The color cover features the Lone Ranger in a bandana rather than a mask   The Ash Can Edition Table of Contents   A page previewing the thrill and excitement of the Lone Ranger  The back cover of the Lone Ranger Ash Can

Did you know that The Lone Ranger actually appeared in print one year before his first Pulp was released? The radio star was first featured in print on the cover and contents page of a 1936 Ash Can Edition of The Lone Ranger Pulp from Spartan Publishing Company.

This ash can was not like the comic ash cans that came later, but was a 32-page Pulp prototype with a color cover and ads that were produced in-house. It was even sent to the Library of Congress for copyright approval, and today is the only one of its kind known to exist. Because of its rarity and the fact that it shows the Lone Ranger in a bandana rather than a mask, it would fetch a record price if it were ever offered.

Thanks to noted collector and historian Harry Matetsky for the research on this.