The first tranche of The Woodard Archive of British Comics with its focus on complete runs in high grades produced some exceptional results as the following 3 lots illustrate:

 

 

The last few issues of TV Century 21 are notoriously difficult to find but the Woodard Archive comprised all 242 of them including the No. 1 free gift Special Agent Decoder and No. 155 Captain Scarlet Album. A record price of £3350.00 was achieved.

The Archive’s Lady Penelope full 122 issue run was here including the free gifts of Lady Penelope’s Rain Hat and her Hairband with Secret X-Ray Device (but we didn’t want to get too close to it). Our bidders were not so worried and a very strong £3000 created another record

The complete run of 31 Solo issues were offered here and The Scarecrow would surely have been moved with the winning bid of £1180. In other news

88 issues of Mickey Mouse Weekly included No 1, some early issues and 13 dummy printer’s proofs. Condition was not paramount but they disney disappoint at £440.00

This Dandy No 1 was pretty well worn and torn around its edges. At £3050, the winning bidder told us he was very pleased with his purchase in the knowledge that only 30-odd issues have surfaced since 1937.

This bound volume of Beano from 1949 had one copy with its top cover title cut away selling at its lower estimate £540.

Only a few Dennis The Menace artworks have come onto the market in the last twenty years and this early Davy Law piece was strongly contested to a winning bid of £1440. Down, Gnasher – DOWN!

The first 50 Beezers, missing No 35 and in mostly average condition, still topped their high estimate at £1180. Pop, Dick and Happy.

1950s Dandy comics have come off their recent highs in value and this 1953 bound volume was snapped up after hours at £350.

Frank Hampson’s signed original artwork of Dan Dare crash-landing on Cryptos sold just under its top estimate at £1480

Frank Bellamy only painted a few Dan Dare episodes and this fresh artwork took £1520

We have a strong following of Australian collectors and these 11 Australian reprints of Strange Adventures published by K G Murray were repatriated for £180

Commando War Stories in Pictures have a cult following and the No 1 with its legendary ‘Walk or Die’ title walked at £580. Most of the following single early issues made between £100-200 each with the infamous No 27, illustrated above, at £270.

 

Heros The Spartan painted and signed by Frank Bellamy was sold for is opening bid of £2700

Jackie magazine was every girl’s fashion and pop bible in the Sixties and Seventies and this complete year contained the wonderful ‘Jackie’s Survival Kit for Bedsit Birds.’ We ask: ‘Where are they now? Did they survive?’ At least one has – with a winning bid of £360.

The Woodard Archive continued to show strong results with the complete 105 issue run of TV 21 & JOE 90. Thunderbirds was still being drawn by Frank Bellamy, Star Trek by Harry Linfield, JOE 90 by Michael Strand and The Saint started his adventures (and who didn’t want to drive that super Volvo coupe) – all for £560.

Charley’s War had our eponymous foot-soldier celebrating his 17th birthday in the trenches during the decimating battle of the Somme - Joe Colquhoun’s fierce artwork rendition pulling no punches and the 3 pages selling for £840.

The near complete 87 issue run of Sandie comics starring Connie Courageous with Leo Baxendale’s Wendy The Witch casting a £600 spell.

More spells were cast by the Woodard Archive with the 68 issue near-complete run of Spellbound and its No 1 Mystic Sun Pendant free gift at £350.

Our US section started with 20 lots of mostly lower grade Horror issues from the 1950s. Here was Adventure into Terror #8 sold for £135 and Beware #14 (which was actually the second issue) at £195.

 

Haunted Thrills #2 and 3 had rusty staples and tanned interior covers as the winning bidder successfully hunted thrills with £420

Hard to resist Contact #7 with its wonderful L B Cole cover at £115 next to Horrific #2 for £140

The final Horror offering was Tomb of Terror #1 and 8, prized open with £135.

Amazing Spider-Man #15 was cover signed by Stan Lee, CGC graded at 7.0 and repatriated to the U S A for £760

Amazing Spider-Man #50 ‘Spider-Man No More’ may have become ‘Hot Book No More’ as this lower grade [vg-] copy sold for £230. Not so Avengers #8 in mid-grade [fn-] thoring to £520

A high grade Fantastic Four #10 fetched £620 whilst a [fn+] #12 saw The Hulk take them on for £960

Early Hulks #3, 4 and 6 in VG grades still command attention and £500, £500 and £470 lifted some heavy green.

Our slabbed Silver Surfer section showed #1 CGC 5.0 at £390 and #4 CGC 6.0 at £420.

Two hot books at two hot prices: Tomb of Dracula #10 [vfn] at £580 with Werewolf By Night #32 [vfn] at £700. Some like it hot - especially our vendors.

Here’s a mid-grade Batman key at £170 with a CGC 9.6 Batman Adventures #12 at £540. Out-riddled by Harley Quin? That’s the E. Nigma

In the late Sixties the publication of OZ magazine harnessed the Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n‘ Roll zeitgeist that middle-class hippies couldn’t find in any mainstream media. This was highlighted by the notorious OZ obscenity trials a few years later over The Schoolkids issue showing poor, old Rupert The Bare in flagrante delicto.

I was living with my parents at the time and a huge argument ensued about me ‘reading that disgusting pornography’. The OZ magazines were subsequently slung out and I was almost slung out with them. It only made things worse when I told them that after much deliberation, the proprietors of OZ were found Not Guilty in the High Court trial.

 

Sometime later I found myself living in a tiny flat in Paddington for £25 a week. Luckily I was allowed to take my washing home (didn’t we all?) and I did this on the week-end so my long-suffering parents could have the pleasure of my company for Sunday lunch. Unfortunately, my OZ first issue was never retrieved from the rubbish bin. The above copy, however, sold for £1120.00 last month