Classic Pulps Certified by CGC Offered in Heritage Sale

Many vintage pulp magazines graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) are now available in Heritage Auctions’ September Pulps Showcase Auction on September 19-20, 2024. Among the highlights of this auction is a Black Mask #129 graded CGC 4.5 (lot 75077), featuring the first appearance of Sam Spade in Dashiell Hammett's story, "The Maltese Falcon," which would later become a classic novel and film starring actor Humphrey Bogart.

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Pulps came into existence at a time when publishing was revolutionized by the development of high-speed presses and the availability of cheap wood pulp paper. Working-class Americans had more leisure time to read as the country became urbanized toward the end of the 1800s, giving rise to periodicals, a form of entertainment that was more affordable than hardcover books. The first pulp appeared in 1896, titled The Argosy. Publisher Frank A. Munsey altered an existing publication by swapping its slick paper for wood pulp and eliminating pictures and articles, giving readers 192 pages of stories for 10 cents.

Because of pulps’ frequency of release, which was often monthly or even bi-weekly, writers had to work fast, banging out stories to fill issues that contained upwards of 60,000 words each. A narrative form developed in pulps over time: straightforward stories of dynamic action that were told in clear, direct prose. Their themes, plot devices and character types profoundly influenced radio, movies, comic books and eventually television.

Other CGC-certified pulps in this auction include:

• an All-Story #108 graded CGC 5.0 (lot 75005)
• a Black Mask #180 graded CGC 5.0 (lot 75093)
• a Complete Detective #1 graded CGC 6.5 (lot 75132)
• an Eerie Stories #1 graded CGC 4.0 (lot 75198)
• a Green Ghost Detective #5 graded CGC 6.0 (lot 75215)
• a Marvel Science Stories #4 graded CGC 4.5 (lot 75231)
• a Planet Stories #11 graded CGC 7.5 (lot 75274)
• a Saucy Detective #1 graded CGC 6.5 (lot 75313)
• a Spicy Detective Stories #12 graded CGC 6.5 (lot 75358)
• a Weird Tales #118 graded CGC 5.0 (lot 75452)

About CGC

Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles. These divisions include CGC Cards, CGC Video Games and CGC Home Video. CGC Cards provides expert card grading for TCGs, sports cards and non-sports cards. CGC Video Games is dedicated to video game grading for the most popular consoles, including Nintendo, Sega, Atari, PlayStation and more. The newest division of CGC, CGC Home Video, provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of home media, including Betamax tapes, DVDs and Blu-ray discs.