Tintin memorability to be auctioned in Paris

Comic fans and serious collectors alike are set to converge at a Paris auction house for the sale of 250 pieces by Tintin's creator, Hergé. Among the items going under the hammer are drawings, plates and documents worth up to 120-thousand euros.

Rare sketches and paraphernalia of Tintin, the legendary comic book  character, are to be auctioned in Paris later this year.

Some of the pieces were produced in limited runs, adding to their value and interest. One item expected to fetch a high price is a rare copy of "Tintin's Adventures in the Congo".

Thibaut Van Houte, independent expert, said, "It's one of just 500 copies and one of 25 known copies in private collections in Europe. What makes this edition so rare is that it has been signed by Hergé and his wife."

The auction aims to bring together privately owned and never-before-seen Tintin items, as well as rare and unusual known works.

Marcel Wilmet, curator of Herge Museum, Brussels, said, "We own between 80 and 85 percent of Hergé's work. But that means that there is between 15 to 20 percent which has been lost over the years, especially because Hergé gave away lots of drawings and sketches. We know all the albums, we just don't know all the inscriptions within them, some of which have very beautiful drawings as well. What we're particularly aiming to do is to recover these pieces."

Bidding opens at Paris's Drouot-Montaigne auction house on May the 29th. The auction follows a sale held during last year's Tintin Festival in Namur, Belgium. Several drawings and plates exhibited there, including a previously unknown 1929 portrait, were brought to the attention of experts by private collectors.

Tintin is one of the most popular cartoon characters ever created. Around 200 million books in more than 50 languages have been sold worldwide detailing the adventures of the young reporter and his little white dog, Snowy.