Frank Bellamy Checklist Website and Blog: Affinity

Sunday, 26 April 2026

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.