DALLAS — Nearly 30 collectors made bids for Hergé’s “The Adventures of Tintin Vol. 1: Tintin in the Land of the Soviets” to drive the final price to $1,125,000 in Heritage Auctions’ European comic art auction, June 8–9. The top lot boosted the total sales in the event to $2,401,007. The original artwork surfaced in Europe and is a remarkable discovery of one of the few known privately owned cover illustrations signed by Hergé — and also the oldest. Both the previous owner and the winning bidder do not wish to be identified at this time. In addition, the 1930 artwork also is the first cover image featuring both Tintin and Snowy, his faithful canine companion. The title character is shown carving a makeshift propeller for his plane from a tree trunk, under the watchful eye of the bandaged-but-attentive Snowy. Most of Hergé’s existing original cover art featuring Tintin is the property of the Hergé Museum in Louvain-la-Neuve, near Brussels. A full review of the auction will appear in a future issue.