Christie's Book, Comic & Magazine Artwork auction, 1993

More from the clippings file. I attended this one myself but I'm not sure if it was this or another auction of covers which ended badly.

The first piece is from The Times, 13 February 1993, promoting the auction which took place on Thursday, 18 March. The cover of the auction catalogue (below) featured a close-up from a piece of Keith Watson artwork (from "The Wandering World" storyline, 1964, which eventually sold for £280). The bulk of the lots were covers from the Sexton Blake Library, Love Story Library, illustrations from various women's magazines, some Modesty Blaise and Garth sets by Neville Colvin and Frank Bellamy respectively, covers and illustrations from a variety of Renwick & Otley children's books and, finally, a selection of Dan Dare artwork by Frank Hampson (studio), Don Harley and Keith Watson.

While it was wonderful to see the original artwork, I've a feeling this was an auction with an aftermath. A few of us decamped to the local pub and had some food. If I'm remembering correctly, I think Steve Chibnall (film lecturer & paperback collector), Denis Gifford (comics' historian) and Nicole Swengley (the journalist who wrote the above article) were at the same table. Anyway, whatever it was I ate disagreed with me and—without wishing to be too graphic—I was violently ill on the train going home and spent the whole journey in the loo.

(* Article © Times Newspapers Ltd.)