December Purge

[NewGig]

IL, Try this next time: look on ebay for prices realized ONLY. Then look up the book on bookfinder.com . That should tell you if what you have is the same as what sold on ebay. An edition is a set of plates. A first edition can be printed/reprinted for 20 years -- unlike what most people think. What you really want is the first PRINTING or first STATE of a book. Simply, a printing is a chunk of books which were printed at the same time, without corrections or changes to the text.

And, to help you not feel so bad? Books are ground up trees and rocks mostly. They almost never have intrinsic value, not having gold, jewels, etc. used in them anymore. A book is worth what someone will pay for it because of that. It's all supply and demand. Yes, you probably could have gotten more, maybe a lot more, but you also could have held onto the book trying to sell it for that for years. ( I have a storage unit full of such volumes.)

[iris lilies]

I did use only “sold “ ebay prices. But I was unsure about which printing
i had and do not know how to decipher this publisher’s printing marks.

But it is entirely possible I had a first printing because I’ve had this book forever. I worked in libraries and would have read it when it first came out, then ordered it for myself.

You’re right that I wanted to move it fast and I still think I could’ve gotten $100 for it but I wouldn’t try to get more because of condition.

Can you see the numbering on this, and can you tell which printing it is?

89142D8C-DAC4-498F-82D0-AD754C4040E6.jpg

[NewGig]

Found this on bookfinder: Hardcover, ISBN 9780394528014
Publisher: Random House Inc,USA, 1983
Used - Near Fine. US1ST.EDITION.1ST.PRINTING. RANDOM HOUSE NUMBERLINE FOR FIRST PRINTINGS START WITH 2468109753 AND STATES FIRST EDITION BELOW. AN UNREAD COPY.NOT PRICECLIPPED ($13.95).NEAR FINE HARDBACK IN NEAR FINE DUSTWRAPPER.A REALLY NICE COPY. Includes dust jacket.

That copy is a lot more than your $25.

The problem with number lines is unless you need to know the publisher's practice, sometimes it's the lowest number that isn't there and sometimes it's the lowest number that is.

I had a signed photograph by a nobel prize winner to my Dad. It was framed. I gave it to a friend, a high end book dealer to sell. He sold it to another dealer for around $300. Six months later, it showed up at a local auction house items sold, for $1000+ . There is only ONE of these, anywhere, so I know it was the same photo. My friend, the bookseller was afraid I'd be mad.

How could I be? He sold it for the most he could get at the time. I was happy with it then. I have to be content with that.

Everyone in the book or antique business buys and sells stock based on the idea that we know something the person selling us doesn't. We know we have a customer who'll pay more for it. We know it's worth more than they're asking for it. We know that we have three want lists with that item on it. We think a museum might buy it. We think the photographer is undervalued. We think we can clean it up, put a dj protector on it, etc. and get a lot more for it.
It's on one of the most searched for book lists, etc. Whatever it is, we think we know more than the seller.

That's how the business works. If you were happy with the deal at the time, well, that's enough. Sometimes you make the money, sometimes someone else does.

My best deal? I found it at a flea market. In some dude's space who spent the entire time telling me how much his sf digest size magazines were worth (way over valued). Since I had 1,000s of them and used to sell sf fulltime, for 10+ years, I had a clue. But he also had this table of "kids" books. He spent the entire time I was there looking at his sf telling me how he knew what he was doing. Annoying to someone who'd been in the business for 20+ years. I call myself an educated amatuer...

Anyway, there was this book. it was a reprint. A large format paperback of a book I'd had as a kid, H.A. Rey's only nonfiction piece, about stars. I had been looking for one for myself. I opened it up and nearly dropped it because it was autographed to a "new neighbor" from "The Rey's". No price.

The know-it-all had left the booth to his wife to go look at books nearby. I asked her how much it was? She went away and asked him. Came back, it was $3. I sold for $200+ to a dealer. If it had been signed by Rey, it would have been a lot more. If it had been a hardcover, it would have been a lot more. But I was happy, because I took this book the fellow and his wife dismissed and made money.

It's every book since Gutenberg. You can't know them all.

[mschrisgo2]

Just ran across an announcement on Face Book for prepaid labels to mail donations in. Wonderful, since all the donation centers are still closed because of Covid19 here in California. I have Amazon boxes and winter clothes that I hate and am not wearing- they will all be going this week!

[ejchase]

My daughter had four old half-used beading sets that I was afraid were going to end up in the landfill, but I posted a picture of them in my Facebook moms group and found someone to take them for her daughter. I also gave away a book I got for Christmas that I already have a copy of. Total for month: 5.

[iris lilies]

...

... I call myself an educated amatuer...

Anyway, there was this book. it was a reprint. A large format paperback of a book I'd had as a kid, H.A. Rey's only nonfiction piece, about stars. I had been looking for one for myself. I opened it up and nearly dropped it because it was autographed to a "new neighbor" from "The Rey's". No price.

The know-it-all had left the booth to his wife to go look at books nearby. I asked her how much it was? She went away and asked him. Came back, it was $3. I sold for $200+ to a dealer. If it had been signed by Rey, it would have been a lot more. If it had been a hardcover, it would have been a lot more. But I was happy, because I took this book the fellow and his wife dismissed and made money.

It's every book since Gutenberg. You can't know them all.

Good deal about the Rey book!

Very early when I was collecting, back before there was the Internet and you bought from dealers’ printed lists mailed to you, I nabbed a book by Jessie King for $7. It was from a dealer whose specialty was juvenile series books like Hardy boys etc. He didn’t know what he had. It was later listed in the Baumgarten guide for $350-$500. Some years ago I worked with a bookseller to sell it and I don’t think we got anywhere near that Money, I think we got $150 that we had to split between the two of us. I only sold it because I never liked the bookBecause it wasn’t in her usual style.

that was the only “deal “I ever got, everything else was something I purchased at normal retail. My stupidest purchase even though I got a really pretty book from it, was an emotional buy. It was a pretty book illustrated by Anne Anderson. I was in Chelsea, London and there happened to be an Antiquarian book sale at the Chelsea exhibition Hall, so I was thrilled to have stumbled into that wonderful event in that fabulous space. I wondered around in a daze at that sale vowing to buy something from that experience. I finally settled on the beautiful Anderson book for $250.

When I got home I realized it was an American edition.

So here’s what I had done:bought a UK illustrator in the Mecca of children’s literature, – the UK - And thru lack of care, I got my hands on an edition that was produced in my home country and had crossed the pond to get to London. This was not a good souvenir of my English book buying trip! But as I said, a nice edition and a pretty book.

[razz]

IL, think of the wisdom you gained for that $250 as well. I try to remember that increase in wisdom every time, I need to. I have gained a lot of wisdom that way, 'nuff said.

[rosarugosa]

IL, think of the wisdom you gained for that $250 as well. I try to remember that increase in wisdom every time, I need to. I have gained a lot of wisdom that way, 'nuff said.

You have an amazing attitude, Razz!

[iris lilies]

IL, think of the wisdom you gained for that $250 as well. I try to remember that increase in wisdom every time, I need to. I have gained a lot of wisdom that way, 'nuff said.

Yes, true! I have learned to slow down in buying those special things, to wait for that feeling in the pit of my stomach that signals “ this is it!”