‘Extremely rare’ copy of first ever Beano annual left in bag at charity shop set to raise £2,000 at UK auction

A rare comic book which was handed in to a charity shop could fetch up to £2,000 at auction, it was revealed today. The 1939 Beano annual - the first ever published - was given with a bag of donations at the St Andrews branch of the Cancer Research UK charity shop. It is highly prized by collectors and is expected to reach up to £2,000 when it is auctioned later this year. Matthew Harris Winfall: Charity shop volunteer Matthew Harris with the rare Beano comic book  - which could fetch £2,000 - that he found when it was handed in as a donation The comic, said to be in 'great' condition, was unearthed by shop volunteer Matthew Harris. He said: 'As soon as I saw it I thought it looked well-cared for, so I fished it out and had a proper look. 'It's in great condition, so I knew it might be worth more than the average comic book, but when I checked it out online and learned it could be worth more than £2,000 I could hardly believe it.' Mr Harris then contacted Beano publishers DC Thomson in Dundee, who confirmed the charity shop had 'received a really special and generous donation'. A rare Beano comic book that volunteer Matthew Harris found when it was handed in as a donation at a charity shop in St Andrews. Benny Blowhard and Hicky the hare? The 1939 rare Beano comic book that was handed in to the Cancer Research UK shop Dennis the Menace was at the shop today to put the book on show - despite not being in the annual himself as he didn't make his Beano debut until 1951. An actor dressed as the character took to the streets around the charity shop and posed for pictures with staff. The comic will be sold in June by Comic Book Auctions Ltd. Malcolm Phillips, of the auctioneers, said it was an 'extremely rare' find. 'This is a tremendous example of the first-ever Beano book,' he said. 'It's in great condition and is extremely rare. It's the star attraction of our June auction and should attract lots of bids from around the world.' The auction goes live at www.compalcomics.com on May 16, with bids closing at 8pm on June 1. All the money raised will go to Cancer Research UK. Tammy Kernohan, manager at the St Andrews shop, said: 'All the staff here are really good at picking out the valuable donations, but we're delighted that Matthew spotted this one and now we all hope that the charity is in for a real windfall. 'We get lots of generous donations here but this might turn out to be the most generous we have ever received.' Source: The Daily Mail See more auctions on www.ukauctioneers.com