Autographs of Don Estelle
Don Estelle (22 May 1933 – 2 August 2003) was an English actor and singer, best known as Gunner "Lofty" Sugden in It Ain't Half Hot Mum. More about Don Estelle
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Born Ronald Edwards in Crumpsall, Manchester (historically part of Lancashire), he was brought up in a house on Russell Street in the area. During the Second World War, at the age of eight, he was evacuated to Darwen, Lancashire to escape the Manchester Blitz. It was there he found his voice as a boy soprano at the local Holy Trinity Parish Church, and on returning home after the war, he continued singing at St Mary's Church, Crumpsall. He later joined a charity group, the Manchester Kentucky Minstrels, and with them, performed "Granada" in the 1954 talent show What Makes a Star? at BBC Radio's northern studios in Manchester.
Estelle gained experience by singing one song 12 times a week in the show The Backyard Kids at the Hulme Hippodrome in Manchester. He met the actor Windsor Davies in 1962 at the Garrick Theatre in London and the two men formed an act which toured theatres and clubs for four years. Estelle had small roles in Dad's Army (playing a Pickfords removals man in one 1969, episode and an ARP warden called Gerald in three more in 1970). He eventually gained the role of Gunner "Lofty" Sugden in the sitcom, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, which was first broadcast in January 1974 and ran until September 1981 reuniting him with Davies whose sergeant major character often mocked Lofty in the storylines. The character was given the ironic nickname of Lofty because of Estelle's 4 ft 9 in (145 cm) stature. Read even more about Don Estelle at Wikipedia
Estelle gained experience by singing one song 12 times a week in the show The Backyard Kids at the Hulme Hippodrome in Manchester. He met the actor Windsor Davies in 1962 at the Garrick Theatre in London and the two men formed an act which toured theatres and clubs for four years. Estelle had small roles in Dad's Army (playing a Pickfords removals man in one 1969, episode and an ARP warden called Gerald in three more in 1970). He eventually gained the role of Gunner "Lofty" Sugden in the sitcom, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, which was first broadcast in January 1974 and ran until September 1981 reuniting him with Davies whose sergeant major character often mocked Lofty in the storylines. The character was given the ironic nickname of Lofty because of Estelle's 4 ft 9 in (145 cm) stature. Read even more about Don Estelle at Wikipedia
Traded items with a signature of Don Estelle
The most expensive item with a signature of Don Estelle (Don Estelle Sing Lofty Thoughts Of A Gemini autobiography RARE & Signed Book) was sold in April 2022 for £205.00 while the cheapest item (The Best Of Don Estelle Requests. Music Cassette. Signed Inlay Card. (2639)) found a new owner for £0.99 in May 2024. The month with the most items sold (3) was July 2013 with an average selling price of £2.99 for an autographed item of Don Estelle. Sold items reached their highest average selling price in October 2018 with £27.56 and the month that saw the lowest prices with £0.99 was March 2015. In average, an autographed item from Don Estelle is worth £5.50.
Most recently, these items with a signature of Don Estelle were sold on eBay - click here for more items.
| Item Title | Price | Store | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Autograph of Don Estelle (It aint alf hot mum) | £5.50 | |
| Dave Prowse Darth Vader Green Cross Code Man Don Estelle Signed Card at filming | £12.00 | |
| DON ESTELLE autograph | £2.99 | |
| Don Estelle Autograph-Hand Signed | £4.00 | |
| Don Estelle Signed Picture and Extra Autograph. | £5.00 | |
| Don Estelle vintage signed page AFTAL#145 | £15.00 | |
| DON ESTELLE- Gunner "Lofty "Sugden In -"It Ain't Half Hot Mum"-TV- Signed pic | £11.50 | |
| DON ESTELLE-Actor & Singer-It Ain't Half Hot Mum-Whispering-Grass-Signed +Pic | £2.85 | |
| IT AIN'T HALF HOT MUM DON ESTELLE (LOFTY) HAND SIGNED AUTOGRAPHED CARD PIECE | £0.99 | |
| IT AIN'T HALF HOT MUM DON ESTELLE (LOFTY) HAND SIGNED AUTOGRAPHED CARD PIECE | £1.20 | |
| It Ain't Half Hot Mum Don Estelle Ken Macdonald & 3 Hand Signed 1977 Annual | £27.56 | |
| Michael Barrington & Don Estelle - Signed Items - Hand Signed and Genuine | £16.00 | |
| Original Autographed Page - Don Estelle & Diana Lee | £0.99 | |
| Signed Don Estelle autograph singer actor comedy It Ain't Half Hot Mum | £5.69 | |
| Windsor Davies, Don Estelle vintage signed Theatre Programme AFTAL | £3.05 | |