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‘1940′s’ Category

  1. Latest rupert annuals now in stock

    November 28, 2010 by admin

    These are the latest rupert bear annuals & facsimile annuals on our website.

    Remember you will still get 15% off the list prices if you purchase before the 20th of December 2010.

    1952                      Stock No. RBF2009 / 99                           £ 30.00

    1965                      Stock No. RBF 2009 / 100                           £ 20.00

    1946                      Stock No. RBA 2009 / 335                           £150.00

    1951                      Stock No. RBA 2009 / 336                           £ 90.00

    1959                      Stock No. RBA 2009 / 333                           £ 40.00

    1961                      Stock No. RBA 332                                           £ 58.00

    1962                      Stock No. RBA 338                                           £ 95.00

    1971                      Stock No. RBA 334                                           £ 20.00


  2. 1941 rupert annual now for sale

    November 27, 2010 by admin

    Find this annual on our website here http://www.rupertbearannuals.com/1940-s/287-1941-rupert-bear-annual-rba324.html


  3. Rare 1941 Rupert Annual

    November 25, 2010 by admin

    We have a very rare 1941 Original Rupert Annual going on the website next week.
    1941 rupert bear annualOne of the very rarest and hardest to find Rupert annuals, in GOOD + condition. The heavy board covers are still after 69 years bright and full of vibrant colour, the corners are bumped and worn both front and back the edges show some slight wear. The spine has suffered some loss of about 8cm from the bottom half and there is a small segment of masking tape stiffening the top of the spine. Inside there is a name in the belongs to box “ERIC ALAN MILES”  neat but in a childs hand. The pages are remarkably clean, bright and full of vibrant colour, page 15/16 is loose , there is a tiny 1cm edge tear to the bottom of page 81. The binding is now starting to give at the boards but not at the pages, a hint of a crease on the back board cover. The 1941 annual is the last of the paper covered hard board covers prior to the wartime paper covers and extremely difficult to find in anything approaching reasonable condition. A rare and sought after annual and suitable for any collection.

    Keep an eye on our new annuals page

    or look out for it on our 1940′s rupert annual page


  4. 1944 rupert annual at last.

    November 15, 2010 by admin

    Here is the latest annual added to our stock. A lovely 1944 annual in Fine condition.

    1944 rupert annualFor more details on this annual & more pictures click the link below.

    1944 rupert bear annual


  5. Rupert Bear annuals value

    November 13, 2010 by admin

    We receive lots & lots of emails weekly from people asking the value of their annuals & would we be interested in buying them.

    Although we hold the largest stock of quality Rupert Annuals on the internet, we are always looking to keep our stock levels rising to keep up with the increasing demand for the top quality annuals we supply.

    If you have any Rupert annuals you feel are good quality & wish to sell, then please let us know via our contact page on the website. Let us know which years you have & the quality of the annuals. We will reply to all requests & if we are interested will ask for more details & photos of the annuals in order to value them correctly.


  6. 1946 Rupert Bear Annual

    November 10, 2010 by admin

    Hard to find 1946 Rupert Annual, even harder in such good condition as this one & now with 15% off.

    Inside the inscription reads  “Mary Priest 258 Chester Road”

    I would hazard a guess that after a couple of months this annual was put in a cupboard for the next 64 years

    You can find it on our website here.


  7. Updated Rupert Bear Annuals website

    November 8, 2010 by admin

    We have now completed updating the Rupert Bear Annuals website. More annuals, more pictures & more discounts. As it’s Rupert Bears birthday & we’re launching the new website, we’re offering 15% off all annuals. We’re running this promotion until the 20th of December 2010. So if you’re looking for a special Rupert annual from your childhood, we’ve probably got one.


  8. Rupert Bear Original Annual (1949)

    December 15, 2009 by admin

    Rupert Bear Annual 1949

    rupert annual 1949

    £165

    The last of the soft cover war economy production in VERY GOOD condition, very slight wear to the edges of the spine with some light foxing also. The internals  are tight and firm with sound bindings. There is printed, with it looks like an old style children’s Bulldog printing stamp, a name in the “belongs to box” it is not price clipped. The pages are tight, bright and sound. The only detraction could be that the owner has very carefully followed the outline of the characters in biro on pages 2 and 119 the puzzle pages, it’s quite charming really. A good copy for any collector.


