A collection of rare Tintin comic albums, many signed by cartoonist Hergé, will be auctioned in Paris on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. Among them is a unique first edition of Tintin in America, expected to sell for €200,000.
A collection of rare Tintin comic albums is going under the hammer in Paris on Wednesday, many signed by cartoonist Hergé, who once wrote, “Tintin is just another version of me” on one of the flyleaves. Among the 75 graphic novels is a one-of-a-kind copy of Tintin in America, first published in 1932, which has an estimated value of €200,000 ($217,000). Hergé dedicated the book in 1933 to Charles Helsen, the chaplain of his Brussels scout troop, who became a friend and mentor. “To Mr. Abbot Helsen, in memory of the good years spent under his supervision, discovering Adventure… Tintin is just another version of me, who would have continued on that path, all the way,” he wrote.
Helsen's copy of Tintin in America appears to be a one-off printing. “We believe Hergé requested a copy be specially printed for his friend,” said Daniel Perez, the auction house expert covering the sale. The sale of 75 graphic novels at the Tajan auction house will break up a collection built over generations by the family of Felipe Ortiz-Patino, whose Bolivian great-grandfather started the Tintin mania. Perez explained that he put together the lots for sale after Ortiz-Patino “switched interests for various reasons.”
Many of the books on offer are in near-new or very good condition, with the original colors of their cover illustrations still vivid. One first-edition copy of 1931’s Tintin in the Congo — of which only a few thousand were printed — is estimated at €100,000. Hergé signed the book as “Tintin,” while his fiancée, Germaine, signed as “Milou” — the French name for the reporter’s faithful terrier, known as “Snowy” in English translations. Also up for sale is an unsigned but rare pop-up version of Red Rackham’s Treasure, with an estimate of €60,000. In November, Tajan will offer one of Hergé’s original 1941 illustrations for The Shooting Star, estimated at up to €500,000.
With AFP
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