CGC-certified Pre-Code Comics and Pulps Offered in Heritage Sale

A treasure trove of pre-Code Golden Age comics and vintage pulp magazines that are graded by Certified Guaranty Company® (CGC®) is heading to the block in Heritage Auctions’ Grailkeepers Golden Age Comics & Pulps auction on April 24, 2025. This sale offers collectors a rare chance to own some of comics’ most iconic and terrifying relics.

Featured in this auction is a Tomb of Terror #15 graded CGC 7.5 (lot 82128). ​Tomb of Terror was a horror anthology series published by Harvey Comics from 1952 to 1954, known for pushing the boundaries of gore and psychological terror. Harvey became known for its mix of licensed characters, superhero books and, later, original humor titles. Early on, the company published superhero stories, but it found lasting success in the 1950s with kid-friendly characters like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Richie Rich and Little Dot. While they briefly dabbled in horror and suspense with titles like Tomb of Terror, the company pivoted toward safer, family-oriented fare following the Comics Code crackdown. This issue is notorious for its gruesome Lee Elias cover depicting an exploding face. With art contributions from Joe Certa, Bob Powell and Jack Sparling, this issue remains a chilling artifact of horror comics' Golden Age.

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Another outstanding comic in this auction is a Roly Poly Comics #14 graded CGC 3.5 (lot 82108). Published by ​Green Publishing Co. in 1946, this Golden Age classic is infamous for its decapitation cover. Images such as this were all but extinct by the late 1950s, following the adoption of the Comics Code. Much of Green’s output consisted of reprinted material from other publishers, such as MLJ (Archie) Comics. Despite the gruesome cover, the interior of this comic reprints an issue from MLJ's “Top-Notch Laugh Comics,” featuring characters like the Black Hood and Suzie.

Other CGC-certified comics in this auction are:

• an Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #4 graded CGC 8.0 (lot 82002)
• a Black Terror #7 graded CGC 8.0 (lot 82015)
• a Brenda Starr #14 graded CGC 6.0 (lot 82019)
• a Jumbo Comics #10 graded CGC 6.5 (lot 82068)
• a Lawbreakers Suspense Stories #11 graded CGC 7.0 (lot 82073)
• a Mister Mystery #6 graded CGC 5.0 (lot 82080)
• a Mystic Comics #2 graded CGC 3.0 Restored (lot 82088)
• a Punch Comics #9 graded CGC 4.5 (lot 82100)
• a Voodoo Annual #1 graded CGC 7.5 (lot 82139)
• a Weird Tales #53 graded CGC 5.0 (lot 82172)

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 sports cards, TCGs 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. CGC Home Video provides expert VHS grading in addition to other types of videocassettes, DVD, Blu-ray and more. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services.