Artwork by Peter Firmin, co-creator of beloved children's characters such as Bagpuss, The Clangers, and Basil Brush, has sold for more than £400,000 at auction. The collection of around 500 paintings, books, and collectibles was offered by Canterbury Auction Galleries over two days, with every lot finding a buyer.
Record Sale for Firmin's Art
The sale was the largest collection of Firmin's art ever to come to auction, with most pieces selling well above their estimated values. Among the top-selling items was a signed painting of Basil Brush, the cheerful fox known from the BBC's The Basil Brush Show, which fetched £6,000 against an estimate of £120-£160.
Several colour paintings from The Clangers series were also featured, including an illustration titled Tiny Clanger In The Iron Chicken's Nest, which sold for £3,900, far exceeding its £200-£300 estimate.
Other Notable Lots
Artwork from the animated series Noggin the Nog also performed strongly. An illustration of villain Nogbad the Bad firing a cannon at the Ice Dragon achieved £4,200, well above its £200-£300 estimate. A mechanical model of the character Gabriel the Toad sold for £4,200, and a painting of Bagpuss with Emily and Professor Yaffle the woodpecker went for £1,600.
Susanna Woodgate, who curated the sale, said: "It was wonderful to see real fans managing to secure a keepsake of something they loved, or perhaps to share with their own children and grandchildren."
Legacy of Peter Firmin
Firmin, who died in 2018, co-founded Smallfilms with puppeteer Oliver Postgate. Their first major success was Ivor The Engine in 1959, about a Welsh steam locomotive wanting to sing in a choir. The first hand-drawn comic strip of Ivor sold for £940.
Many of Firmin's original puppets, including Bagpuss and The Clangers, are on permanent display at The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge museum in Canterbury. In 2014, Firmin received a Bafta Children's Special Award for his contribution to children's media.
