AUCTION: LOTS OF ORIGINAL ART (Peter Hansen collection)

As part of the second auction of Peter Hansen’s collection, Excalibur Auctions have some original artwork by Frank Bellamy in amongst some fascinating pieces of UK comic history! I've spent a very pleasant hour browsing the whole auction. But here are the Bellamy highlights with links to the individual lots below this article:

Eagle Vol. 9: 47 (22 November 1958)

DAVID THE SHEPHERD KING (Lot #85) 

The auctioneers have described it thus:

FRANK BELLAMY - Original comic book art for EAGLE volume 9 #47 (1956 [sic]) by FRANK BELLAMY - ‘The Shepherd King’ Episode 11
56cm x 42cm (V) 

As you can see it's VERY faded. This appeared originally in Eagle Volume 9 number 47 (22 November 1958). Here are the other images Excalibur have provided:

SOUTHERN RAILWAY POSTER

Southern Railway poster c.1935

Described as:

FRANK BELLAMY - Southern Railway Poster Artwork, 'South for Sunshine' painted by Frank A Bellamy, for an RAAS competition, c.1935, original artwork in poster paint on hardboard, 42'' x 27''; as a competition entry, it is believed that this design was not used by the Southern Rail. This is an early example of Bellamy’s work, before he became a well known comic book illustrator. This poster underwent some conservation in 2013, and all the paperwork is still include[d] which details all the work undertaken. 

I've written about this back in 2012 and David Jackson guessed that this might be Olivia de Havilland in 2016! 

Here are the other photos supplied, preserved for posterity

Bellamy's home address before marriage

 ROBIN HOOD ILLUSTRATION

Robin Hood illustration

Described by Excalibur as:

FRANK BELLAMY - A character study of Robin Hood, a story which Bellamy drew for the weekly British comic book SWIFT throughout the 1950s, pen and ink on board, 29cm x 20cm

This certainly is familiar as I wrote about it in 2013, thanks to Simon Osborne, so I guess it sold privately to Peter Hansen as it looks the same! Where Excalibur say "throughout the 1950s", that should read, for the record, Bellamy drew the comic strip  "Robin Hood and his Merry Men" + "Robin Hood and Maid Marian" from 12 May 1956 - 23 February 1957 in the Swift comic.

Here are the other images shared 

AFFINITY MAGAZINE COVER 

 

Affinity #29 (June 1950)

Now this drawing for the Gerald Swan publication is a strange one. I've got scans of two artworks which are the same image but with differing lettering and details. The one in this auction states clearly this is for June 1950 publication; the other shows "June/July 1950". Affinity had two numbering runs: [No. 1] May 1946-no. 28 (May 1950); New series. no. 1 (April 1953)-no. 16 [Oct. 1954] which shows the June or June/ July issue was never published, so I think, till proven wrong - this is an unpublished Bellamy. David Jackson once suggested "it may have been a portfolio try-out never  intended for publication just a demo of FB's range of abilities, including lettering graphics". Anyway back to the auction:

FRANK BELLAMY - Original cover art for AFFINITY (Love Stories) #29 June / July 1950, a short running UK publication by Gerald G Swan, 40cm x 26cm 

Here are the other images from the auction:

 ROBIN HOOD COMIC STRIP from SWIFT Vol.3:49 (8 December 1956)

 

Swift Vol.3:49 (8 December 1956)

The auctioneers describe this artwork as:

FRANK BELLAMY - Original comic book art for SWIFT volume 3 #49 (1956, Hulton Press) by FRANK BELLAMY - ‘Robin Hood’ Episode 31 54cm x 39cm 

The blank spaces below the comic strip are there for the libretto text so Mummys and Daddys could read to their children whilst the kids looked at the images.  

Here are the other images

 

There's a Buyer's premium of 27% on each of these if bidding directly on Excalibur's site. When I see the results I'll add them here and also to the usual spreadsheet.

 

AUCTION SUMMARY

DAVID THE SHEPHERD KING- EAGLE Vol. 9:47 (Lot 85)

WHERE?: Excalibur Auctions
Estimate: £-
ENDING PRICE: £280
END DATE: 9 May 2026

SOUTHERN RAILWAY POSTER (Lot 447)

WHERE?: Excalibur Auctions
Estimate: £-
ENDING PRICE: £220
END DATE: 9 May 2026

ROBIN HOOD ILLUSTRATION (Lot 448)

WHERE?: Excalibur Auctions
Estimate: £-
ENDING PRICE: £320
END DATE: 9 May 2026

AFFINITY magazine cover (Lot 449)

WHERE?: Excalibur Auctions
Estimate: £-
ENDING PRICE: £95
END DATE: 9 May 2026

ROBIN HOOD  Swift Vol.3:49, 8 December 1956 (Lot 450)

WHERE?: Excalibur Auctions
Estimate: £-
ENDING PRICE: £550
END DATE: 9 May 2026

Unknown Frank Bellamy: Save the children

 

Save the Children 

I have known Frank Bellamy drew something called "Save the Children" for years but never knew what it was...until I scanned the Polaroids Alan Davis kindly shared with me. On the rear of the above comic strip photo was the evidence that THIS is the piece I have been searching for.

But before we explore that further the following letter appeared in the Eagle Times (p.52 of the 2001 Summer edition)

Dear EAGLE TIMES,
In case anyone is worried by my claim that 'Fraser of Africa' was none other than Frank Bellamy himself, I should like to relate the following story.
In the late 60s, when I was employed by Century 21 Publications, I was contacted by some publicity guy who worked with the charity 'Save the Children Fund' and who was putting together a four-page or eight-page magazine which was sent out free of charge to schools and libraries. I was asked to put together a strip-continuity page. With a certain amount of twisting of arms I got Frank Bellamy to do the illustration. He did it for peanuts but it came out only every three months. It was during one of these issues that Frank enlightened me on the Fraser situation - that, as I wrote in Part One of my memoirs: 'Frank Bellamy was so besotted with the idea of going on safari that the main character in the series 'Fraser of Africa' was none other than portraiture of his own image.
So there;
Yours sincerely,
ROGER PERRY (Philippines)

 Roger Perry (1938-2016) worked, as he said, on TV21 and knew Frank well. 

The strip above might have appeared in Today's Children or The World's Children. The Save the Children Fund Archive material is held at the University of Birmingham, Cadbury Research Library, Special Collections at their Edgbaston Campus. So one day I might visit the place, but if any readers live nearby and want to spend an afternoon browsing SCF materials for me...! I'd love to know if this was published - especially as he signed the work- so should have been indexed on the Archive's database, but I couldn't see any reference to our Frank. I know that Frank Bellamy was paid for it but was it published?  

On the 3 October 1968 he was paid £40 for this job. Comparing what he got for a single 'Thunderbirds' page at the time - the same amount - I'm amazed the charity could afford Bellamy! The content looks entertaining and thrilling as usual but how it relates to Save the Children, I have no idea - even the rocket looks to be labelled "5AF" rather than "SCF".

Another mystery to be solved