"Wrap-Around" Dust Jackets
During the later half of the 1950's, Grosset & Dunlap FINALLY began to issue The Bobbsey Twins with LONG overdue individual dust jackets. For almost 50 years, G&D had (in my opinion) snubbed one of its most successful series' by giving each cover a "stock painting" (which incidentally is one reason why I believe the series is not very collectable--the early artwork on the dust jackets of other series' by Russel H. Tandy, Walter S. Rogers, Thelma Gooch and Gretta among others, is about what collectors get excited).
G&D only re-released select titles with individual artwork, while releasing each new title with individual artwork. The earlier artwork was very attractive, but unfortunately (in my opinion) the later artwork (stylized, 1960's style) was poor quality crap--but at least it gave each book the value of having it's own artwork.
Wonderful Winter Secret is by far the hardest to find copy with it's wrap-around dust jacket, and is truly rare.
3 other titles that are harder to find (but not in any way rare) are Search in the Great City, County Fair Mystery and Circus Surprise.
Oddly enough, I have found Whitesail Harbor to have fewer copies available than most of the others. Not any more valuable than the other easier to find copies, but at the same time not as easy to find.
G&D only re-released select titles with individual artwork, while releasing each new title with individual artwork. The earlier artwork was very attractive, but unfortunately (in my opinion) the later artwork (stylized, 1960's style) was poor quality crap--but at least it gave each book the value of having it's own artwork.
Wonderful Winter Secret is by far the hardest to find copy with it's wrap-around dust jacket, and is truly rare.
3 other titles that are harder to find (but not in any way rare) are Search in the Great City, County Fair Mystery and Circus Surprise.
Oddly enough, I have found Whitesail Harbor to have fewer copies available than most of the others. Not any more valuable than the other easier to find copies, but at the same time not as easy to find.
Pricing
For the titles Great City, County Fair Mystery and Circus Surprise, you could expect to possibly pay a little more, but with patience, you still should be able to find them for under $15.00 each + shipping costs--even in excellent condition.
Pricing for Wonderful Winter Secret is difficult, because I've only seen it come up for sale 1 time, and that was the time I bought it in a lot of books. If it was properly advertised by itself, I would hope that it would go for at least $25-$35 + shipping costs, but it's impossible to say. I have no track record on which to go for that title, and it's unknown how much of a desire the few BT collectors out there have for this title in this format.
With patience, all the rest you should be able to find for between $0.99 and $7 + shipping costs for each--even in excellent condition. You will see sellers asking much more for them, but they don't sell at those high prices, except by fluke. If you have patience, you can mostly complete your set of wraparound jackets for relatively cheap.
Pricing for Wonderful Winter Secret is difficult, because I've only seen it come up for sale 1 time, and that was the time I bought it in a lot of books. If it was properly advertised by itself, I would hope that it would go for at least $25-$35 + shipping costs, but it's impossible to say. I have no track record on which to go for that title, and it's unknown how much of a desire the few BT collectors out there have for this title in this format.
With patience, all the rest you should be able to find for between $0.99 and $7 + shipping costs for each--even in excellent condition. You will see sellers asking much more for them, but they don't sell at those high prices, except by fluke. If you have patience, you can mostly complete your set of wraparound jackets for relatively cheap.