Rupert Auction

The Rupert Auction last Friday generated a huge response and the various lots sold for a total of over £100,000, including £23,000 and £22,000 for two copies of the 1973 annual with a brown-faced Rupert. (The previous record was £16,000.)

The story behind this rarity is an odd one. Rupert was traditionally drawn with a brown face on covers of the annual Rupert books. In the strips, he always had a white face and, with the 1973 annual, Bestall had produced the traditional brown-faced cover. 12-15 proof copies were produced with Bestall's cover intact.

However, between proofing and printing, somebody in the production department of the Daily Express changed the colour of Rupert's face and boots so that they became white on the rest of the print-run which, at the time, was over 100,000 copies.

Ahead of the auction, Amy Brenan, assistant auctioneer and valuer at Dukes (pictured above), estimated that the total sale could amount to £50,000.

Info. from Dorset Echo (14 September), Daily Express (8 October).