Many of us met Hergé’s hero, Tintin, when we were children and collecting Tintin memorabilia takes us back to our childhood. After completing his military service in an infantry regiment, Herge became a draftsman and photo engraver and later met and married Germaine Kieckens. It wasn’t until Wallez asked him to develop his own comic strip that the idea for Tintin was born. His sole goal was to create a heroic young character who would fight for good against evil throughout the world.
Appearing in the eleventh edition of Le Petit Vingtieme on January 10, 1929, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets was the start of a series that would eventually have a large following. Along with his faithful companion, a white fox terrier named Snowy (Milou), reporter Tintin embarked on an action-packed adventure in the Soviet Union. Published in album form in 1930, 500 copies were printed and signed with the names of Tintin and Snowy. Although difficult to find, these early examples are highly sought after and highly prized.
Herge’s imagination and ability to take ideas from real life and put a distinctive spin on them captured an audience of adults and children alike. Inspired by Hergé’s brother Paul, Tintin, with his blond toupee and golf pants, is probably Belgium’s best export since Hercule Poirot.
Captain Archibald Haddock was known to declare ‘Blistering Barnacles’ or ‘Thundering Typhoons’, while Tintin uttered ‘Great Snakes’ in moments of surprise. Deaf genius Professor Cuthbert Calculus hated being called a ‘goat’ and bumbling detectives Thompson and Thompson are believed to be based on Herge’s father and his twin brother who wore matching bowler hats. Even Professor Calculus and Captain Haddock’s home, paid for with money made from the sale of a shark-design submarine at Red Rackham’s Treasure, was the palatial Marlinspike Hall that Herge based at Cheverny, a castle on the Loire.
The first books took about a year to produce before being published by Casterman Publishing. Befriending fellow artist Chang Chong-jen, Herge learned the importance of accurately depicting the places Tintin visited. He showed his appreciation for it by adding a fictional Chinese character to his 1936 book, The Blue Lotus.
When World War II broke out, Herge enlisted as a reserve lieutenant. With the subsequent occupation of Belgium by the Nazis, Le Petit Vingtieme was closed, prompting Herge to produce a Tintin strip for the French newspaper Le Soir. The shortage of paper affected the size of the strip, causing it to create faster-paced action in a limited space.
Now a meticulous researcher, Herge made extensive plans for each of the adventures. His attention to detail was legendary and he went to great lengths to make sure all of his details were correct.
After the war, Herge was banned from working on a newspaper for two years as a result of the mistaken belief that he was a Nazi sympathizer, an unfounded claim, and his ban was lifted in 1946. He devoted himself to his work when their marriage hit. a crisis and he had a nervous breakdown, but after a brief respite he continued to work from the rooms of his house at Watermael-Boitsfort 17, in a suburb of Brussels. Here he would work out each plot, before dividing the story into a set of frames and preparing a pencil draft, adding speech bubbles to bring the characters to life.
Herge overcame this difficult period of his life when he wrote Tintin in Tibet and later witnessed his character being used for merchandising, advertising, and the production of a small selection of animated films. He divorced his wife, married Fanny Vlaminck and enjoyed the success of his work traveling the world.
Tintin collectibles cover a huge selection of memorabilia, from models and mugs to stamps and stickers. There are 24 adventures in the series, illustrated and written by Herge in English, along with other special editions, puzzle books, and creator biographies. There are many foreign language editions that you could collect once you have the full game in English.
The first editions in English are not that expensive, but the first editions in the United States, published by Golden Press Books, cost much more money. You’d have to spend over 30 for an edition in fairly good condition.
Collectors should look out for The Black Island, set in Scotland and first published in French in 1938 but published in London by Methuen in 1966, and Tintin in Tibet, first published in English in 1962, both of which have recently sold for over 50 each Try to find copies of Tintin magazine on sale between 1946 and 1993; a Dutch version called Kuifje was also released.
Rare items like Tintin pop-up books can be hard to find, but puzzle and activity posts are easily obtained and often sell for less than 10. For serious enthusiasts, there are plenty of companions. , guides and biographies. One of Herge’s biggest fans was reporter Michael Farr, who produced the Complete Companion as a guide to the artist and fictional characters, and is essential reading for any fan.
The first Tintin stamp was released in Belgium on October 1, 1979, and was followed by other issues with a variety of countries that contributed to Tintin’s appeal in the philatelic world. Most can be had for a reasonable price, but a mini sheet featuring Tintin in America is pretty rare, as only 4,200 were printed and you should expect to pay more than 10.
In February 2004, the Belgian Post Office issued a set of five stamps titled Tintin and the Moon to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Tintin and the 50th anniversary of the book Explorers on the Moon. It also coincided with the 35th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s moon landings. Introducer packs can be purchased for as little as 5.
Explorers was the second in a two-part adventure that began with Destination Moon, and it’s interesting that both were written more than a decade before the moon landings and space flights. The ship used in the Tintin expedition resembled a V2 rocket and was later featured in a US pop-up book, a Viewmaster, and various other collectible items, including phone cards.
Resin figures were also very popular and a limited edition numbered piece would set you back around 100 or more. Tintin and Snowy in the Shark Submarine is hard to find below 150, while the Nostalgie Collection figures designed by Marie Leblon cost more than 300.
In recent years, exhibitions of Hergé’s life and work have been held at the Greenwich Maritime Museum in 2004 and at the Pompidou Center in Paris in 2006. The simple advertising brochures, handed out free of charge at the time, are already being sold for more than 5 each.