Comic books have a great connect with people of all ages as everyone while he was growing up was attached to comic books. You have your own favorite comics and your favorite character. Most of the popular comic book storylines have been made into blockbuster movies and without exception they have done great business. Anything related to comic books has an appeal and can be cashed in commercially. Recently we saw a record breaking auction of original artwork made for a comic book cover in Paris. The Artcurial auction house in Paris sold the original artwork made by Belgian artist Hergé for the cover of “Tintin en Amérique” for €1,338,500. It is a new record for the Most Expensive Comic Book Cover. The new record has been confirmed by the World Records Academy.
Original Artwork by Hergé
The comic book cover was drawn by Hergé in India ink and color gouache. It also has some kind of historical significance as it was drawn for the first edition of the comic Petit Vingtième. The original artwork had gone under the hammer as part of a larger sale of Tintin memorabilia. It was a part of over 700 pieces collected for the auction. Hergé had drawn Tintin, the globe-trotting boy journalist as a cowboy and as always with his dog Snowy sitting next to him. The background is formed by several frowning and armed Native Americans creeping up behind him.
A Truly Rare Tintin Memorabilia
The cover managed to achieve such high valuation because it is a truly rare piece. There are only five gouache covers in color dedicated to Tintin. According to a report in Libération two of the five are in private hands. All the balance three covers are part of the collection held by Moulinsart Foundation. The original artwork illustration that was sold for a record price on June 2 came from a private collection. It can be said that the auction created another record of sorts as it was the largest sale dedicated to Hergé ever to take place anywhere in the world. A spokesperson for Artcurial auction house confirmed while talking to Libération that the auction saw over 700 lots going under the hammer.
Largest Collection of Tintin Memorabilia
There were many other interesting articles related to Tintin and his adventures around the world. There were many other issues of the comic and the cover. There was some serious bidding for Tintin au Congo and it finally achieved €65,500. The other similar cover was Tintin au pays des Soviets and it was also perceived to be valuable as it fetched €51,800. There was another unique piece in the auction. It was an album that recounts the story of Tintin on the Moon. The album had gained immensely in value as it has been signed by both the author and three astronauts: Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins. The astronauts had also written the phrase above their signatures “We walked on the moon”. The album was actually created in 1968. It had a pre sales estimate of €8,000 to €10,000 but finally achieved a significant price of €42,500. Steven Spielberg has filmed the”Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn” in 3D and is already working on a serial.
