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Some Circus Animals Are the Stars of the Show
“. . .There they go, the pride of the circus. There they go, our animal stars. Give a hand to these handsome creatures. They are the big top’s finest features. Those fabulous animals. Those glorious...
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Ringling VIP Gifts Are Rare Circus Collectibles
Collectors of circus memorabilia are rarely able to enhance their personal collections with VIP gifts from The Greatest Show on Earth because so few are available. The Feld era of Ringling Bros. and...
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Circus Super Stars: Wild Animal Trainers
Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus was formed in 1957 after the Acme Circus Corporation obtained the Cole Bros. title. In 2006 the Clyde Beatty name was dropped. Circus purists will tell you, “A circus...
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Mail-Order Circus: The Greatest Show on Earth in Cardboard Miniature
Lever Brothers Company full color advertisements appeared in national magazines and featured famous Ringling clown Lou Jacobs. The advertisement alone is valued at $10. Twenty-five cents and two box...
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A Circus Collector’s Connect-the-Dots Find: Paul Anka Promotional Postcards
Paul Anka signed a contract with RCA Records in 1960 which would date this postcard in the early 1960s Totally unexpected, there in the middle of a shoebox full of postcards, were several promotional...
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Another Year’s Worth of Collectibles at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair
A view of the 30th Annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair which was held March 11-13, 2011 in St. Petersburg, Florida. Each March, I spend a three days at the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair, hunting...
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The Circus When America Was Young
The first elephant in America was advertised simply as “The Elephant.” The front page advertisement in the Aurora, N.Y., newspaper says “Lately arrived from INDIA, and the first that was ever upon this...
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Mysterious Ringling Bros. Coloring Book – Is It Authentic?
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Coloring Book has a colorful cover, but is filled with inconsistencies. Most kids enjoy spending time coloring inside the lines of images in simple,...
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The Circus In Art
Even for circus collectors, only a privileged few will ever own an original painting by one of the great masters, but original circus art and limited-edition prints are readily available. I own several...
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New Circus Poster Exhibit Features Storied Strobridge Lithographs
This 264-page book has a catalogue of the 80 posters in The Amazing American Circus Poster exhibit. Circus posters are highly prized by collectors. They have always been the lifeblood of circus...
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Jumbo the Elephant Toys Lived Long After the Great Pachyderm Passed On
The Jumbo pull toy is approximately 4-inches high. Estimated value is $30 to $40, but some have sold on Internet auctions for as much as $100. Jumbo the Elephant arrived in 1882 from England to appear...
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Collectibles Filing System Helps Keep Circus Ephemera in Order
When I was a young boy, I decorated my bedroom walls with circus posters and cut circus pictures out of magazines to fill a scrapbook. However, I never gave serious thought to preserving or...
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Tibbals Learning Center Expansion a Boon for Circus Researchers, Scholars,...
Two historic circus wagons dominate the entrance to the new wing of the Tibbals Learning Center. The Five Graces bandwagon was built in 1878 for the Adam Forepaugh show. Later it toured Europe with...
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Advertisers, Just Like the American Public, Loved the Circus
Not long ago, circus performers were as popular as today’s movie and music stars. Their images appeared regularly in magazine advertisements for non-circus products—everything from cigarettes to...
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Tangential Circus Collectible: Champion Imagination Series Paper Sample Book
The cover was plain black with a tipped-on picture. Searching for cross-collectibles can uncover interesting items for your circus collection. In my last article titled “Advertisers, Just Like the...
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Rare Collection of F. Beverly Kelley Circus Documents Offered for Sale
Rare or one-of-a-kind circus items can present a bit of a dilemma to a collector. Should they be in a private collection, where only a few can see them, or should they be in a museum or library,...
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Treasure Trove of Circus Tomes & Ephemera Found at Florida Antiquarian Book Fair
The three-day Florida Antiquarian Book Fair, held annually at the historic Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Here, collectors peruse and purchase rare and out of print book from the dealers...
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Finding the Circus in Non-Circus Books
If you’re vigilant, you can often find old books that have chapters or photographs about the circus. One such book is “An Enchantment of Elephants,” which has chapters about circus elephants and a...
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Circus and the City: Exploring New York’s Love for the Denizens of the Big Top
A Barnum & Bailey electric spectacular, advertising the circus at Madison Square Garden in 1910. (John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History) New York City loves the...
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Exploring ‘The Cradle of the American Circus’ in Somers, New York
The Elephant Hotel, a National Historic Landmark, was built in Somers, New York, in 1825. Our son, Jon and his family moved to New York earlier this year when he accepted a position at Children’s Bible...
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