Here is a pic of the Beano No 1 which had a two-inch vertical margin tear and several smaller tears. The cover was bright with light tan interior pages and, graded at [vg-], two very determined bidders fought it out just before the start of the auction as it reached the second highest hammer price of £15000.00 for a first issue, being just pipped in our auction of September 2015 by another No 1 at £15200.00.

Amongst many lots with their original free gifts was this selection of Rover comics which included a rare complete 1920s collection of eleven ‘Stand-Up’ footballers, scoring £310.

This Beano Book 1 from 1940 had a professionally strengthened, touched-in spine and corners and found its opening bid of £2300.

A near complete year of Dandy comics from 1948 was missing No. 384 but included No. 369, the scarce April Fool and Easter issue combined and taking the 25 fortnightly issues to £460.

Magic comics have no problem in selling well in any (complete) condition and the scarce later numbers 68 and 69 produced £330.

The Beano complete year of 1951 included the ‘must have’ No. 452 - Dennis The Menace’s first appearance by Davy Law and this copy was in [vfn] grade, as was the winning bid of £880.

Frank Bellamy’s imperious artistry comes to the fore once more with a scarce board of Happy Warrior artwork from The Eagle in 1957.
At the battle of Omdurman in 1898 a young lieutenant, Winston Churchill, with 350 men of the 21st Lancers, charged what they thought were about 700 Dervishes. Churchill later wrote: ‘A deep crease in the ground – a dry watercourse – a khor – appeared where all had seemed smooth, level, plain; and from it there sprang, with a suddenness of a pantomime effect and a high-pitched yell, a dense white mass of 2000 tribesmen and a score of horsemen with bright flags who rose as if by magic from the earth…’
Against an estimate of £1000-1500 the piece took £2450.

The first 47 issues of Topper introduced Mickey The Monkey with Treasure Island and Kidnapped back page stories, all penned by the supremely talented hand of Dudley Dexter Watkins. Nine issues had repaired re-enforced spines which did not worry bidders one bit as this scarce early group from 1953 topped out at £1120. The following complete years of 1954 and 1955 made £460 and £450 respectively.

An original artwork by Frank Bellamy of Brett Million and the Ghost World from 1963 ghosted to £2250

In the early sixties Dandy and Beano’s characters were getting a bit long in the tooth and the success of large format Topper and Beezer stablemates were strong competition. Consequently Dandy & Beano’s 1960 print run was substantially lower and in today’s collecting market that much harder to find, especially in complete years. Shown above, we offered all 53 issues of The Dandy for 1960 estimated at £250-300 and were blown away by the winning bid of £1000.

John Ryan’s artwork very rarely comes onto the market with Captain Pugwash’s maritime antics in 1950s Eagle comics nostalgically remembered. Extra Special Agent Harris Tweed has the same pedigree and a piece signed by Ryan, along with Harris Tweed jigsaw, was snaffled away for £1040.

The last board from our recent run of Heros The Spartan artworks went for its opening bid of £3800.

A complete year of TV Comic for 1967 was accompanied by its free gift: My Super Book of TV Stars, all 24 pictures attached having been given away over several issues. Doctor Who, starring Patrick Troughton, dominated the colour centre spread and these mainly high grade issues found a Dalektable £1160 (apologies for another of our awful puns!)

 

3 further Charley’s War artworks by Joe Colquhoun (one signed) continued the harrowing story of the battle of the Somme in 1916. Charley volunteers as a runner to alert the artillery they are firing on the British positions but the first twelve runners have not got through…
Sold at £1020.

Our U S section started with a CGC 8.0 copy of Complete Mystery #3 from 1948.
With a story by juvenile writer, Stan Lee and art by Carl Burgos, it took £440.

Here’s a [vg/fn] pence copy of Amazing Spider-Man #50 at £540. Spider-Man More.

And an Avenger #57 cents copy in [vfn+], collected for its ‘Death of Ultron’ story at £460.

Fantastic Four #48 [fn-] is still commanding premium prices and a winning £1420. It’s next to FF #49, its glowering Magneto cover attracting £900.

FF #52 is the relative new boy in town as the Black Panther pounced on £520.

Hawkeye’s first appearance in Tales Of Suspense #57 reached a £540 bullseye.

 

These low-grade copies of X-Men #3 & #4 had moisture staining to their covers and lower page margins, their ironic [gd] grades still producing a whopping £620.

The Batman & Me book was published in 1989 and edited by Bob Kane. This copy was No 305 of the 1000 print run and included original Batman sketches by Bob, himself, and a fly page rendition by Neil Adams. Not known for his artistic skills, even Adam West drew and signed a Batman outline in 2004. In its brand new slipcase the book went for £390. In my view, the most attractive lot in this auction.

For me, life has finally imitated art. I got married a few weeks ago after sixteen years with my long-suffering partner, Sali, now my wife.

 

Back in the day my favourite U S comic was The Fantastic Four. I always thought it so cool that Reed (Mr Fantastic) and Sue (Invisible Girl) Richards were actually married super-heroes. Not many people know this, but for years I was The Invisible Man, mainly because you could never find me in the kitchen.

 

Not any more…