Post-It Note raises £640

RB Kitaj's Post-It Note design, After Rembrandt

An artist's sketch on a Post-It Note has been bought for £640 at auction.

The price makes the note the most expensive of its kind in the world, according to Guinness World Records.

Artist RB Kitaj's pastel and charcoal work After Rembrandt was part of a Post-It Note charity auction on the internet.

The US-born artist entered a work in the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1997 - at a price tag of £1m.

We understand that the bidding was fast and furious right up to the last minute

Guinness World Records

His note was bought by Philip Hodgson, of Nottingham, who placed his bid on the last day of sale.

Stewart Newport, keeper of records at Guinness World Records, said: "We are very excited about this record.

"The quality of Post-it Notes submitted to the auction was outstanding and much of the collection will be highly collectible.

"We understand that the bidding was fast and furious right up to the last minute."

RB Kitaj is one of the few Americans elected to the Royal Academy of Arts.

Dame Judi Dench sketched simple heart

Exhibitions of his work have been previously held at the major galleries around the world, including Tate Britain in London.

Post-It Notes by other celebrities were also auctioned. Animal Hospital presenter Rolf Harris's Note raised £235, while one by artist Tony Hart, known for 70s children's show Vision On, raised £100.

Others who took part included TV gardener Alan Titchmarsh, stage star Elaine Paige and actors Stephen Fry and Dame Judi Dench, whose note fetched £80.

Comedian Frank Skinner penned a self-portrait for his effort, while Dame Judi decided on a simple heart.

Manufacturer 3M held the sale through QXL.com to mark the 20th anniversary of their notes.

Sticky reminder

It raised £5,000 for Barnardo's and the Royal Academy schools.

The slips were invented in 1980 by Art Fry, a scientist at 3M, who marked his hymnbook at church with little pieces of paper which kept falling out.

He decided he needed a sticky bookmark.

Using low-adhesive glue developed by a colleague 21 years earlier, he found that his new bookmarks stuck but could be removed without damaging the pages.