'Peanuts' comic hits the auction block

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NEW YORK, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- An original "Peanuts" comic strip created by Charles Schulz and found at a California garage sale is up for auction on ComicConnect.com, the Web site said.

The 1966 strip was bought for $50 at a garage sale 39 years ago by Laureen Picciani, a pastry chef from Fort Bragg, Calif.

"This piece of cartoon history could easily sell for $30,000 or more," ComicConnect.com Chief Executive Officer Stephen Fishler said in a statement Tuesday.

Since Schulz's death 10 years ago, original "Peanuts" artworks have sold well, the Web site noted. A similar Sunday "Peanuts" panel that sold for $1,200 in 1993 recently changed hands for $65,000.

"I knew I had stumbled across something special but until contacting ComicConnect, I had no idea how valuable it really was. I was really shocked," Picciani said. "I kind of identified with Charlie Brown because I often feel like I don't know what's going on either."

Currently, the highest bid is $17,700. The auction is to close Monday.