The pocket magazine, August 1896 - poster
The pattern
This still is filed under Price-anchoring offer.
Define
A higher reference number is shown first so the real price reads as a concession, not as a starting bid.
Mechanism
People judge a price against the first number they see. The anchor must be a real comparison or it collapses.
Verdict
We have a credible reference the buyer will accept
Why it works
The one scarlet line, complete in this number, is set between the two price marks so the objection and the price are answered in the same glance - it kills the serial-fatigue reason to walk away at the exact moment the buyer weighs ten cents. The contents are typeset as a bill of fare with the authors ranged right in capitals, which makes the names scannable as a column of reputations rather than buried inside titles. The engraved border and lamp-reading figure do the format's job visually: the piece looks like a small printed book, which is what a pocket magazine is claiming to be. Price appears twice, at both ends of the same rule, so it cannot be missed from any angle on a crowded stand.
Steal this when
Steal this when the product's real advantage is that it is self-contained and cheap, and the competition asks for commitment. Put the completeness promise on the same line as the price, and list the contributors ranged right so their names read as one column of proof.