"Lucky Luke": 50 Original Plates to be Auctioned in Paris

.Fifty original plates from the famous comic book "Lucky Luke" drawn by Morris will be auctioned for the first time during a sale organized on November 15 in Paris, Christie's announced on Tuesday.

This auction, which will be preceded by an exhibition at Christie's offices in Brussels, Paris, and Geneva, is expected to generate between 2.7 to 3.4 million euros, according to a statement from the auction house.

According to Christie's, it will be a "world first" for the work of Morris, whose real name was Maurice de Bevere (1923-2001), who brought the "Poor Lonesome Cowboy" to life between 1947 and 2001.

The Belgian artist created a total of 72 Lucky Luke albums, initially under his own name before teaming up with legendary writer René Goscinny, whom he met in New York. They collaborated until Goscinny's death in 1977.

The 50 plates being offered for sale come from nearly as many different albums, Christie's clarified in its statement.

BFMTV reminds us that Lucky Luke, translated into 30 languages, has sold more than 300 million copies worldwide and has been continued by several artists after Morris' death in 2001, including Blutch and Jul.