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| Patriotic John Hancock Insurance history booklets not valuable |
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May 2012
Dear SeacoastNH.com,
I was looking on your Web page about history booklets published by the John Hancock Insurance Company and I have two booklets not shown on your page: Christopher Columbus (1926) and the U.S. Constitution / Old Ironsides (1931). I have attached a picture of each. I have a partial collection (Pilgrims, Daniel Boone, Paul Revere, and the Declaration of Independence). I am looking to sell the booklets as a collection if possible.
From Karen M
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SeacoastNH.com response
Thanks for your note. I never thought I’d rue the day when I posted an article a decade ago on these nifty little booklets. They were a clever early 20th century marketing campaign in which JOHN HANCOCK Insurance Company created scores of tiny comic-book like giveaways focused mostly on patriotic American themes. The company gave up trading on its patriotic name and when I called years ago, no one in the marketing department had a clue about (or any interest in) these old booklets and the accompanying colorful ads that ran in magazines. There is still a great story to tell here, but there are so many of these booklets in circulation that they are all but worthless.
I’ve been told they are worth about 25 cents apiece in quantity. I have a large stack of them that readers have been sending for years. A quick check of eBay shows that they have been put to clever use by sellers who charge about a dollar per unit, but then tack on roughly $3 in shipping. These must be hardcore sellers who make their money in volume by keeping a dollar or two of the pumped-up postage cost. Others are attempting to sell them for as much as $10 or more, but look carefully if you’re planning to do the same. 90% of the Ebay sales are in the BUY NOW category and not in public auctions. That tells me that no on is bidding any more and only newbies, and not serious collectors, are willing to buy them – if they are being bought at all. No way to tell.
I’m not knocking the booklets. Many are great. Many are filled with patriotic puffery and inaccurate “facts.” The functioned, in their day, like a graphic novel or YouTube video was to teach the masses about civics and American history. Not a bad thing. More to the point, they were also created to make the insurance company appear rock solid, trustworthy, and deeply embedded in the national culture. I admit they are seductively collectible. But as to value – best to wait 100 years until a few million more copies get thrown out or rot away – then cash in. My suggestion is that, rather than buy and sell these booklets, people should read them. They are a great way to learn quickly about fascinating topics, but read them with a grain of salt. History changes. -- JDR
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