Never Miss An Adventure! Visit The Tintin Shop In London
When in London, there’s the Big Ben and the imposing Buckingham Palace, not to mention the “Harry Potter” studio tour of the Warner Bros. But long before Harry Potter, there’s Tintin. And there’s the Tintin Shop operating since the early ‘80s.
One of my favorite shops in Londonis The Tintin Shop, which is located near Covent Garden on a less-traveled side street that is less crowded with tourists.
“The Adventures of Tintin” brought back fantastic memories for people who grew up reading about his exploits, and a visit to this shop will recreate the pleasure that came with reading one of Tintin's adventures for the first time.
For those who are unfamiliar with the adventures of Tintin, this is an excellent location to begin their exploration of the young reporter's travels, regardless of age.
Despite the fact that there are now other Tintin stores all over the world, The Tintin Shop in London was the first one to exist.
25 U.K. paperback editions of ‘The Adventures of Tintin’
There’s another reason to go to The Tintin Shop nearest to you because what you buy there today could be worth a small fortune in the future.
Already, first edition comic books, original art, associated video games, and miniatures are in high demand as collectibles, according to This is Money.
“‘Tintin’ never goes out of fashion, which ensures the value of his collectables continue to rise,” said Valerie Van De Weghe of The Tintin Shop in London.
In 2008, the original 1932 cover design for “Tintin in America” was sold for £508,000.
In 2010, an original spread for “King Ottokar's Sceptre” was sold for £210,000.
The original first editions of “The Adventures of Tintin” published in the U.S. and in the U.K. can carry a price tag starting at £100. The first English edition of “The Secret Of The Unicorn” is worth at least £1,000.
With the release of Steven Spielberg's Tintin film, “The Secret of the Unicorn” on the big screen in 2011, anticipation was expected to surge even further.
A worried Tintin in white collared shirt under a blue long-sleeved shirt, with his hand on Snowy’s head
The numerous figurines at The Tintin Shop showing Tintin in various actions make it appear as if he’s not a fictional character.
The Vintage News reported that while Tintin’s not a real person, there were speculations that he was inspired after the 15-year-old Danish Boy Scout Palle Huld (1912-2010), who became a film actor and writer in his adult years.
Tintin first appeared in a comic strip in a Belgian children's weekly supplement, Le Petit Vingtieme, in 1929, portraying a young reporter on a reporting trip to the Soviet Union, according to This is Money.
He traveled across the globe during his 23 adventures.
Paolo Reyna is a writer and storyteller with a wide range of interests. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies.
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