Rare Oor Wullie annuals fetch over £5,000 at auction

Auctioneer Steven Dewar said there had been "significant interest" in the books

A rare set of the earliest Oor Wullie books has sold for more than £5,000 at auction.

A full collection of the books, from its first edition to the most recent published this year for the comic's 80th anniversary, went under the hammer at Curr and Dewar in Dundee.

The very first book fetched £2,800, with the second and third selling for £1,500 and £900 respectively.

An original piece of artwork by Beano artist Dudley D Watkins sold for £950.

The third edition of the Broons annual fetched £1,400 at the auction.

Auctioneer Steven Dewar said there had been "significant interest" in the comic collection from buyers.

The set of books was discovered by a man in his loft years after they had been handed down to him by his father.

The vendor, who opted to remain anonymous, was in the saleroom to see the books go under the hammer.

The Dudley D Watkins artwork was originally published in the Beano in 1940

Mr Dewar said: "He is delighted, and so are we. There was a lot of interest and the sale has gone really well."

The full-size framed Lord Snooty cartoon, an original hand drawn by Dudley D. Watkins, shows German bombers suspending a bee hive from swastika adorned planes.

The artwork, which was published in the Beano in April 1940 was described by auctioneers as "an outstanding work".

Mr Dewar said the Oor Wullie books had been found in an attic by their owner after he had spotted an identical one on the BBC's Antique Roadshow.

Mr Dewar said: "He saw it and thought 'I've seen that' and went into the loft and there it was.

The Beano artwork fetched £950 at the auction in Dundee

"They were his father's, but he has no family and so the time was right to sell them."

Mr Dewar said another seller approached him with the Dudley D. Watkins artwork after he put a note about the Oor Wullie books on the auctioneer's website.

Mr Dewar said: "The vendor says he almost certainly bought it from my father at auction in the 70s - and wouldn't have paid more than £20 for it.

"It was drawn for Beano number 92 and appeared on 27 April 1940.

"Whether there was a little bit of a government push to boost the people's morale we don't know.

"It is a great story - it really is."