Comic auctions are some of the best places to find rare issues or unexpected grails, as you just never know what you are going to find. That’s especially true of bigger auctions, and now the world’s largest collection of British comics is headed to auction. It’s actually part 2 of an auction featuring the largest private collection of comics ever to hit the market, but it’s not just British comics up for grabs, as fans can also find some classic DC issues featured in the lineup.
Excalibur Auctions is running the massive auction of British comics, which includes thousands of popular comics, cover artwork, advertising ephemera, toys, merchandise, and fanzines. It was the collection of private collector Peter Hansen, and that collection includes a number of books that DC fans will want to take note of. Books included in the collection are Batman Double Double Comics #1 – #3, which are actually made up of unsold DC comics that were returned to publishers and rebound in groups of 4, giving the comics their name. Other Double Double Comics include Justice League, Jimmy Olson, Strange Adventures, Lois Lane, and Worlds Finest, though there are also Silver Age issues of The Brave and the Bold, The Flash, Aquaman, Detective Comics, and more. You can check out the full collection right here.
The Peter Hansen Collection of British Comics and Comic Art Is A Truly One of a Kind Auction
The Peter Hansen Collection features an array of items that Hansen had generously loaned to numerous institutions over the years, including the Cartoon Museum and the National Centre for Children’s Books. This collection was so expansive that it had to be split up into multiple sales, and that’s why it’s a truly one-of-a-kind auction and collection.
Pop Culture, Movie and Music specialist at Excalibur Auctions, Tom Barker says: “Hundreds of man-hours are being invested in sorting, researching, photographing and cataloguing the material, an exercise in archiving for posterity as much as preparing for auction. It is with considerable pride that this extraordinary pedigree collection is being brought to market for the first time and it is set to captivate collectors, historians and pop culture enthusiasts alike.”
There are all kinds of gems in this collection, including POW! #1 from Power Comics (Oldhams Press). The issue comes with the Spider Matic Gun and all of its Spider Disc bullets, and those are in the original press-out card as well. This is also key for Marvel fans, as it reprinted the first story of Amazing Spider-Man #1 for British readers.
There’s a host of other Marvel books in the auction as well, including a collection of 27 hardback Marvel annuals that feature The Amazing Spider-Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, Star Wars, and The Avengers. There’s also a bound volume of Captain America that includes assorted issues, as well as a bound volume containing issues of X-Men Vol. 1, and a host of characters make their first appearances in the collected assortment.
Other highlights include the rare TV Tornado #1, the painted cover artwork of Eagle Holiday Special #6, the work of artist Frank Bellamy for Eagle Volume 9 #47, a boxed and complete Dan Dare Planet Gun, Better Comics Volume 3 #1, and more.
Barker said, “From the birth of homegrown heroes to the reprinting of American superheroes for British audiences, this collection traces the evolution of comic publishing across decades. With original art from legendary illustrators, rare complete gift issues and associated memorabilia, it offers scholars and collectors an unparalleled opportunity. This is not merely a sale. It is a defining moment in the preservation and celebration of Britain’s comic book legacy.
The Peter Hansen Collection Auction Part II will begin on May 9, 2026.
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