A series of hand-drawn Peanuts comic strips from Charles Schulz brought a total of $74,036 in an online auction yesterday (April 30). The sale featured four items from the beloved comic strip, each sold as an individual lot.
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The long-running series was created by Charles Schulz in 1950. Released on a daily basis, the series has seen 17,897 strips published in total, prompting the description: "Arguably the longest story ever told by one human being," from media scholar, Robert Thompson.
The highest price of the Charles Schulz hand-drawn strips went to a 1984 work entitled Snoopy Takes Woodstock & Friends on a "Nature Hike". Featuring eight panels and signed twice by Schulz, the charming strip sold for $27,971.
This top lot was followed by another strip in honour of National Secretaries Week, in which Snoopy remembers the hard work of his friend Woodstock. This earlier example of the strip from 1972 made $17,365.
A four panel strip featuring the series' downtrodden main character, Charlie Brown, also featured in the auction. Inscribed "M Sonin with friendship - Charles M. Schulz", the item sold for $14,351, an identical price to the fourth and final lot, which featured Snoopy as a scout master.
The comic strip has spawned a massive franchise from its cast of household names, including music albums, films and even an amusement park. Since Schulz's death in 2000 the strip has remained popular and frequently sees re-runs in a number of publications.
Paul Fraser Collectibles is very pleased to offer our own selection of Charles Schulz memorabilia, including this autographed sketch of Snoopy, which is one of the largest examples of an original Schulz drawing.