RARE COPY OF FIRST EVER BEANO ANNUAL DONATED TO CHARITY SHOP

A RARE COMIC BOOK, WHICH WAS IN A BAG WITH OTHER ITEMS WAS DONATED 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 TO THE ST ANDREWS BRANCH OF THE CANCER RESEARCH UK CHARITY SHOP. 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.' HARRIS THEN CONTACTED BEANO PUBLISHERS DC THOMSON IN DUNDEE, WHO CONFIRMED THE CHARITY SHOP HAD 'RECEIVED A REALLY SPECIAL AND GENEROUS DONATION'. THE COMIC BOOK WILL BE SOLD IN JUNE BY COMIC BOOK AUCTIONS LTD MALCOLM PHILLIPS. A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE CHARITY SHOP SAID: 'ALL THE STAFF HERE ARE REALLY GOOD AT PICKING OUT THE VALUABLE DONATIONS, BUT WE ARE 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.'