Sunday, June 24, 2018

BOMBA THE JUNGLE BOY MOVIE WRAPPER

This blog records my children's series book collecting over 50 years and I have been fortunate to have many unique items to feature, but in the last six months I found an item that is perhaps the ultimate find. Last February I was going through a local antique mall, one that I have visited often, when I found Bomba The Jungle Boy (vol 1) on a shelf with a few other non-series books. I don't know why I even looked at it as I do not collect the series and have no other books from it. This book is a reprint from about 1949 and the important thing about it is it contained a wrapper around it that promoted the then recently released movie of the series by Monogram Pictures. I paid about $15 for this book and could not believe the wrapper was still attached. It is difficult enough to find books with dust jackets, and even less likely that the djs will be in pristine condition, but in this case I hit the jackpot. The book appeared to have never been read and the dj and the promotional wrapper were in very good condition. I posted my find on a Facebook group that discusses series books and I found out from other collectors that no one even knew this wrapper existed. Similar wrappers have adorned Nancy Drew (1939) and Hardy Boys (mid-1950s) and there are probably countless movies that have been promoted this way, too. A few months later I sold this book on eBay to a collector who specialized in this type of collectible. I sold it for $425. I sold it because I do not have any sentiment for the series; I could use the money; and frankly I wanted someone who did appreciate it to enjoy it in their collection. If this had been a promotion for the Happy Hollisters, my favorite series, I would have kept it. I hope you enjoy these pictures of one of the most fantastic collectible finds I have ever had.