On August 6, 2022, PulpFest 50 will be offering 227 auction lots of pulps, digests, vintage paperbacks, men’s adventure magazines, and more from the collection of the late Carl Joecks. A retired television cameraman, electronic equipment repairman, and carpenter from Vermont, Carl became enamored of science fiction, comic books, radio, and astronomy as a boy. He was soon collecting the things that he loved.
Acquired over many years, Mr. Joecks stored his collection in a darkened room. Most of his books and magazines were bagged with backing boards and stored flat for additional protection.
PulpFest 50 will be auctioning Carl Joecks’ pulps, digest magazines, men’s adventure, and true crime magazines, plus a selection of joke and gag books and other material. The convention will also be selling about 50 lots of vintage paperbacks and assorted collectibles, including the very first “Ace Double” paperback issued by the company, comic books, and a few collectible hardcover books.
If you click on the auction tab at the top of the PulpFest homepage, you’ll open a page that features photographs of select items from all 227 auction lots, together with brief descriptions of the items included in each lot. There are reserves on 33 lots. Please note that most of the items found in each lot have not been graded, although we have attempted to note both exceptional pieces as well as substantial defects.
The Carl Joecks Estate Auction will be held in the PulpFest 50 programming room at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry. All attendees of PulpFest 50 will be able to bid on the available material. People who desire to attend the PulpFest auction — but not the convention itself — will also be welcome to the Joecks Estate Auction.
For those who are not able to attend PulpFest 50, the convention will accept bids placed through the PulpFest Silent Auction Bid Page. The highest of these “silent” bids will establish the opening bid for each auction lot. If no bid made during the live auction is higher than the opening silent bid, the lot will be won by the silent bidder. PulpFest 50 attendees will also be able to place silent bids if they so desire. Forms will be available at the convention.
Additional details about bidding on the Carl Joecks’ collection can be found by clicking the auction tab at the top of the PulpFest homepage.
In addition to our estate auction, PulpFest 50 members will also be able to submit lots to our August 6 auction. These will be mixed into our estate auction as time allows. Please click the FAQ button found on our homepage for additional details under “Can members of PulpFest submit items to sell at auction?” Our guidelines for auction submissions will also be part of each member’s registration packet.
PulpFest 50 will take place from August 4 – 7 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry in Mars, Pennsylvania. You can become a member of the convention by clicking the Registration button on the PulpFest website. If you need lodging, you’ll also be able to book a room through our site.
Join us in six short weeks for “A Half-Century of Pulp Cons” and “Action for a Dime!” at PulpFest 50.
The March 1939 number of Western Fiction Publishing’s Top-Notch Detective is the third and final issue of this Red Circle pulp magazine. Published by Martin Goodman — the man who started Marvel Comics — it is “Lot #8” of the PulpFest 50 Carl Joecks Estate Auction. The magazine features front cover art by J. W. Scott.
Derek Starr is a writer and popular culture enthusiast who has volunteered to help the PulpFest organizing committee. He’s looking forward to writing more for our website and The Pulpster.
