At the top of the group of comics and annuals illustrated is a copy of the first Rupert Annual, published in 1936. Complete with chipped and torn jacket, it shows only minimal wear to the original boards and while the “crayon page” has been neatly coloured in, the other “Pictures for your Paint-Box” pages remain untouched, and it sold at £2200.
Underneath the Rupert annual is an original ink and crayon ‘Dennis the Menace’ artwork by David Law from a 1951 issue of Beano, which made £1375.
There were bids of £618 apiece for bound volumes of Topper for the years 1959 and 1960, the latter containing a couple of issues signed by one of the illustrators, Ron Smith, but the real surprise was a bid of £932 for a volume containing the 1960 issues of Beezer.
A very fine copy of the first issue of Eagle, 1950, was sold at £576 and the first two issues of 2000 AD, published in 1977 and complete with ‘Space Spinner’ and ‘Biotronic Stickers’ as free gifts, sold for £501 apiece – more than double any previous auction price.
The other items illustrated right are, lower left, a copy of Exciting comic of 1948, which made £65; right, upper, Issue No. 4 of Buck Rogers comic, 1942, that sold for £58, and, right, lower, a Marvelman Annual of 1955 that sold for £71.
Buyer’s premium: 10 per cent.
Beano, Beezer and a futuristic comic that is now recent history
THE VERY rare copy of the first Beano comic of 1938 that sold for an auction record sum of £6875 in the December 3 Comic Book Postal Auctions sale was featured on the front page of Antiques Trade Gazette No. 1568 and can also be seen in the selection of lots illustrated right.
