A RARE painting by one of the founder members of Burnley's Pendelfin Studios – bought at a jumble sale – has fetched nearly £900 in an online auction.
The watercolour painting of a gladioli came from the hand of renowned illustrator Miss Jean Walmsley Heap, who died last month, and was originally bought by a retired Burnley man at a jumble sale 20 years ago.
He took it into the Want2AuctionIt shop in Standish Street where proprietor Mr Steve Parkinson spotted the famous signature of Miss Walmsley Heap.
Miss Walmsley Heap launched Pendelfin Rabbits in 1953 with Miss Jeannie Todd and the company grew from humble beginnings in a garden shed to one whose products become loved worldwide.
>>Pendelfin founder diesMr Parkinson said: "I knew as soon as I spotted the signature that Pendelfin collectors around the world would want it. At first I thought was worth just around £20, but when I saw who it was by I felt it may make £250.
"When I put it on eBay we had 20 bids made in no time and it was eventually sold to a collector in Lincolnshire for £876. The painting also has her signature on the back and her address, which was 36 Lockyer Avenue. I would say it was painted in the early 1950s, just before or after the company was started."
Miss Walmsley Heap was a children's illustrator before starting Pendelfin. The company's Burnley base at Briercliffe Business Centre closed in March 2006.
Mr Parkinson also revealed a second Pendelfin sale through his shop in recent weeks. A first edition rabbit, made around 1955, was brought into the shop for Mr Parkinson to sell – which he did to a collector in Canada for £750.
Mr Parkinson added: "The woman from Canada has a huge collection of Pendelfin and is only a few items short of completing her collection. I personally believe some sort of monument, whether it be a rabbit or plaque, should be placed in Burnley centre to celebrate the contribution Pendelfin has made to Burnley over the years."
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