A collection of more than 500 paintings, books, and collectibles belonging to Peter Firmin sold at auction for more than £400,000, according to Canterbury Auction Galleries. The items were discovered at Firmin’s Kent residence when the property was offered for sale. All 534 lots sold during a two-day auction event.
Firmin co-created numerous iconic characters with fellow animator Oliver Postgate, including Bagpuss, The Clangers, Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine, and Basil Brush. Artwork featuring The Clangers and Noggin the Nog commanded some of the highest prices at the sale. A signed Basil Brush illustration depicting the character conversing with a mole realized £6,000. Additional lots included an animated Gabriel the Toad character and an illustration of Nogbad firing a cannon, each selling for £4,200. A work depicting Bagpuss with Emily and Professor Yaffle fetched £1,600.
Firmin and Postgate established Smallfilms, which produced several of Britain’s most recognizable children’s television programs between the 1950s and 1980s. The auctioneers noted that interest in their work experienced a resurgence around 2014. Bagpuss was voted the UK’s all-time favorite children’s television programme in 1999. Firmin died in 2018.
According to the auction house, this represented the largest collection of Firmin’s artwork to be offered at sale. Curators noted that collectors successfully obtained items connected to programs they valued, with some intending to share them with younger generations. A portion of the discovered materials will be donated to The Beaney Museum in Canterbury, which maintains an existing display of characters previously given by the family.
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