An original drawing of A.A. Milne's popular children's characters Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger and Piglet fetched $50,000 at auction on Tuesday.

The amount, which includes a 20 percent buyer's premium, comfortably beat pre-sale expectations of up to $40,000, not including the premium.

The oval pencil sketch by E.H. Shepard, one of children's literature's most famous illustrators, shows Pooh dipping his paw into a pot of honey while sitting at a table as Piglet and Tigger look on. Auctioneer Bonhams said the successful telephone bidder was from Germany and bought the picture for his wife, a long-time Pooh fan.