Award-winning eBay auction house Phil-Comics is running an auction offering almost 300 vintage comic listings, which includes an ultra rare page of “The Bash Street Kids” original artwork, drawn by Leo Baxendale, published in The Beano in 1961, and an amazing selection of comics with free gifts, bound volumes aplenty, single issues and many half year batches.
Among them a rare first issue of DC Thomson’s Magic, the short-lived companion to The Beano and The Dandy, launched in 1939. We have more on that item, and an associated promotion, here.
• Check out the current full catalogue here on eBay – bidding starts to close on Sunday 25th May 2025. Here are some selected lots…
Firstly, an extremely rare opportunity to buy an original page of artwork by Leo Baxendale for the comic strip he’s best known for, “The Bash Street Kids” in The Beano. Baxendale left DC Thomson in 1962 and this example, published in No. 1006, cover dated 28th October 1961, was done as he approaching the end of his time working on the comic.
It’s extremely rare to see Baxendale’s “Bash Street Kids” artwork for sale on the open market before, and it’s no surprise opening bids are set at £1999.99 – but for fans of this work, this is a golden opportunity to acquire a page of his art, along with a copy of the issue on The Beano it appeared in.
The artwork is on three separate pages which was pasted down onto a single, thicker backing piece, measuring 18.5 inches tall x 16.5 inches wide. Some time in the past this backing card has been cut into two, between the second and third row of panels. There are a few pencil annotations / doodles to the edges and a few ink marks to the margins and a couple of the edges of the panels, but overall this is a beautiful page of artwork from the creator of one of The Beano‘s most iconic comic strips.
Coincidentally (spookily), the pencil name on the cover – once the newsagent’s way to “put aside” a comic for a regular customer – is “BAX”, which is strange as the art and comic came from two different sources, “but just this week we saw an early ‘Minnie the Minx’ strip where Baxendale had cunningly signed the last panel with the word “BAX” disguised into the art,” auctioneer Phil Shrimpton notes. “Probably a coincidence, but still…”
Ian Kennedy art, Free Gift Issues, too
A rarely seen page of original artwork by Ian Kennedy created for the first issue of True War magazine, which was published in July 1978 – a page from a story about Douglas Bader, the famous World War Two RAF fighter pilot. Published by IPC, the title lasted just three issues, Jeremy Briggs recounting the title’s short history here on downthetubes in 2016.
A beautiful original page of artwork for the front cover of Battle Picture Library No. 1651, originally painted by Alan Willow for use on the cover of Air Ace Picture Library 247. It was later used for the cover of War Picture Library 726, before being recycled again for Battle Picture Library 1651.
The reverse has a variety of pen writing detailing the issues above, plus also pen writing “Cover by Alan Willows for story “Nose Gun”. The artboard measures 410 x 335 mm and has the acetate overlay for Battle Picture Library 1651, which was titled “Vital Mission”
Other gems in this auction include a huge number of Beano and Dandy comics…
Copies of Blue Jeans, with their free gifts…
Blue Jeans No. 1 cover dated January 22nd 1977 With Free Gift – Denim Look Carrier Bag 
Blue Jeans No. 2 cover dated January 29th 1977 With Free Gift – Push-Up Eye Pencil 
Blue Jeans No. 3 cover dated February 5th 1977 With Free Gift – Love-Heart Brooch 
Blue Jeans No. 146 cover dated November 3rd 1977 With Free Gift – Disco Dust 
Blue Jeans No. 147 cover dated November 10th 1979 With Free Gift – Love Necklet
Two issues of TV Century 21 sister paper, Lady Penelope – With Free Gifts…
Various copies of boys title, Lion, with free gifts…
Lion No. 1 cover dated February 23rd 1952 With Free Gift – Sports Stars in Action Album 
Lion No. 2 cover dated March 1st 1952 With Free Gift – Speed Marvels of 1952 Album 
Lion No. 31 cover dated September 20th 1952 With Free Gift – Air Wonders Album 
Lion No. 32 cover dated September 27th 1952 With Free Gift – Scientific Wonders Album 
Lion No. 116 cover dated May 8th 1954 With Free Gift – Wonders of Space Travel Album 
Lion No. 116 cover dated May 8th 1954 With Free Gift – Wonders of Space Travel Album 
Lion No. 117 cover dated May 15th 1954 With Free Gift – Daring Deeds of World War 2 Album
Various copies of boys title, Victor, with free gifts…
Victor No. 764 cover dated October 11th 1975 With Free Gift – Two Clip-Together Cars 
Victor No. 765 cover dated October 18th 1975 With Free Gift – Stickers 
Victor No. 817 cover dated October 16th 1976 With Free Gift – Two Clip-Together Cars 
Victor No. 818 cover dated October 23rd 1975 With Free Gift – Stand-Up Footballers 
Victor No. 865 cover dated September 17th 1977 With Free Gift – Two Snap-Together Planes 
Victor No. 866 cover dated September 24th 1977 With Free Gift – Two Snap-Together Planes 
Victor No. 920 cover dated October 7th 1978 With Free Gift – Two Snap-Together Planes 
Victor No. 975 cover dated October 25th 1979 With Free Gift – Crackshot Pistol 
Victor No. 976 cover dated November 3rd 1979 With Free Gift – Snap-Together Motor Bike
And Warlord, too. Plenty to savour… and bid on!
Warlord No. 2 cover dated October 5th 1974 With Free Gift – Replica Medals Stickers 
Warlord No. 3 cover dated October 12th 1974 With Free Gift – Super Swooper Hi-Fly Glider 
Warlord No. 20 cover dated February 8th 1975 With Free Gift – Stickers 
Warlord No. 51 cover dated September 13th 1975 With Free Gift – Badges of the Brave Booklet 
Warlord No. 177 cover dated February 11th 1978 With Free Gift – Identity Tag 
Warlord No. 178 cover dated February 18th 1978 With Free Gift – Britain’s Fighting Forces Booklet 
Warlord No. 233 cover dated 10th March 1979 With Free Gift Replica Medals and Folder from No. 232, a sheet of 16 sticker replica medals, identical to those given away with Warlord No.2). Also present is the folder that came with #232 that these medals were designed to be stuck into, which includes the unused sheet of 8 medals that complete the 24 for the folder.
• Check out the current full catalogue here on eBay – bidding starts to close on Sunday 25th May 2025
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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