LOT #82010 |
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Spicy Mystery Stories #1 June 1935 (Culture) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages....
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Sold on Dec 4, 2025 for:
$156,000.00
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Description
Spicy Mystery Stories #1 June 1935 (Culture) CGC NM+ 9.6 White pages. This pulp is extra spicy! The highest-graded copy of this classic first issue would make a wonderful centerpiece of any great pulp collection. This is even better than the nicest copy of this issue; this is the sole highest-graded CGC copy of any Spicy pulp. It is easier to believe Dr. Meli discovered the secret of time travel than to believe this pulp survived in this condition.This pulp looks unbelievably beautiful from every angle, living up to its record-breaking grade. H. J. Ward's classic lingerie cover appears better than ever, complemented by wonderfully white pages. The black spine, dark corners, and dark cover background are all as unmarred as any new book printed today, not even hinting at this issue's 90-year-old shelf life.
"Fangs of the Bat" by Robert Leslie Bellem earned the cover spot for the inaugural issue of the most beloved spicy title, which would spawn multiple other classic covers in the first year alone. Although branded as a "mystery" series, this title leaned hard into the horror and exploitation stories and images popular in pre-war America. The weird menace craze began in titles like Dime Detective and Dime Mystery, but Spicy Mystery would come to define the look of the so-called "shudder pulps" for decades to come.
We've never seen nor heard of any Spicy pulp in comparable shape before this, and have seen very few pulps overall approaching such impressive condition. Prior to this Auction, the highest-graded copy we had seen of this issue was a CGC 6.5 (selling for $12,000 in 2024) and the highest-graded Spicy pulps we had ever seen topped out at CGC 8.0 or VF. Bookery's Guide to Pulps Second Edition 2020 VF 8.0 value = $2,000. CGC census 9/25: 1 in 9.6, none higher. NOTE: The newly released Bookery's Guide to Pulps: Revised Third Edition 2025 VF 8.0 value for this issue is $10,000.
From the Dr. Richard Meli Collection.
CGC Grader Notes:
bindery tear bottom of front cover
bindery tear bottom of back cover
View the certification for CGC Certification ID 4614138023, including grader's notes if available and a link to the latest full census report for the issue.*
View population data for this issue and series on Fanalytics.*
*All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. No item may be returned or refused based on this information, which is provided as a service to our clients. Feel free to contact each data source directly to determine the accuracy of this information.
Auction Info
2025 December 4 - 6 The Dr. Richard Meli Collection Pulps Signature® Auction #7444 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
December, 2025
4th-6th
Thursday-Saturday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 33
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,195
Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid per lot.
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