Brits discover valuable set of Beatrix Potter drawings

LONDON -- Experts described as "an absolutely incredible" find a collection of drawings and watercolors by Beatrix Potter, the creator of Peter Rabbit, with an estimated worth of nearly $400,000, Wednesday.\nThe 23 illustrations by Potter came to light when they were valued by Clive Farahar, an expert who appeared on the popular television program, Antiques Roadshow.\nThey include pictures of rabbits and kittens and mice in human-like situations, all early drawings in Potter's beautiful style and delicate accuracy.\nJack Swanston, who took the collection to the British Broadcasting Corp.'s TV program when it visited Dumfries, Scotland, was astonished by the value of the unique collection.\n"He was a very polite man, but when I told him the price his eyebrows shot up very far and he took a deep breath," said Farahar, an antiquarian book expert.\nFarahar added that the find was his most expensive ever.\n"It is so unusual to see such a large set of drawings by Beatrix Potter, it's just incredible," Farahar said in a telephone interview.\nSwanston brought the pictures to the show on behalf of the owner, his son's mother-in-law, who lives in southern Scotland.\nJudy Taylor, a Beatrix Potter expert and biographer, said the collection may originate from Potter's brother, Bertram Potter, who used to have a farm in the area.\n"They are very early Potter drawings. It's tremendously exciting and I'm longing to see them, but I do hope they loan them to a public collection," Taylor said.\nBeatrix Potter was born in London in 1866, but spent much of her life in the Lake District of northwestern England, farming and raising Herdwick sheep until her death in 1943.\nA signed first edition of Potter's most famous book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," is valued today at about $120,000, Farahar said.