sale didn’t just establish a new auction format; it also established new reference points for what “best-known, highest-grade” pulps can achieve when offered in a dedicated venue. For sellers, it’s also a clear data point on the best place to sell top-census pulps: a specialized auction where iconic covers and grade scarcity attract concentrated bidding.
Source: Heritage Auctions press release (December 10, 2025).