London: The remarkable personal collection of the late comedian Barry Humphries will go to auction early next year, including a pair of diamante-encrusted specs belonging to his alter ego Dame Edna Everage.

Humphries, who died in April 2023 aged 89, found global fame through appearances on stage and screen in Britain and later in the US, and through the comic characters he created, including the high camp of Edna and the offensive cultural attaché Sir Les Patterson.

In addition to his career as a writer, actor, television performer and host, Humphries was a decades-long champion of museums, libraries and the arts in general, a collector of contemporary art and one of Australia’s best-known bibliophiles. He is estimated to have owned about 50,000 volumes, divided between London and Sydney.

The sale of about 250 items from his personal collection, for which estimates range from £200 ($398.12) to £300,000, will take place at Christie’s in London on February 13. Leading the sale is work by artist Charles Conder, whose painting Sand Dunes, Ambleteuse, is expected to attract bids of £300,000.

Conder, born in Wales, was one of the key founders of the Heidelberg school of Australian impressionism with Tom Roberts, Frederick McCubbin and Arthur Streeton. Humphries was once said to have boasted the world’s largest collection of his work.

The sale will also offer highlights from Edna’s personal collection, ranging from costume and “face furniture” (glasses). The diamante-encrusted Sydney Opera House spectacles are estimated to sell for up to £1500.

Elsewhere, his collection includes a first edition copy of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance Of Being Earnest, which is inscribed to Wilde’s publisher and has a ceiling estimate of £150,000.

Christie’s London private and iconic collections associate director Benedict Winter said while Humphries was best remembered for his comedic genius, behind his famous figure was a true polymath and connoisseur.