Preliminary identification
Photo reference
1 uploaded photo
Overview
This is a beautifully preserved paper advertising bookmark from the legendary Chicago publisher, bookseller, and stationer A.C. McClurg & Co. It features the company's distinctive acorn crest surrounded by an oak leaf wreath, listing their high-end services including engraving, wedding invitations, and visiting cards.
Story
In 1899, a catastrophic fire destroyed McClurg's massive Chicago store, but they rebuilt to become a publishing powerhouse. This bookmark was a free keepsake given to customers buying fine stationery or the latest novels.
Maker / Origin
A.C. McClurg & Co. was founded by Alexander C. McClurg, a Civil War general who built one of the most influential book distribution and publishing empires in the American Midwest. They are most famously remembered today as the original publishers of Edgar Rice Burroughs' 'Tarzan of the Apes' in 1914, shaping early 20th-century popular fiction.
Condition & Value
The bookmark is in remarkably clean, excellent condition with no visible tears, heavy staining, or creasing. The edges are sharp and the paper has toned very evenly over time. Excellent preservation like this commands the higher end of the value range. Ephemera of this type is highly collectible but widely available.
Full Research
Sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance pulled from recent auction results.
Build on this identification
Layer in sold comps, value drivers, and venue guidance.
Comparable demand stays strongest where maker, originality, and venue confidence line up. Broader examples still trade, but the range tightens quickly when provenance, condition, or selling lane fit is missing.
Best Venue
Specialty auction or a focused dealer with buyers already in this lane.
Signed example with light edge wear and original frame.
Comparable format with stronger provenance and cleaner surface.
Smaller related piece with visible craquelure and trimmed margins.
Period match with softer condition and weaker subject matter.
Close market lane comp with similar material and presentation.