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Snappy Mystery Stories Ashcan #1 (V1#2) May 1935 (Culture) CGC VF/NM 9.0 Off-white to white pages....
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Description
Snappy Mystery Stories Ashcan #1 (V1#2) May 1935 (Culture) CGC VF/NM 9.0 Off-white to white pages. This is the only known copy in existence of this rare ashcan preceding the launch of Spicy Mystery Stories the following month. This issue's line-drawn cover includes all of the fan-favorite elements of horror pulps: "good girl" art, demons, bondage, torture, and skulls. This incredible rarity has been well preserved over the last 90 years and is presented here in immaculately high grade. The cover's colors have retained a seemingly impossible level of vibrance, with the bright reds remaining immediately eye-catching.Culture released both Spicy and Snappy ashcans in 1934 and '35; whether they truly intended to launch both Spicy Mystery and Snappy Mystery as separate titles remains unknowable. While Spicy Mystery Stories would go on to create multiple iconic images in pulp horror, the imagery here has a distinct style not seen in the Spicy pulps that would follow -- not only for its unusual line-drawn cover, but also for its more cartoonish and playful mood, contrasted by the realism seen in both the other Spicy ashcans and released issues. Either way, it is a shame we never got to see more of Snappy Mystery Stories after this, because it would certainly have proved a hit with contemporary readers and future collectors.
Bookery's has this title listed but not this issue. They note the existence of a V1#1 ashcan, saying "a few copies exist" but that "no publicly-released issues appear to have followed." We'd never seen a copy of V1#1 prior to encountering Dr. Richard Meli's collection, and had also never heard tell of a V1#2 existing. Facsimile editions exist of the July 1934 issue, although we cannot find any images or descriptions of this issue anywhere, making it the ultimate one-of-a-kind item for a true pulp connoisseur. Not listed in Bookery's. CGC census 10/25: 1 in 9.0, none higher. NOTE: The newly released Bookery's Guide to Pulps: Revised Third Edition 2025 includes the same notes for this ashcan issue and also does not list a value.
This came from a complete set of Spicy ashcans which included provenance paperwork detailing the original owner's purchase from the Library of Congress decades ago.
From the Dr. Richard Meli Collection.
CGC Grader Notes:
spine stress lines to cover
wear all corners of cover
light wear all edges of cover
View the certification for CGC Certification ID 4616978001, 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.
More Information: EDIT: Added provenance 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: 45
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
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