DALLAS, TX.- In the course of more than 50 years hunting the highest-grade copies possible, Dr. Richard Meli assembled what might very well be the finest collection of pulp magazines on the planet. The process of letting go of his trove began in earnest with a three-day event at Heritage Auctions that, he says, “far surpassed my expectations” as the premiere Pulp Signature® Auction set multiple category records and brought in $1.84 million Dec. 4–6.

Record after record fell in Thursday’s Platinum Session, led by the June 1935 debut issue of Spicy Mystery Stories, with its H.J. Ward lingerie cover and “Fangs of the Bat” cover story by Robert Leslie Bellem. The highest-graded copy of the classic with a 9.6 from CGC, it realized $156,000 with buyer’s premium, handily taking its issue record. It is tied with the first issue of The Shadow as the second-most expensive pulp in Heritage history, led only by the $260,000 sale in January 2024 of the October 1912 All-Story with the first appearance of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan.

The highest-graded certified copy (an unbelievable 9.2) of the single most popular pulp, Weird Tales No. 118, with its iconic Margarat Brundage “Bat Woman” cover, was the second-highest lot at $105,000, smashing the issue record set at Heritage in January by a 7.5-graded copy that sold for $31,200. Along with the instantly recognizable cover art, the issue is highly regarded for its selection of stories, including a Conan tale, “The Pool of the Black One” by Robert E. Howard; “Seed of the Sepulcher” by Clark Ashton Smith; a Jules de Grandin story by Seabury Quinn; and a reprint of H. P. Lovecraft’s “The Festival” (a Cthulhu mythos story).

These two pulps expanded Heritage’s exclusive six-figure pulp book collection to five. Close behind them Thursday were a 6.5-graded copy of Weird Tales No. 1 taking $90,000, an 8.0 copy of Weird Tales No. 2 and a 9.0 Snappy Mystery Stories ashcan both commanding $66,000, and Weird Tales No. 114, sporting a 9.8 grade and Frank M. Robinson Pedigree, selling for $40,800.

“I’m thrilled to see so many collectors appreciating these incredible pulps,” says Sasha Fraze, Heritage Auctions Comics & Comic Art Consignment Director for Pulp Magazines. “Compared to a pulp magazine Showcase auction from late 2023, this auction had nearly twice as many unique bidders. That combined with the impressive prices realized in recent weekly auctions shows interest is only growing.”

She singled out the $66,000 price realized by Weird Tales No. 2 as a positive sign for the hobby, saying “it shows collectors understand just how special these books are. That is a truly one-of-a-kind book in that condition. These are some of the very best pulps in existence today, and the prices reflect that.”

Spicy pulps and Weird Tales set records throughout the three-day event, and the auction also included impressive record-breaking prices on very high-grade examples of sci-fi pulps. Those have traditionally been considered less valuable because of how common they are. But because they are far less common in VF+ (8.5) to NM/MT (9.8) condition, savvy collectors knew some were likely to remain the highest-graded copies available for years to come, and their bids showed it.

Dr. Meli says he “couldn’t be more thrilled with how this auction went,” and that he looks forward to upcoming auctions featuring items from his collection.

“I was honored by the treatment I received from Heritage, thanks largely to Rick Akers and Sasha Fraze,” he says. “They put together a pulp auction for the ages, and I will look back on this auction’s catalog fondly for years to come.”

Heritage Auctions Vice President of Comics Rick Akers says the appreciation is mutual.

“Richard and Dione have become great friends, and I am grateful for the trust they have put in Heritage Auctions,” Akers says. “We are honored to be a part in preserving the legacy of 50 years of collecting on the part of Dr. Meli.”

Fraze has worked with pulps for years and has never seen anything like Dr. Meli’s collection, which is full of complete runs of various titles — many of them in exquisite condition.

“I’m honored to have brought these books to market, and I can’t wait to share more of Dr. Meli’s pulps with other collectors over the coming months,” she says.

Collectors at all levels will have the opportunity to bid on items from the Dr. Richard Meli Collection in upcoming weekly Pulp Select auctions, Sundays at 4 p.m. Central time, as well as upcoming Pulp Showcase and Signature auctions.