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Joel Cohen Disneyana collection

 Collection — Box: 1-3
Identifier: 115.2645

Collection Scope and Content Note

The Joel Cohen Disneyana collection is a compilation of personal letters, business letters, printed emails, certificates of appraisal, journal articles, photographs, textbooks, and more relating to Joel Cohen’s Disneyana collection. Sizeable portions of this collection are business letters and item evaluations/certificates of appraisal by Joel Cohen.

The Joel Cohen Disneyana collection is arranged into five series, two of which have been further subdivided into subseries. The collection is housed in two archival document boxes and one oversized folder.

Dates

  • Creation: 1942 - 2005
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1975 - 2001

Creator

Conditions Governing Use

This collection is open for research use by staff of The Strong and by users of its library and archives. Though the donor has not transferred intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to any copyright, trademark, and associated rights therein) to The Strong, he has given permission for The Strong to make copies in all media for museum, educational, and research purposes.

Biographical Note

Joel Cohen (1937-2016) was a nationally-recognized Disneyana authority. Cohen began collecting Disney books in the 1970s, but eventually acquired artwork, figurines, toys, games, and other Disney ephemera. Through his collecting, Cohen crafted a career of dealing Disneyana, where he bought, sold, and appraised items for customers. All the while, Cohen worked at IBM as a Project Engineer with a degree in electrical engineering. Cohen has been featured in various articles and magazines, praising his commitment and prestige within the Disney collecting world.

Joel Cohen eventually opened his own store in Boca Raton, Florida, called Cohen Books and Collectibles, which became a World Wide Walt Disney Collector Service. Using the store as a conduit for his collecting, Cohen greatly developed his collection of Disneyana; he bought, sold and appraised items from the United States and Europe. Cohen presented at various universities, conventions, seminars, and television, and he loaned items from his collection to museums, schools, shops and events. During the 1990s, Cohen guest lectured on Disneyana collecting at Florida Atlantic University, in Boca Raton. His endeavors and impact on the Disneyana collecting world have been well-noted by the collecting community.

Cohen passed away on May 17, 2016 in Boca Raton, Florida.

Extent

0.75 Linear Feet (2 boxes, 1 oversized folder)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Joel Cohen Disneyana collection is a compilation of correspondence, photographs, and more relating to Joel Cohen’s Disneyana collection. The bulk of the materials are dated between 1975 and 2001.

System of Arrangement

Series I: Disneyana collection correspondence, 1952-2005

Subseries A: Correspondence and receipts
Subseries B: Item evaluations/appraisals

Series II: Disneyana collection photographs, c. 2000s

Series III: Literature, c. 1980-1997

Subseries A: Textbooks
Subseries B: Articles

Series IV: IBM/professional life, 1960-1981

Series V: Miscellaneous, 1956-1996

Custodial History

The Joel Cohen Disneyana collection was donated to The Strong in September 2015 as a gift from Joel Cohen. The papers were accessioned by The Strong under 115.2645. The papers were received from Joel Cohen in two boxes.

Processed by

Robert Ramos, March 2016

Title
Finding Aid to the Joel Cohen Disneyana Collection, 1942-2005
Status
Completed
Author
Robert Ramos
Date
21 March 2016
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Brian Sutton-Smith Library and Archives of Play at The Strong Repository

Contact:
The Strong
One Manhattan Square
Rochester NY 14607 USA
585.263.2700
585.423.1886 (Fax)