Vintage Halloween 1913 Dennison’s Bogie Book - ULTRA RARE - NOT A REPRODUCTION

This is the only Bogie Book edition not part of the collection. I considered bidding on it, but its condition was too problematic. Others may have felt the same way as the listing should have brought significantly more dollars. It also just may be the time of the year. Many sellers make the mistake of listing vintage Halloween goods now. I find that from now through the end of the year is a great time to buy. The number of listings skyrocket while at the same time the average collector has finished their shopping for the year. Prices typically drop, sometimes precipitously. Bargains typically abound right now. Relative to this particular listing, it is nice to see such a quality item amongst all the dreck!

09/24 Update: I was surprised this Bogie didn’t fetch a higher price. It sold for only $676.

Dennison's 1913 Bogie Book (Original Edition)

What a true steal some lucky eBay prowler got in acquiring this exceedingly rare 1913 Bogie Book for a mere $185, with free shipping to add insult to injury. This edition is the only one that has escaped me these 31 years of collecting. It is the second hardest Bogie Book to get, with the 1909 edition being the hardest by far. (There is only one known copy.) I’m sure this listing didn’t last more than minutes. The seller left gobs of money on the table.

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This is the best example of this exceedingly rare edition of Dennison's Bogie Books I've seen. Dennison issued their first Bogie Book in 1909, apparently to the sound of a belly flop, as they did not issue a new edition until 1912. (There is only a single example of the 1909 version known to exist. You can see it on page 135.) The 1912-16 editions were printed in quite small runs compared to the later editions. By the time the 1922 edition hit the shelves, the print runs were large as these turn up frequently. If you look at the photos generously provided by the no-doubt-delighted seller, you can see that in 1913 Dennison was still largely hewing to the business strategy of providing crepe and napkins and suggesting ways to customize crepe for parties, rather than emphasizing their higher-margin boxed goods. This strategy rapidly changed, evidenced by the content of the Bogie Books in 1914 and after. Dennison found their niche in boxed items and they never truly surrendered that market dominance. The ability to gain these kinds of insights is surely one reason for collectors' love of these booklets. 

Vintage Halloween Dennison's 1913 Original Bogie Book RARE HTF

This is the only Bogie Book that has eluded my grasp. The few I have seen are always too damaged to be part of the collection. Print runs for the 1909 and 1912-17 editions were small so there aren't many of these around. I'll continue to hold out for a better copy, especially with the steep opening bid of $185.