Joel Cohen Disneyana collection
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
- Cohen, Joel (Person)
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
Subject
- Disney, Walt, 1901-1966 (Person)
- Cohen Books and Collectibles (Organization)
- IBM Personal Computer Company (Organization)
- Walt Disney Company (Organization)
- The Walt Disney Studios (Organization)
- Walt Disney Productions (Organization)
- Dumbo (Fictitious character) (Person)
- Bambi (Fictitious character) (Person)
- Goofy (Fictitious character) (Person)
- Duck, Donald (Fictitious character) (Person)
- Mouse, Mickey (Fictitious character) (Person)
- Pinocchio (Fictitious character) (Person)
Geographic
Topical
Uniform Title
- 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
The Strong
One Manhattan Square
Rochester NY 14607 USA
585.263.2700
585.423.1886 (Fax)
library@museumofplay.org