Real music—records, tapes, CDs—make up the majority of collectibles in this category. Many of these items are desirable not only for the music, but for the album jackets.

The Ringling Museum of the Circus in Sarasota, Florida had an exhibit at the 1964 New York World’s Fair Continental Circus. This vinyl album was sold at that exhibit. Today you can find it on the internet for less than $5.

The Ringling Museum of the Circus

Music from the Academy Winning motion picture “The Greatest Show On Earth” was released in several versions. This boxed set of four, 45 RPM records is one of the most difficult to find. Value is $15 to $20.

One of my previous articles featured this and other collectibles from the motion picture, The Greatest Show On Earth.

The South Shore Circus Concert Band has recorded more than 50 volumes, each titled Sounds of the Circus Music. Volumes 1 through 27 are available on cassette tapes and CD. Volumes 28 and on are on CD only except, for volume 41, which is a DVD.

This is Volume 1 of Sounds of Circus Music. As of the writing of this article, the new price was $10 for tape and $15 for CD plus shipping.

Music by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus band abounds. One of the most recent is a CD of Musical Memories from the 129th Edition of The Greatest Show on Earth.

This CD features “Put A Little Circus In Your Life” and the “Those Fabulous Animals.” Used copies on the Internet are $45 and up.

Most Ringling recordings were done when the band was under the direction of Merle Evans. He began as bandmaster in 1919 and, except for a few years, continued until his retirement at the end of the 1969 season. Below is a selection of six different albums that range in price from $5 to $15.

The last of these Ringling records pictured was made when the band was under the direction of Izzy Cervone. He was bandmaster from 1956 until 1960.

Two outstanding multi record sets bring higher prices. “The Circus Spectacular” set of two vinyl records sells for $20-$30. The five-record set, “A Tribute to Merle Evans,” by the New England Conservatory of Music sells new for around $50. A used set can sometimes be found for $35 and up.

“The Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus Spectacular” set of two records has a color photo of famous clown Lou Jacobs on the cover.

The inside of the set has several pages with photos and text about the show. This copy was autographed inside by Merle Evans which increases the value.

One of the records in this five-record set is an exclusive interview with Merle Evans.

Included in the boxed set is a 28-Page booklet.

Besides his long career with The Greatest Show on Earth, in his earlier years, Merle Evans was a musician with S.W. Brundage Shows, Murphy’s Comedians’ Band, and the Buffalo Bill 101 Ranch Wild West Show.

Merle’s storied career is chronicled in the 1971 biography “Merle Evans, Maestro of the Circus,” written by Gene Plowden. Internet prices for the biography vary in price from under $10 to over $100 with most prices in the $20 to $30 range.

This 8 x 10 inch publicity photo of Merle directing the band is stamped “Chester Photo Service” on the back. A photo like this sold on eBay in 2008 for $111.38.

Merle letterhead.

Merle business card.

The above sheet of letterhead and business card are valued at $10 to $15 each.

Circus Songsters were popular in the 1800s and early 1900s. They are among the scarcer of circus music collectibles. Fred D. Pfening, Jr. wrote an article about Circus Songsters in the November-December 1963 issue of Bandwagon, the publication of the Circus Historical Society. You can read that article on the Circus Historical Society Web site.

This 1906 Barnum & Bailey Songster sold on eBay this year for $44.

The John Robinson Show sold this booklet of sheet music in 1920.

Besides pages of music, the Official Program of the circus was also printed inside. Value is $50-75.

The Downey and Wheeler Circus was on the road in 1911-13.This booklet of sheet music sold on the show for 25 cents. Today’s value is $40-50.

In 1949 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey sold this booklet which contained the music played in the production numbers in that year’s performance. The cover says the music is by Henry Sullivan with lyrics by John Murray Anderson.

The inside had music and artwork illustrating the production songs. Value is $20-30.

A ukulele arrangement of the theme song from the MGM motion picture, "Laugh, Clown, Laugh" starring Lon Chaney is in this sheet music. It can be found on the Internet for under $5.

This 1919 sheet music has a picture of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey wire walker Bird Millman on the cover. The song, “Jerry,” is obviously the music played during her performance in the show. Millman’s printed signature is on the cover. Value is $20-30.

Larry Kellogg is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in circus memorabilia.

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WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Abbott & Costello Meet the Monsters

By Allan Maurer

There are those who felt the series of Abbott & Costello meet the monsters films that began with “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein” in 1948 and continuing through “Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy” in 1955 were an inglorious end to the Universal Studios monster series.

The first, in which they encounter the Frankenstein monster (played again by Glenn Strange, who never quite gets the pathos Karloff brought to the part), Dracula (Bela Lugosi), the Wolf Man, (Lon Chaney, Jr.) and at the end, the Invisible Man, is the best. “Pulp Fiction” director Quentin Tarantino, has more than once expressed his admiration for it, and I agree that it’s both funny and scary.

There is nothing funny about the prices posters from their meet the monster films bring, though. Movie paper (posters, stills, etc.) from the series, which includes “Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Boris Karloff); and “Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man,” regularly draw auction prices in the hundreds of dollars or much more for single items.

A linen-backed 1-sheet from “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein” sold for $5,400 at auction this year. An unbacked original sold for $3,700 and a Spanish version of the poster for $675.00. An 8×10 still form the film went for $275.

By way of contrast, 1-sheets from “Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy” sold for from $1,300 to $546 from 2000 to 2005.

Universal Horror: The Wolf Man

By Allan Maurer

The “Wolf Man,” stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as doomed Larry Talbot, who, bitten by a werewolf, turns into a beast every full moon and kills. Chaney portrayed the tortured Talbot not only in the 1941 film that introduced the character, but also in the Frankenstein series, including “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man,” “House of Frankenstein,” “House of Dracula,” and finally, “Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein.”

My favorite of all these sequels is “House of Frankenstein,” which starred Karloff as a mad scientist rather than the monster (who is played by Glenn Strange), the Wolf Man, played by Lon Chaney, Jr., a hunchback (J. Carrol Nash), and Dracula (John Carradine).

Touches of poetry run through the script, including this bit of verse about the Wolf Man: “Even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers at night, can become a wolf, when the wolf bane blooms and the moon is full and bright.”

A set of lobby cards from “The Wolf Man,” sold for from $80 to $2,300 each (the later for a title card) in 2004. A set of eight went for $3,450 back in 1997. An insert sold for $3,000 in 2004. Prices have not gone down since then.

A single still from “House of Frankenstein” sold for $168 this year (2008), while a title card (lobby card) went for $4,000 four years ago, and an insert for more than $6,000 the same year.