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Post by chadwilliam on Jan 10, 2018 21:44:32 GMT -5
Title pretty much says it all. I have a first edition hardcover of the book Shiloh by Civil War expert Shelby Foote from 1952. Although I've been able to find a number of places - ebay, abebooks - which are selling a copy of the same edition, roughly same condition for about $300 CDN, I don't know how much the book is actually worth. If it were a comic, I could look it up in Overstreet; a hockey card, a copy of Beckett should do. This however, I don't even know if there is a resource or commonly agreed upon price guide available by which I could determine an asking price should I decide to sell it. Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
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Post by The Captain on Jan 10, 2018 22:17:32 GMT -5
At the risk of sounding snarky (which I'm not trying to be), the book is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. With that in mind, go back to eBay and look at the "Sold" listings for the item, which will give you an idea of what other sellers have gotten for your item.
A quick scan that I just did showed a couple of copies that sold in the $40 - $60 range. Not sure how your book stacks up condition-wise, but it's a starting point to consider.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jan 10, 2018 22:19:08 GMT -5
IMO, the going internet rate is the value. Sure, you might get more to a local non-connected collector, but you might get less, too. Biblio (another antiquarian book site) has one for $324 and 2 for $3K (one signed).
If you're looking for printed price guide, I don't think such a thing exists. You could also go to your local book store (look for one that calls itself 'antiquarian' or some such.. they are usually the type of stores that care about first editions and rare volumes, as opposed to 'used' books store, that focus on volume and readers copies).
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Post by Deleted on Jan 10, 2018 22:54:07 GMT -5
IMO, the going internet rate is the value. Sure, you might get more to a local non-connected collector, but you might get less, too. Biblio (another antiquarian book site) has one for $324 and 2 for $3K (one signed). If you're looking for printed price guide, I don't think such a thing exists. You could also go to your local book store (look for one that calls itself 'antiquarian' or some such.. they are usually the type of stores that care about first editions and rare volumes, as opposed to 'used' books store, that focus on volume and readers copies). Some of those stores will do appraisals at no charge (some will charge a fee to do so if you don't sell to them), but outside of finding the going rate online or having it appraised by a "qualified expert" there isn't really a price guide for old books. -M |
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Post by codystarbuck on Jan 10, 2018 23:39:56 GMT -5
There have been price guides for books, though most specialized in things like series titles, Ace Doubles, Lancer Books, etc. The market is a bit different than comics, since you don't necessarily have the art value, vs the popularity and importance of the individual work. Shiloh is an important work in Shelby Foote's career; but, each bookseller is going to look at it differently. Someone who specializes in Civil War histories is going to have more of a market than a general antiquarian. Price is going to depend on a lot of what they think they can get in that market.
Real value in the book world comes from first editions of an author's early and less well known works and first significant works; and, especially, signed editions. Tom Clancy's Hunt for Red October had a smaller print run, in its first edition, as it was published by the Naval Institute Press. They specialized in non-fiction histories, not novels, so they took a chance. A first edition of that is worth far more than a first edition of one of Clancy's other books, just because of scarcity and importance. Some later editions are more valuable than early, based on collector demand, thanks to illustrators, like Frazetta, on Conan or the Oz books. The Scribners edition of Treasure Island tends to be more valued than most because of the NC Wyeth illustrations.
As said, the going rate for a similar condition book will give you a good baseline. From there, as was also said, its the intersection of what someone is willing to pay and you are willing to accept; Economics 101.
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