The world’s biggest collection of British comics – including a rare first Beano – has sold for over £100,000.
Described as the most significant archive of British comics ever assembled the 60,000 item hoard belongs to collector Peter Hansen.
The retired entrepreneur, who built a leading environmental engineering firm in Canada, spent decades tracking down rare editions and original artwork.
He decided to sell the lot giving collectors a once-in-a-generation chance to snap up comic history.
The mammoth collection has been split across three separate auctions and charts the full history of British comics from the early 20th century onwards.
The first instalment achieved a six-figure result.
The Beano Annual No. 1, sold for £3,125, significantly above expectations of its £1000 estimate.
Other notable highlights included Marvelman No. 25 by L Miller & Son, which achieved £1,750.
A rare copy of the first Beano that was part of the collection sold for an impressive £3,125
The Beano follows the misadventures of Dennis the Menace and his dog Gnasher, seen here in a drawing from the 1990s
Original comic artwork also proved highly sought after.
An original painted artboard by celebrated comic artist Frank Bellamy for The Happy Warrior: The True Life Story of Sir Winston Churchill, sold for £1,690.
The strip, written by Clifford Makins, appeared on the back page of the iconic Eagle Comic during 1957 and 1958 and was later republished by Hulton Press as a standalone book in 1958, with further reprints following in 1981, 2008 and 2014.
Another work by Bellamy an original artboard for the Thunderbirds series published in TV Century 21 No. 111, achieved £1,430.
The same price was realised by a lot comprising eight pages of original artwork by David Law for the Dandy character Corporal Clott, dating from late 1969 to early 1970.
Expert John Bullock-Anderson of auctioneers Anderson and Garland, in Newcastle, said: ‘This result shows just how important Peter Hansen’s collection is.
‘It represents decades of careful collecting and an extraordinary passion for British comics.
‘The response from bidders local, nationally and internationally has been tremendous and the prices achieved reflect the historical importance of the material.
‘And the remarkable thing is that we are only at the very start of this series of sales.’
The next instalment of the collection will be presented by Excalibur Auctions on 9 May.