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Weird Tales #1 March 1923 First State (Rural) CGC FN+ 6.5 Off-white to white pages....
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$90,000.00
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Description
Weird Tales #1 March 1923 First State (Rural) CGC FN+ 6.5 Off-white to white pages. A jaw-dropping copy of one of the most important pulps, this book is horrifyingly exciting. This issue ranks among the big three of pulps alongside the first appearances of Tarzan and the Shadow, and is the holy grail of horror and fantasy pulp collectors.We've never seen a copy of this issue above VG+, with the majority of copies we've encountered being in either PR or FR condition. Finding a complete copy of this issue (especially with both covers fully attached) is a miraculous feat, and this one is far more than complete. At FN+ 6.5, this looks better than the majority of pulps in existence, let alone the majority of major key issues. The colors are incredibly vibrant, the page quality unbelievable, and the spine is complete without any chipping.
R. R. Epperly's cover of action, intrigue, and tentacle bondage for "Ooze" by Anthony Rud signals an immediate shift in pulp storytelling. The tentacle would quickly become the defining symbol of "weird fiction", signaling the 20th century's turn away from Gothic horror into something far more sinister and unknowable. When most think of H. P. Lovecraft, arguably the central figure in the canon of weird fiction, they imagine his Great Old Ones and Elder Gods as nothing more than masses of tentacles.
This issue also presages the defining stories of Weird Tales by including work from writers O. A. Kline and Farnsworth Wright. Kline was an assistant editor in the early days of "The Unique Magazine" as well as a prolific contributor in his own right and future literary agent of Robert E. Howard. Farnsworth Wright shaped the face of Weird Tales as its editor for the entirety of the 1930s and most of the 1920s, and was the defining force behind bringing together the legendary cast of creators that populated the title during its heyday.
Weird Tales would go on to change pulps, horror, fantasy, and pop culture forever, introducing countless audiences to artists Margaret Brundage and Virgil Finlay; writers including H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Seabury Quinn, and Robert Bloch; as well as timeless characters such as Conan the Barbarian, Cthulhu, Solomon Kane, Jules de Grandin, and more. If your taste in horror, fantasy, or science fiction extends beyond Dracula, Frankenstein, and War of the Worlds, you can thank Weird Tales for that.
Any price guide values or estimates for this issue in high-grade are theoretical more than anything, as very few are lucky enough to encounter this book above "reader copy" status. Bookery's Guide to Pulps Second Edition 2020 VF 8.0 value = $22,500. CGC census 9/25: 1 in 6.5, none higher. NOTE: The newly released Bookery's Guide to Pulps: Revised Third Edition 2025 FN 6.0 value for this issue is $60,000; VF 8.0 value = $120,000.
From the Dr. Richard Meli Collection.
CGC Grader Notes:
readers crease front cover
small crease left center of back cover
corner creases front cover
small crease right center of front cover
View the certification for CGC Certification ID 4616935003, 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: 18
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 965
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