Georges Remi, the nephew of Herge, the Belgian creator (also born Georges Remi) of the comic-book boy reporter Tintin, will auction his uncle's sketches, photos, and letters on Friday in Paris, reports the Agence France-Presse. Herge was born in Brussels in 1907 and died of leukemia in March 1983. Remi, who lives in Normandy, said he had "some misgivings" about the sale of his uncle's items, but admitted, "I am 60 and I want to turn the page."

Among the 300 items are correspondence between Herge and his first wife, Germaine, as well as letters between Herge and the two other co-founders of the Tintin magazine: Edgar P. Jacobs — creator of the "Blake and Mortimer" detective cartoon strip — and Edouard Van Nijverseel, the magazine's first artistic director.

Herge Studios, which is run by Herge's widow, Fanny Rodwell, will not be bidding on the items, according to spokesman Marcel Wilmet, who adds that the materials are of "great interest for historians," but not for the Herge Museum currently under construction at Louvain-la-Neuve in central Belgium.

Original editions of the Tintin albums will also be sold at the auction, organized by Artcurial. In March, Artcurial sold original art from a Tintin comic book for a record €764,200 ($1.2 million).