Christmas is some way off yet, but that hasn’t stopped Bonhams unveiling some festive lots in its upcoming Entertainment Memorabilia sale.
The star of the December 3 auction will be Fat Budgie, an original illustration by John Lennon that was chosen as an Oxfam Christmas card in 1965.
It's valued at £20,000-30,000 ($26,490-39,735).
Lennon's Fat Budgie is among his best known artworks
The work appears in Lennon's book of drawings and verse A Spaniard in the Works.
It's consigned from the collection of literary editor Tom Maschler, who worked with Lennon on the book in 1964-1965.
This is one of a number of items Lennon gifted Maschler.
If that’s not Christmassy enough, this next lot certainly is.
A hand painted animation cel from Christmas classic The Snowman (1982), adapted from the book by Raymond Briggs, is expected to make £2,000-3,000 ($2,649-2,973).
The Snowman (1982) is a classic British Christmas film
The movie is shown annually on British TV, usually on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Part of its appeal is the superb art direction.
This frame was acquired by animation artist Joanna Fryer after the movie was complete and shows the Snowman and the young boy (James) shaking hands.
Claire Tole-Moir, Bonhams' head of entertainment memorabilia, said: "The Snowman is a Christmas classic and Joanna Fryer's cels convey the superb narrative detail that can be achieved through a single sequence of images – there is little wonder why they hold such resonance across generations.”
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