The Dandy edition that's now worth £20,000
Phil Shrimpton has been collecting comics, particularly The Beano and The Dandy, since he was 10
The Telegraph - 25 Nov 2013
Superman can be pure investment kryptonite - and even the Bash Street Kids could make you a fortune. There are plenty of investors and collectors desperate for comics featuring their favourite characters, from Desperate Dan and Biffo the Bear to US superheroes such as Spiderman and the Green Lantern.
The comic world divides into two markets. There is the brightly coloured action-hero US comic, which appeal to serious investors with deep pockets. And there is the British comic market, featuring much-loved characters, often in black and white - where the inclusion of the original free gift can easily quadruple the price.
And we're talking about far-from-funny sums of money. Were you to come across a mint condition copy of the first edition of Action Comics, printed in the US in 1938, you might have found something worth more than $2m (£1.3m).
But while America is where the serious money goes, Britain still has its valuable comics. A first edition of The Dandy from 1937, complete with the free gift of a whistle, would sell for more than £20,000. The Beano started in 1938: 10 years ago a copy of the first edition sold for more than £12,000.
And at this time of year, when the shops are full of annuals aimed at the younger generation, a hidden-away annual from years ago could be worth a tidy sum. A Beano annual from 1940 sold for £4,265 in 2010.
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