A Christmas Carol Books and Memorabilia on Display at Providence

A Christmas Carol Books and Memorabilia on Display at Providence Academy

During the Christmas Season, Providence Academy’s head custodian, John “Scooby” Wagner presents his collection of rare memorabilia from the Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol to the Academy’s fourth and eight graders in addition to performing his typical maintenance duties.

Wager began collecting A Christmas Carol memorabilia after a minor role in a 1982 production of “The Gospel According to Scrooge.”  Now, more than 20 years later, he has a collection of items that spans the last two centuries.  The majority of his collection is currently on display in the Providence Academy library.

"I just fell in love with the words,” said Wagner.  “Dickens packs a wallop of a message into a short story.  He has a magical way of presenting his story on paper.”

The bulk of Wagner’s collection is made up of a variety of A Christmas Carol books from both the United States and England.  The oldest item in his collection is a suede-bound book published in London in 1883.  Wagner paid only $10 for the book in an antique store.  Since finding that piece, Wagner has succeeded in finding a book from every decade from the 1880’s to the present.  He credits the Internet as crucial to his searching.  With its continued growth, he has been able to access more antique stores, other collectors and the international market.

Wagner has several rare items in his collection, including a 1938 black and white movie version of A Christmas Carol starring Reginald Owen.  Turner Broadcasting colorized the original film in the 1980’s, and today only a handful of black and white copies remain.  Also of interest in Wagner’s collection is a laser disk of the 1951 film version of Scrooge starring Alastair Sim.  While the movie version itself isn’t rare, laser disks, the precursor to today’s DVD, were only manufactured for a few years in the late 1980s. 

Despite the rare items in his collection, Wagner has never had his collection appraised.  To him the items are priceless and the message of the story is what’s important.

“A Christmas Carol is the true story of how God can use the Christmas Season to change the hearts of men,” said Wagner.  “It makes all of us look back at our past and examine the present and then we can’t help but ponder our future.”

Above:  Providence Academy’s Head Custodian, John “Scooby” Wagner presents his collection of A Christmas Carol memorabilia to Providence Academy fourth graders.

| News & Events | About the Academy | Lower School | Middle School | Upper School | Curriculum & Extra-Curricular | Admission & Tuition | Sports Information | Contact Us | Home |