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Winter
2003 Market Report
Crivvens!
Now Oor Wullie Book 1 sells for £3,630!
Our
November catalogue was a complete sell-out and these rare first six issues, starting
in 1941 and printed biennially with The Broons Books by D C Thomson had a lower
print run than their Beano and Dandy counterparts, only being distributed in Scotland.
Oor Wullie book 2 realised £1936, and books 3-6 averaged between £660 - £880 each.
This
1939 Dudley D Watkins classic artwork was the earliest ever offered at auction,
when the Wee Lad was barely three years into his uproarious adventures and it
is not known to be reprinted in any of the Oor Wullie books, Coming straight from
the Sunday Post’s Fun Section, which started in 1936. It was therefore no surprise
when the piece sold for £1945, one and a half times its upper estimate.
Those
hardy perennials, Beano and Dandy continue to prosper, with a slightly restored
copy of the first Dandy Monster Comic from 1939 making £2.915. Complete years
of the comics also continue to attract strong bidding with a Beano complete year
from 1954 finding £643, or just over £12 a copy. Dandy is never far behind, but
complete years tend to get three quarters of Beano prices.
A
single issue of the first Christmas Dandy comic, No 4, made £474 in VG- condition,
whilst a Beano comic No 4, one grade higher realised £968.
Desperate
Dan made sure he was the best lookin’ dude in Cactusville by outsmarting his fellow
contestants for first prize Xmas pud and turkey and this early piece from Dandy
Xmas comic 4 made a blow-torching £825!
Our artwork sales continue to flourish and three Dan Dare artworks from the pop-up
book of 1953 were chased to £485, £829 and £520 respectively. These action-packed
pieces were drawn and painted by Desmond Walduck and the Frank Hampson studio
artists.
The
1960s Beano and Dandy comics have a wide collector base and bidding for complete
early years of this decade averages £4-6 per copy in Fine/Very Fine grades. Topper
and Beezer from the same era are more generally found in lesser condition and
often with horizontal folds due to their large format with successful bids reaching
half to two thirds of these prices.
Our
US section featured the athletic Rulah in All Top #10 and 12 fetching £150 per
copy and Batman #64 at just-above-guide £88. A VG cents copy of Amazing Spider-Man
#3 went £50 over guide to £278 possibly due in some part to the fact that Doctor
Octopus will be Spidey’s eight-limbed adversary in his new movie being premiered
later this year. Silver Age keys that are pence stamped copies in mid to high
grades still offer great value in our catalogues, often selling for as little
as half the price of their cents counterparts. A VG+ pence copy of Tales To Astonish
#27 with no major defects illustrated this point by selling for £220 against a
cents book value of £330, a two thirds discount price that should appreciate in
the near future.
Over
the last two years we have strengthened our policy of offering individual issues
of Marvel and DC comics in high grades with relatively low values. This has been
met by a stronger and stronger customer response in bidding as items successfully
sell in the area of £8 - 20 each. This policy came about from a survey we did
asking customers what they would like to see in our auctions as we developed.
In the same way, if there is any way that you feel that we could improve our services
to you we would like to hear from you.
All
good wishes for 2004.
Malcolm
Phillips
Director
Comic Book Postal Auctions, Ltd.
