BEANO: The World’s Most Collectible Comic?
Perhaps your favourite childhood comic, many Beano readers will now have children of their own! Beano has done something right to still be running to this day….
“I got the comic every week and to this day I still get sent the Beano Annual from my dad as a Christmas present, even at the grand old age of 29,” says YouTube star Joe Sugg.
They survived it all – even through a time of reduced pages due to paper and ink shortages during World War 2, competitors found it hard to keep up with Beano. Take a look at this old-school issue from war time below!
Now expanding into the 21st century with Beano Studios, they deliver entertainment across multi-media platforms including TV, website, and even theatrical events; all whilst continuing their trusty comic and annuals for those hard-core fans.
So it’s fair to say that Beano has been through lots of changes in over 80 years. But if you think that’s a long time, not many people know that the company that publishes Beano, DC Thomson, actually became a limited company 116 years ago in 1905!
We can clearly see that Beano has been running for a very long time. So what else are collectors getting excited about? Well, roughly 31,000-41,000 copies are sold per week in the present day, but it’s estimated that 2 billion Beano comics have been sold in its lifetime. A legacy as strong as this will not go unnoticed in the collecting world.
It’s no wonder that if you’re looking to get your hands on one of just 20 of these first edition Beano comics worldwide still in good condition today, you will be set back at least £20,000 according to experts – quite an increase since these were first launched for less than 1p!
Or how about a whole original first annual Beano BOOK! It’ll only set you back £4,000…
Reading not your thing? You could get your hands on this pewter Dennis and Gnasher collectible for £300…
Source: www.ebay.co.uk
Plus, 70 years ago this year on 17 March 1951, fan favourite Dennis the Menace first strolled on to the pages of the Beano, as he rebelled against an order to “keep off the grass” – Dennis was as much of a menace then as he is today.
#DidYouKnow? By one of those weird coincidences, another comic strip named Dennis the Menace also debuted in the United States on 12 March 1951.
And at this significant milestone, collectors have been going crazy for all things Dennis and Beano! It’s not often collectors have the chance to commemorate something that played such a significant part in so many childhoods across the world.
#FunFact – It took 17 years for Dennis to be joined by his wire-haired buddy, Gnasher, and they’ve now become inseparable.
Recently, we announced an exciting brand new collection of Beano 50p coins accompanied by SIX Royal Mail stamps celebrating the 70th anniversary of the longest running comic strip in Beano® comics – Dennis!
If you have any classic Beano comics or comic collections of your own, we’d love to hear from you!
