With bright, glossy boards and unblemished cream pages, this third Beano Book from 1942 is the highest graded example ever offered at auction.
It is consigned from the Brenda Butler archive of comics and annuals, a collection created over a 40-year period and renowned in the field for obtaining the best copies and meticulous storage. The annual is estimated at £3000-3500 in a Comic Book Auctions sale that concludes on February 26.
Nine pieces of early Heal’s furniture, the majority assembled by a single collector, have been consigned to Duke’s of Dorchester’s February 23 sale.
The group dates from the period of Ambrose Heal, the Arts & Crafts furniture designer who worked for the family’s furniture and furnishing firm at the turn of the 20th century. The designs were simple, made from native timbers with clearly exposed hinges and locks, and elegant, clean touches.
Ranging from tables and mirrors to chairs and wardrobes, estimates start at around £400 to over £3000.
This 6ft 3in (1.90m) high oak bureau bookcase is guided at £2000-4000. Bureau bookcases are scarce among early Heal’s furniture, and though several designs were produced during the first few years of the 20th century, only a small number appear to have been sold.
The bookcase’s heart-shaped escutcheons and novel arrangement of drawers and cupboards with bold strap hinges fit comfortably within Ambrose’s early designs.
A sought-after set of cinema posters promoting the 1977 film Star Wars (now dubbed Episode IV: A New Hope) headlines Ewbank’s entertainment, memorabilia and vintage poster sale in Surrey on March 3.
The five limited-edition posters, comprising four double-crown posters at 20in x 2ft 6in (51 by 76cm) and a larger quad 2ft 6in x 3ft 4in (76 x 1.01m) featuring Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia, were produced by printing company Marler Haley exclusively for Odeon Cinemas.
Estimate £3000-5000.
Jewellery specialist Fellows of Birmingham launches its first sale combining antiques, silver and collectables on February 27.
A highlight is a 14 x 22in (35 x 56cm) oil on canvas by Rafael Senet y Pérez (1856-1926) of a sunny Grand Canal in Venice. Typical of the Venetian views Pérez is known for, it was purchased in the 1970s from Colmore Galleries by a private collector, with the pierced swept gilt frame retaining the gallery’s label.
Estimate £2000-3000.
