UPDATED: Comics reference books of Martin Hamer

UPDATE 24th October 2026...further examples of those Hamer auction catalogues (all c/o that essential ebay seller philcomics)

New items added to this post highlighted in red...

My look at comic reference books has, to date, covered a number of authors such as...

Lofts & Adley is here

Alan Clark is here 

Dennis Gifford is here 

David Ashford is here

Ray Moore is here

Today's contributor is (Martin) Hamer.

This is what I remember Hamer most for - their comic auctions...

Here are some of the catalogues produced when they auctioned off Denis Gifford's collection...

Denis Gifford collection auction catalogue, part 1

Denis Gifford collection auction catalogue, part 2

Denis Gifford collection auction catalogue, part 3

Denis Gifford collection auction catalogue, part 4

Denis Gifford collection auction catalogue, part 8

Denis Gifford collection auction catalogue, part 14

Denis Gifford collection auction catalogue, part 15

and here's another example of one of their auction catalogues - this time from Sunday May 19th 2002

and here's another example of one of their auction catalogues - this time from Sunday May 28th 2000

There was also this guide to Beano covers...

and his 2 main reference books are these...

UPDATED: Ally Sloper, 1976 Alan Class revival

UPDATE (23rd June 2026):

I believe that this was a badge produced to tie-in with the comic (art by WG Baxter in 1886)

There was also a t-shirt produced - that should have a different image on it (by WG Baxter in 1884). 2 sizes were available - kid & adult.

Also a recent art sale (from issue #4) of two pages of art by Ed McHenry - a bargain at £14.99!

Two interesting Ally Sloper revival items are up for sale this week from the personal collection of comics publisher Alan Class.

First up is this lost - a publicity poster for the 1976 Ally Sloper comic that Alan Class published and Denis Gifford edited

Next up is this lot - a comics 'jam piece' from the launch party with lots of artists drawing their own versions of Ally Sloper. Artists who contributed include Hunt Emerson, Walter Bell, Alan Vince, Terry Wakefield, Keith J Luck, Tony Glynn, Keith Page, Ann Spano, Pany Clifford, Ewan Masters, Ed McHenry, Denis Gifford & Kevin O'Neill

Just to give you a sense of scale here's a scan from Ally Sloper #2 (October 1976) showing the piece being signed - it's huge!

Ally Sloper - Walter Bell

I'm just recording for posterity the existence of this page of Ally Sloper art from issue #2 of Denis Gifford's 1976 Ally Sloper comic. 

It was sold for £66 by ace ebay seller phil-comics (here) on 11th May 2025

UPDATED: Irish classics in picture story (1956)

Shout-out to friend of the blog James Bacon for proving me with these rare covers. The Lambiek entry for Jerome Sullivan (here) mentions 4 stories published in 1956 - issue 2 being called Sarsfield's the Word and Sarsfield's the Man! and issue 4 being called Knockknagow

Good luck tracking these down!

Update: thanks to friend of the blog David McDonald a few images for issue #2 have now been unearthed. These are taken from issue #108 (volume 12, #4) of Denis Gifford's Association of Comic Enthusiasts newsletter.

Irish classics in picture story #1, Cuchulainn, script by Una Morrissy, drawing by Jerome Sullivan

Irish classics in picture story #2

Irish classics in picture story #3, Finn MacCumhal and the Fianna script by Una Morrissy, drawing by Jerome Sullivan

Irish classics in picture story #4

image not to hand - can you help?

Strips 78 - the programme

I've looked a few different conventions before....

Bristol comic expo (2004-2014) is here

London comic festival 2003 is here
Kev Sutherland festival original art is here
A 'Lawless 2019' miscellany is here
Boys and Girls exhibitions of the 1950s and '60s is here
Glasgow comic art convention is here
Edinburgh art convention is here
Hi-Ex convention is here

UKCAC - part 1 - is here
UKCAC - part 2 - is here

UKCAC - part 3 - is here

BICS convention is here

Glasgow comic con is here

Kapow! comic con is here

British comic conventions 1970-76 is here 

British comic conventions 1977-81 is here 

Comic conventions miscellany is here

Comics 101 is here

Strips 78 is here

Comicon 1972 is here

Eaglecon 80 - part 1 - is here

Comicon 1971 is here

Comicon 1970 is here

Bristol comic expo 2023 is here

ALL the Lawless 2023 posts can be found here

Alexandra Palace in 1992 is here

11th British comic convention (1979) is here

6th British comic convention (1973) is here

and now here's the very slim (single piece of A4 paper) that shows the programme for the Strips 78 (and Comics 103) convention held in September 1978

The story of Wonderman and the spy-ring!

There's currently a fascinating Denis Gifford item up for sale on ebay (here - it runs until Saturday evening) which the seller describes thus...

Denis Gifford: EARLY HOME PRODUCED "WONDERMAN & THE SPY RING" COMIC BOOK c.1940s. Measures 4.5" x 7.5" approx. and contains 8 colour pages drawn at home by a teenage Denis on trimmed exercise book paper. Covers made from real brown cardboard!!! Volume is in good condition but staples have rusted, so pages are loose. This is a unique historical comics item.

Good luck if you bid! There's one bidder at £15 so far

UPDATED: Comic price guides - the early years

Before Duncan McAlpine's enormous '90s price guides to British comics there were some earlier, less well-known publications. Updated in red, below.

Here's the earliest one...published by Alan Austin in 1975...this covers US comic distributed in the UK after 1959 (before this distribution was too sporadic or non-existent). For comparison purposes let's track the price of one issues in all these volumes to see how prices changed, let's pick the first appearance of Spiderman in Amazing Fantasy #15 (mint condition) valued at £15.

There was also this volume from 1976

These volumes seemed to go through a number of editions (hence why the purchase prices vary on these two volumes). This is the 4th edition and is undated. 

These volumes seemed to go through a number of editions (hence why the purchase prices vary on these two volumes). This is from February 1979 and Amazing Fantasy is up to £120. 

Chronologically next up is Denis Gifford's effort - although his effort is clearly focused on British comics and should be seen as a pre-cursor for his later catalogues

Alan Austin then came back in 1983 with an updated comic guide. Amazing Fantasy #15 is now up to £300

Now we can add 'The 1979 Ferret price guide' into the mix as well! I've shamelessly taken all these images from collector Frank Motler (who posted them on the 'London Loves comics' Facebook group). Good luck hunting these rarities down, I've certainly never seem them before.