10 Comic Art Picks from this weekend’s Massive Excalibur Peter Hansen Collection Comic Auction
Excalibur Auctions latest auction of original art, rare comics and comics ephemera from the Peter Hansen Collection takes place on Saturday 24th October 2026 – and if you thought items in previous auctions were incredible, this fifth event won’t disappoint.
It includes artwork by legends such as Frank Bellamy, Keith Watson, Jesus Blasco and many, many more, along with many “Free Gift” issues for collectors to savour – as well as rarities from Alan Class Publishing.
The art spans adventure, girl, young children’s and war comics, including titles such as Look-In and Look and Learn, with plenty to enjoy as you peruse the huge catalogue!
Selling largely British comic-related items from the largest and most comprehensive private collection of British comics ever to come onto the market, the collection was so vast is the collection that Excalibur Auctions collaborated with Anderson & Garland Auctioneers to host a series of sales throughout 2026.
The collection, which we have previously featured several times on downthetubes, was amassed by passionate private collector Peter Hansen, who has generously loaned items from his collection to a range of institutions over the years, such as the Cartoon Museum and the National Centre for Children’s Books.
Parts One to Four were held during the first half of the year, and now Part Five is ready to fly.
It’s impossible to list everything in the catalogue so, instead. we’ve picked a selection of just 10 items that will hopefully be of special note, including art, special comics of interest and ephemera items. And it was definitely not easy to chose those!
Check out the full catalogue on the Excalibur Auctions web site or The-Saleroom
Do note that all the credits in the catalogue are correct – and we don’t just mean the description of Odhams Press comics such asSmash!and POW! as “Oldhams Comics” throughout! Specifically, as artist and archivist David Roach tells us, the “Phantom Viking” pages are credited as being by José Ortiz, but they aren’t – among the three lots featuring work from the strip you’ll see art by Graham Coton, David Sque and Nevio Zeccara – definitely nothing by Jose.
“The problem here is that if you look the strip up online elsewhere, you’ll see that only José is credited,” David notes, “and while he did draw it for a while (I have his first two pages in fact), he was not the only artist.” You’ll know of course that once something is mentioned on line it becomes gospel- forever!
“I should also mention that Peter is very proud of his Scandina fact, while I was with him only a few weeks ago he proudly showed me the ‘Phantom Viking’ pages he’s keeping, along with his prime Frank Bellamy and Ron Embleton pages. It’s so often the case that the strips we discover as kids stay with us the longest!”
Peter Hansen Collection of British Comics and Comic Art – Part 5 takes place 24th October 2026 from 10.00am GMT | Check out the Full Catalogue Here
Excalibur Auctions is at Unit 16 Abbots Business Park, Primrose Hill, Kings Langley
WD4 8FR
Viewing times: Thursday 22nd October 2026 – 9.30am – 12.30pm and 2.00 – 4.30pm | Friday 23rd October 2026 – 9.30am – 12.30pm and 2.00 – 4.30pm
Limited viewing is also available in the hour before the auction on Saturday 24th October 2026, from 9.00 until 10.00am – this is strictly by appointment due to the limited amount of space available
Special thanks to David Roach for advising us on some listing errors in the catalogue
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who MagazineandOverkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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