5003

Alfred Bestall - Rupert in More Adventures (The Daily Express, 1945).

Currency:USD Category:Books / Antiquarian & Collectible Start Price:6.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
Alfred Bestall - Rupert in More Adventures (The Daily Express, 1945).
<B>Alfred Bestall - Rupert in More Adventures (The Daily Express, 1945).</B></I> When Mary Tourtel created Rupert the Bear in 1920, she most likely had no idea how long-lasting the character's popularity would be. By the time she retired from the strip in 1935 due to difficulties with her eyesight, Rupert was a true phenomenon. Beloved by young and old alike, Rupert survived the Second World War (and it's accompanying paper shortages), as well as changing public tastes, and is still published in Great Britain to this day. The Annuals (a tradition begun by Alfred Bestall, Mary Tourtel's hand-picked successor as artist of the little brown bear), have proven terrifically collectible, and early editions are eagerly sought by modern collectors. The piece offered here, the Annual from 1945 is in Very Good condition, with some creasing and corner rounding on the front and back covers, as well as the inscription, "Colin Mansi, 1945, 9 years" on the first page (the price of 3'6 on that page is unclipped). There is a small abrasion on the front cover, which has resulted in a small amount of paper loss. The maze on the first page is unmarked, but the hidden picture puzzle on the last page bears some coloring. All in all, this is a very attractive and presentable book, with only some minor foxing throughout. Otherwise, the pages are white and supple, with beautiful rich colors. An appealing, and hard-to-find, book for any collector. <BR><BR><B>Important notice:</B> Heritage usually auctions material at the rate of 200-250 lots per hour. On some occasions eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. We recommend placing a realistic absentee bid now as insurance to avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also reopen a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because we missed an audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that Heritage may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above or any other reasonable circumstances. Since eBay bids are not shown to us until we open the lot on the floor, we treat those bids just like floor bids. In most cases the floor responds before the eBay bid is presented to us, due to Internet lag time, so for consistency we have made it a policy that floor bids are always considered first over tie eBay live bids. Also please note that all Heritage lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 20% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid.