RARE TINTIN MEMORABILIA TO BE AUCTIONED IN PARIS

BEFORE HOLLYWOOD TAKES THE CLASSIC CARTOON CHARACTER TINTIN TO THE BIG SCREEN, COLLECTORS WILL BE VYING FOR RARE MEMORABILIA OF THE BELGIAN HERO AT AN UPCOMING PARIS AUCTION. THE TINTIN SERIES, CREATED BY GEORGES REMI UNDER HIS PEN NAME HERGE, HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR AND MOST RECOGNIZED COMICS IN THE WORLD WITH TRANSLATIONS IN MORE THAN 50 LANGUAGES AND 200 MILLION COPIES OF THE 24 BOOKS SOLD. THE PARIS AUCTION WHICH IS TO BE HELD ON 29.MAY WILL INCLUDE OVER 230 ITEMS FROM 70 COLLECTORS THAT EVEN HERGE'S FOUNDATION MOULINSART, A PARTNER IN THE SALE, NEVER KNEW EXISTED. THE RECENTLY OPENED TINTIN MUSEUM IN BELGIUM OWNS ABOUT 85% OF HERGE'S WORK, INCLUDING ORIGINAL SKETCHES AND EPHEMERA RELATED TO THE TINTIN CHARACTER. THE RARE AND UNUSUAL OBJECTS BEING OFFERED AT THE SALE INCLUDING ANTIQUES AND FIRST EDITION COVERS HAS SURPRISED POTENTIAL INVESTORS. 'THERE'S BEEN A HUGE EXPLOSION OF STRIP CARTOONS OVER THE LAST 10-15 YEARS AND WITH THAT A SECONDARY MARKET HAS DEVELOPED', SAID ALEXIS VELLIET, DIRECTOR OF AUCTIONEERS PIASA. 'THIS GENERATION IS NOW LOOKING AT ORIGINAL DRAWINGS...THE TRUE CREATORS AND IF WE GO BACK THEN HERGE IS ONE OF THEM.' IN 2008, AN ORIGINAL COVER OF 'TINTIN IN AMERICA' SOLD FOR ABOUT $931,000. LAST YEAR, A LOT OF ALMOST 600 ITEMS, INCLUDING HAND-DRAWN ORIGINAL CARTOON STRIPS, RAISED OVER $1.5 MILLION. THE AUCTION IS TIMELY. A MOVIE , 'THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN', DIRECTED BY STEPHEN SPIELBERG WILL GIVE A HOLLYWOOD SPIN TO THE INTREPID REPORTER NEXT YEAR. LIKEWISE, A CIVIL ACTION CASE IN BELGIUM LAUNCHED EARLIER IN MAY AGAINST THE PUBLISHERS OF 'TINTIN IN CONGO' OVER THE PORTRAYAL OF AFRICANS IN THE BOOK HAS KEPT THE SERIES ALIVE IN THE MEDIA. DESPITE THE CASE, ONE OF THE ITEMS IN THE SALE THAT HAS CAUGHT THE EYE OF COLLECTORS IS A 'SILENT' VERSION OF THE CONGO BOOK. COPIES WERE MADE WITH SPEECH BUBBLES LEFT BLANK TO CONVINCE PUBLISHERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO TAKE ON THE CARTOON IN THEIR LANGUAGE. 'IT'S HARD TO FIND ORIGINALS IN A GREAT STATE AND THESE SILENT BOOKS ARE VERY RARE...MAYBE JUST TENS OF THESE WERE PRINTED', SAID VALLIET. TINTIN MADE HIS FIRST APPEARANCE IN 1929 HEADING TO THE SOVIET UNION IN A SUPPLEMENT FOR THE ROMAN CATHOLIC BRUSSELS WEEKLY LE PETIT VINGTIEME AND IS STILL GOING STRONG. HIS TRAVELS TOOK HIM FROM CHINA TO LATIN AMERICA AND EVEN FORMER FRENCH PRESIDENT CHARLES DE GAULLE ACKNOWLEDGED TINTIN'S FAME.