Background
The AGPI keeps track of available trade catalogs, product price lists, and order lists for game and puzzle companies from multiple Internet sources, museums, academic institutions, AGPI members, and other game and puzzle collectors and historians.
In 2007, the AGPI Archives (then known as the AGPC) donated nearly 500 game and puzzle company trade catalogs (originals and photocopies) to The Strong's Brian Sutton-Smith Library. Separately, over a number of years, AGPI member Anne Williams donated nearly 3800 trade catalogs (originals and photocopies) to The Strong. Former AGPI members Steve and Diane Olin donated over 10,000 trade catalogs to The Strong in 2006. Through 2019, The Strong contracted with Preservica to digitize and posted online over 2300 trade catalogs from the over 46,000 in their collections.
Trade Catalog Descriptions
Trade catalog listings typically include the following descriptive attributes:
- date • the date(s) that appear on the catalog, or if none, an estimated date and the basis for the estimate.
- title • the title that appears on the cover of the catalog (if not missing), and on a separate line, the title that appears on the inside cover page (sometimes, if not missing). The cover title is given preference.
- cover • a description of text and illustrations on the cover page of the catalog.
- includes • a listing of either (a) a sample of the games/puzzles that are listed as new in the catalog, or if none, (b) a sample of games/puzzles listed in the catalog
- address • the addresses of the company that appear on catalog pages.
- scope • the types of products included in the catalog, e.g., games, jigsaw puzzles, books, etc., if not already evident in a title.
- digitized [type] • where [type] is "original", "photocopy", "reprint", or other type. This field will have a web link to the catalog online, if available. Following this field is the source of the catalog, e.g., "at The Strong" or "from Phil Orbanes". Following that field is a summary (in paretheses) of the completeness of the catalog, the number of sides (printed and unprinted), and any missing, cut, or obscured pages. If multiple digitized copies of the catalog are available, each is given on a separate line.
When a trade catalog is not yet online, but is accessible to the AGPI, either already scanned or available for scanning, it is so noted in the digitized field.
Digitized trade catalogs may be scanned from original catalogs, photocopies, and in a few cases, professional reprints. In addition, in a small number of cases, trade catalogs have been photographed with a camera and individual pages may not be flat and are somewhat distorted.
Where known, missing pages in digitized catalogs are noted, as are pages where portions have been cut out.
Trade Catalogs Available Online
Geo. S. Parker & Parker Brothers (Inc.)
(more to come!)
