The Beano comic celebrated its 80th birthday on 30th July 2018, making it the longest running British children’s comic of all time. With every week packed full of the adventures of Dennis the Menace and Gnasher, Calamity James and other iconic characters, it’s no surprise that the comic has maintained its popularity over the years. As the Beano celebrates 80 years of adventures, we’re taking a look back at the Beanos of yesteryear to find out which have become valuable in their old age! Do you have any of these vintage Beano comics at home? You could be sitting on a small fortune!
The first edition
Image courtesy of beano.com
If you’re looking for vintage Beanos, then the first ever edition is as good as it gets . Released on 30th July 1938, the first ever Beano was 28 pages long and starred Big Eggo the ostrich on its cover. It also came with a free gift in the form of a whoopee mask. The first ever Beano has been reproduced a number of times over the years, making it trickier to spot a genuine No.1. Some re-prints have less pages to remove content that is no longer appropriate. These more modern replicas also use different paper and binding and will have clean-cut rather than zig-zagged edges.
Genuine first edition Beano comics are extremely rare. In fact, only a handful still exist as far as we know, and only one of those still has its whoopee mask gift. If you have one of these stashed away, handed down from parents or grandparents, it could quite easily sell for over £5,000. However, if more are discovered, this could impact on their value as they become less scarce. Regardless, you’re still looking at a significant return vs the twopence of old money the comic originally cost!
The first appearance of Dennis the Menace
Image courtesy of beano.com
Lovable rogue Dennis the Menace first appeared in Beano issue #452, which hit shelves in March 1951. He’s been a constant fixture since then, although he didn’t have his trademark striped jersey until a few weeks after his debut. Dennis’s arch nemesis Walter the Softy was introduced in 1952, and Gnasher made his first appearance in 1968, when Dennis was already 17 years old! If you have Dennis’s debut issue stashed away, it could be worth as much as £350 to a keen collector. Gnasher’s debut, however, wasn’t quite so momentous, with issue #1363 now selling for between £15 and £25 depending on condition.
Wartime editions
During the Second World War (1939-1945), paper was rationed, which prompted the Beano to cut back from weekly issues to fortnightly. Comics during this time featured vintage Beano superstars like Big Eggo, Pansy Potter and Lord Snooty. However, they also made nods to wartime life. Propaganda comics starring Hitler and Goering a common sight during the early 1940s. It was during the War that Beano celebrated its first big milestones, as well. The 100th issue was published in January 1940, and the 200th followed in February 1943. The latter also marked the debut of the Shipwrecked Circus.
Vintage Beano comics from this era can sell at auction for around £200. Milestone issues like #100 can fetch a little more if they’re still in good condition.
Other milestone issues
Image courtesy of beano.com
At 80 years old, it’s no surprise that the Beano has a fair few milestones under its belt. We’ve already mentioned the vintage Beano 100th and 200th issues, which came out during the Second World War, but those were just the beginning. At its 80th anniversary, the Beano was up to a whopping 3945 issues. Special editions were released for issue 500, 1000, 2000 and 3000, but there are a number of other notable milestone issues out there. For example, issue 1097 is the Beano’s 25th birthday edition, and #1678 was Dennis the Menace’s first cover. However none of these are especially valuable – yet. This is because there are still a good number of them around. But, if you hold onto yours, and keep them in good condition, they could be worth a tidy sum in a few years.
Of course, there will be more milestones to come, too. Not least of which is the Beano’s 80th birthday. The special birthday issue was guest edited by comedian David Walliams, and tells a number of special birthday Beano stories. This isn’t where the fun ends for the forseeable future, though: we’re less than a year away from the 4000th Beano! While neither of these special edition Beanos will be immediately worth anything, they’ll definitely be ones to hang on to and find out if they become collector’s items in the future.
Beano annuals, books and specials
As well as the comics, Beano has released an annual called The Beano Book every year since 1940. Like the comics, Big Eggo was the cover star until 1949, when he was superseded by Biffo the Bear. As you might expect, the older, vintage Beano books are the most valuable. The first Beano annual in particular is very valuable and sells for over £2,000 depending on condition. This is because only 11 have survived this far, as far as we know! After 1965, though, the annuals are much less scarce and usually sell for less than £100. So, it might pay to hang on to annuals from this era for a bit longer.
Summer specials can also be worth a pretty penny if you have the right ones. Early ones, as is the pattern, are worth more. A 1963 summer special recently sold on eBay for over £1,000, although this is an exception. Copies of specials released between 1960 and 1970 more commonly sell for between £200 and £500 depending on their condition.
Looking for more hidden valuables? Find out how to spot a priceless item in a charity shop with our tips!
