Rare Beano comic book is up for auction!

A rare copy of the first Beano annual, without Dennis the Menace, is to be auctioned at an auction house in Norfolk later this month.

The annual is expected to sell for between £1,200 and £1,500!

The Beano was first brought out by DC Thomson in July 1938 and a year later the first Beano annual was issued: The 1940 Beano Book. The comic was stripped down to 12 pages every two weeks during WWII due to a paper shortage, and it was discovered after the war that the Beano editor’s name was written on an assassination list by the Nazis for “gross disrespect”. What a scary thought!

This rare Beano annual was the first of 79 Beano annuals featuring the comic’s stories and illustrations but Dennis the Menace- the resident cheeky chap of The Beano- wouldn’t turn up for another decade, as he made his first appearance in 1951. His pet dog, and cheeky sidekick Gnasher was introduced in 1968.

Robert Henshilwood, head of books for Keys Fine Art Auctioneers in Aylsham, spoke to the BBC:

“Beano is the archetypal kids’ comic, and it has been published without a break for 80 years.

“It is very rare to see a copy of the first ever Beano Annual, especially in such good condition, and we are expecting a lot of interest from collectors from right across the UK and beyond.”

All image rights can be found at the BBC Website