diff --git a/hollow/src/main/java/com/netflix/hollow/api/producer/HollowIncrementalProducer.java b/hollow/src/main/java/com/netflix/hollow/api/producer/HollowIncrementalProducer.java
index 7269e67ead..4b0e2236f1 100644
--- a/hollow/src/main/java/com/netflix/hollow/api/producer/HollowIncrementalProducer.java
+++ b/hollow/src/main/java/com/netflix/hollow/api/producer/HollowIncrementalProducer.java
@@ -28,8 +28,6 @@
  */
 public class HollowIncrementalProducer {
     
-    private static final Object DELETE_RECORD = new Object();
-
     private final HollowProducer producer;
     private final ConcurrentHashMap<RecordPrimaryKey, Object> mutations;
     private final HollowProducer.Populator populator;
@@ -64,7 +62,7 @@ public void discard(Object obj) {
     }
     
     public void delete(RecordPrimaryKey key) {
-        mutations.put(key, DELETE_RECORD);
+        mutations.put(key, HollowIncrementalCyclePopulator.DELETE_RECORD);
     }
 
     public void discard(RecordPrimaryKey key) {
diff --git a/hollow/src/test/java/com/netflix/hollow/api/producer/HollowIncrementalProducerTest.java b/hollow/src/test/java/com/netflix/hollow/api/producer/HollowIncrementalProducerTest.java
index 0d7d2c6476..e4aa2fc739 100644
--- a/hollow/src/test/java/com/netflix/hollow/api/producer/HollowIncrementalProducerTest.java
+++ b/hollow/src/test/java/com/netflix/hollow/api/producer/HollowIncrementalProducerTest.java
@@ -181,6 +181,100 @@ public void publishAndLoadASnapshotDirectly() {
         assertTypeA(idx, 5, "five", null);
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void publishDirectlyAndRestore() {
+        // Producer is created but not initialized. IncrementalProducer will directly initialize the first snapshot
+        /// add/modify state of a producer with an empty previous state. delete requests for non-existent records will be ignored
+        HollowIncrementalProducer incrementalProducer = new HollowIncrementalProducer(createInMemoryProducer());
+
+        incrementalProducer.addOrModify(new TypeA(1, "one", 100));
+        incrementalProducer.addOrModify(new TypeA(2, "two", 2));
+        incrementalProducer.addOrModify(new TypeA(3, "three", 300));
+        incrementalProducer.addOrModify(new TypeA(3, "three", 3));
+        incrementalProducer.addOrModify(new TypeA(4, "five", 6));
+        incrementalProducer.delete(new TypeA(5, "five", 5));
+
+        incrementalProducer.delete(new TypeB(2, "2"));
+        incrementalProducer.addOrModify(new TypeB(4, "four"));
+        incrementalProducer.addOrModify(new TypeB(5, "6"));
+        incrementalProducer.addOrModify(new TypeB(5, "5"));
+        incrementalProducer.delete(new RecordPrimaryKey("TypeB", new Object[] { 4 }));
+        incrementalProducer.addOrModify(new TypeB(6, "6"));
+
+        /// .runCycle() flushes the changes to a new data state.
+        long nextVersion = incrementalProducer.runCycle();
+
+        /// now we read the changes and assert
+        HollowConsumer consumer = HollowConsumer.withBlobRetriever(blobStore).build();
+        consumer.triggerRefreshTo(nextVersion);
+
+        HollowPrimaryKeyIndex idx = new HollowPrimaryKeyIndex(consumer.getStateEngine(), "TypeA", "id1", "id2");
+        Assert.assertFalse(idx.containsDuplicates());
+
+        assertTypeA(idx, 1, "one", 100L);
+        assertTypeA(idx, 2, "two", 2L);
+        assertTypeA(idx, 3, "three", 3L);
+        assertTypeA(idx, 4, "five", 6L);
+        assertTypeA(idx, 5, "five", null);
+
+        idx = new HollowPrimaryKeyIndex(consumer.getStateEngine(), "TypeB", "id");
+        Assert.assertFalse(idx.containsDuplicates());
+
+        // backing producer was never initialized, so only records added to the incremental producer are here
+        assertTypeB(idx, 1, null);
+        assertTypeB(idx, 2, null);
+        assertTypeB(idx, 3, null);
+        assertTypeB(idx, 4, null);
+        assertTypeB(idx, 5, "5");
+        assertTypeB(idx, 6, "6");
+
+        // Create NEW incremental producer which will restore from the state left by the previous incremental producer
+        /// adding a new type this time (TypeB).
+        HollowProducer backingProducer = createInMemoryProducer();
+        backingProducer.initializeDataModel(TypeA.class, TypeB.class);
+        backingProducer.restore(nextVersion, blobStore);
+
+        HollowIncrementalProducer incrementalProducer2 = new HollowIncrementalProducer(backingProducer);
+
+        incrementalProducer2.delete(new TypeA(1, "one", 100));
+        incrementalProducer2.delete(new TypeA(2, "one", 100));
+        incrementalProducer2.addOrModify(new TypeA(5, "five", 5));
+
+        incrementalProducer2.addOrModify(new TypeB(1, "1"));
+        incrementalProducer2.addOrModify(new TypeB(2, "2"));
+        incrementalProducer2.addOrModify(new TypeB(3, "3"));
+        incrementalProducer2.addOrModify(new TypeB(4, "4"));
+        incrementalProducer2.delete(new TypeB(5, "ignored"));
+
+        /// .runCycle() flushes the changes to a new data state.
+        long finalVersion = incrementalProducer2.runCycle();
+
+        /// now we read the changes and assert
+        consumer = HollowConsumer.withBlobRetriever(blobStore).build();
+        consumer.triggerRefreshTo(finalVersion);
+
+        idx = new HollowPrimaryKeyIndex(consumer.getStateEngine(), "TypeA", "id1", "id2");
+        Assert.assertFalse(idx.containsDuplicates());
+
+        assertTypeA(idx, 1, "one", null);
+        assertTypeA(idx, 2, "two", 2L);
+        assertTypeA(idx, 3, "three", 3L);
+        assertTypeA(idx, 4, "five", 6L);
+        assertTypeA(idx, 5, "five", 5L);
+
+        idx = new HollowPrimaryKeyIndex(consumer.getStateEngine(), "TypeB", "id");
+        Assert.assertFalse(idx.containsDuplicates());
+
+        // backing producer was never initialized, so only records added to the incremental producer are here
+        assertTypeB(idx, 1, "1");
+        assertTypeB(idx, 2, "2");
+        assertTypeB(idx, 3, "3");
+        assertTypeB(idx, 4, "4");
+        assertTypeB(idx, 5, null);
+        assertTypeB(idx, 6, "6");
+
+    }
+
     @Test
     public void continuesARestoredState() {
         HollowProducer genesisProducer = createInMemoryProducer();