  9. Why collecting Rupert Annuals can be good for you

    December 10, 2009 by admin

    Antiques Roadshow star and expert Eric Knowles should know, with all his years of experience on the Antiques Roadshow, his extensive experience at Bonham’s the internationally renowned auction house and in the trade says this week in the Radio Times 19th. – 235th. September 2009;

    “If you’ve got the right Rupert annual you could be sitting on a fortune” and he is not wrong. He is referring to the 1973 issue of this ever popular annual with the distinctive “Brown faced Rupert” on the front cover  (  instead of white as specified by Alfred Bestall the illustrator ) of which only about 12 proof copies were produced. This so angered Alfred Bestall that he never produced another cover again. The estimated value of one of these Rupert annuals is a staggering £20,000.00 and it doesn’t stop there, a copy of the first Rupert annual produced in 1936 complete with it’s dust jacket in good condition, you will note I did not say mint condition, could expect to sell for in the region of £5000.00.

    This brings us to the mantra always quoted by any collector,

    “condition is everything”

    Even some of the early Rupert annuals in only good condition, say a 1936 copy with no dust jacket can fetch £400.00 to £600.00 and the war years publications in the paper covers due to wartime printing restrictions, it is well to note that these restrictions carried on to 1949, in good to fine condition can fetch £100.00 to £300.00. Not a bad investment when the purchase price was only 3s/ 6p or 17.5 pence in today’s money.

    It also says a lot about a publication that Rupert Bear annuals were considered so vital to the moral of the nation that they were produced despite the grave conditions and shortages.

    How do you asses whether or not the condition of your annual is Mint, Mint-, Fine, good or otherwise, well the easiest method is to go to our website www.rupertbearannuals.com and it is all explained in detail, just click on the “about us” icon at the head of the home page, but in brief any damage to the spine or covers will reduce the value as will if the price, usually on the corner of page 2, has been snipped off, some collectors will also devalue an annual if there is an name in the “belongs to “ box or if there is an inscription, usually from the parents or an aunt and uncle. On a personal level a name written in by an evidently childish hand or an inscription from adoring parents or relative is very touching and for me lends an authenticity to the annual, as an example we have a 1948 edition in FINE condition with the inscription;

    “To Michael Neil, from Mum xmas 1948”

    and my immediate thought is what happened to Dad, was he lost in the war, did the deprivations of the war years tear the family apart, was Michael an evacuee, some never went home as there wasn’t a home to go to, so many features can be conjured up.

    Inside none of the puzzles, competitions or paintings should be touched as this will devalue the annual and this is highlighted by the Rupert annuals produced from 1960 through to 1968. Now these Rupert annuals were all produced with 6 to 8 pages of “Magic Pictures” , for the collector a nightmare. What the lucky recipient of the Rupert annual had to do to colour these pictures in was to take a cup of water a paint brush or finger dip it into the water and gently and accurately fill in each part of the picture this would then bring out the colour and when completed you have a beautiful coloured picture, well that’s the theory. If the page was turned before the water was dry it would transfer onto the next page, to much water and it would run or spread. A 1960’s Rupert annual in Fine plus condition with the magic paintings untouched could easily make £50.00 to £120.00. Rupert annuals from the 1950’s in Mint to Fine condition can make similar sums whilst from the 1970’s and 1980‘s can make £20.00 to £50.00, the 1990’s and to present day £8.00 to £20.00.

    Limited Edition Collectors Facsimile Reproduction annuals

    In 1986 it was decided that due to the interest and demand from the public to produce a true facsimile of the first Rupert annual staying true to the paper, colour and content. These have proven to be incredible popular that they are valued even higher than many of the multi million selling authors of the twentieth century with many of the Limited Edition Collectors annuals having values from £50.00 to £150.00. All of the Rupert annuals produced in this range from 1949 onwards should also be accompanied by numbered certificate whilst the annuals issued for 1936, 37, 38, 39 and 40 were not issued with protective slip cases all of the rest were. The annuals issued for 1936, 37 and 38 were issued with a publicity wrapper. Any loss or damage will once again devalue the annual.

    It is well to note that not all of the years could be reproduced and the following years were not;

    1946, 1947, 1954, 1956, 1960, 1961 and 1962

    this is due solely to the non P.C. ( politically correct ) nature of the contents, Oh how things have changed!

    Signed Rupert Annuals

    As with most books having a copy that has been signed by the author, or in the case of Rupert Bear the illustrator and/or storey writer, will enhance the value and this can be enhanced even further by having not just the illustrator’s signature but also a personal dedication from the illustrator to you. Values of these would also be in the £20.00 to £60.00 range.

    Yes collecting Rupert Bear annuals can be good for you not only financially, make sure your collection is insured or included within your house insurance as even a small selection of Rupert annuals can have a value in excess of £2000.00. You will certainly have fun physically looking for your annuals from either a car boot sale, auction houses or scouring the internet bookshops, and its very evident from my customers that there is an even split of men and women of all ages that collect Rupert Bear annuals. Lastly but not least the quality of the illustrators and storey writers over the last 70 plus years is without equal and on par with some of the most renowned illustrators of the 20th. Century.

    Have you ordered your copy of this years yet.