A treasure trove of Winnie-the-Pooh memorabilia, including unseen letters and drawings, has fetched £120,000 at auction after being discovered in a loft. The collection was found by Simon Smith, 57, in his late father’s attic following his death in 2023.
The collection contained first-draft manuscripts by AA Milne, such as proofs for ‘Now We Are Six’ and ‘The House at Pooh Corner’, along with the author’s poem ‘Wind on the Hill’, manuscripts, autographs, and original pen drawings of Pooh and Piglet.
Initially estimated to bring in £15,000 at Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge, West Mids, the 28 lots exceeded expectations, selling for a total of £95,000, with the buyer’s premium bringing the final sum to £120,000. Will Farmer, director of Fieldings and BBC Antiques Roadshow expert, said: “We are thrilled and slightly emotional.
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“Selling this collection has been an absolute career highlight and for the family to trust Fieldings Auctioneers to look after such an important collection was a huge honour.”
The top-selling item was the proof pages for ‘The House At Pooh Corner’, which included mock-ups, illustrations, and corrections, and went for £18,000.
An original draft manuscript for ‘The Christopher Robin Birthday Book’, circa 1928, featuring rough sketches of Christopher Robin, sold for £9,500.
The original manuscript introduction to Now We Are Six sold for £9,400 while two letters signed by AA Milne fetched £5,100.
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Simon told previously how we was left “gobsmacked” after discovering the haul of documents, some of which had not been seen for almost a century.
His dad Leslie, who died aged 96 in 2023, had worked in the publishing industry all his life – but his family knew nothing about the hidden archive in his attic.
Simon, who works for the publishing company Cressrelles, which was set up by his father, said: “We just didn’t know they existed so we were pretty gobsmacked.
“We had been clearing out the attic and found a plastic carrier bag full of letters. They had just been lying there along with other childhood junk and old photos.
“We thought there might be correspondences between various playwrights he’d represented in the past but then we found AA Milne’s signature.
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“The Tolkien postcards must have been there since 1957 as my dad’s firm handled the launch of Lord of the Rings.
“I wasn’t too shocked to find those as I knew about his association with Tolkien but the Winnie the Pooh stuff was really surprising.
“I suspect those are from around the 80s which is when my dad took over Muller, who published the Winnie-the-Pooh books. It was amazing. I have three siblings and none of us knew they were there.”
Clive Farahar, a book specialist who helped appraise the collection, said: “This is an incredible discovery in the world of Winnie the Pooh, especially when it was thought all documents were accounted for.
“It has been an absolute pleasure to read through these rare, unique and personal letters and documents which give further insight into our favourite honey loving bear.”
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