Month: May 2024

Another Most Valuable Book Vintage Paperback Blurb

Cover for last week’s Back Blurb of the Week #4

Rear Guard, Popular Library #380 (1951). Value $30.00

One question I get a lot from non-collectors (and even a few family members) is “have you read all your books?” This is an interesting question because the answer is for the most part “no, I haven’t.” They often don’t know what to think about someone who spends most of his free time collecting Vintage Books yet doesn’t read them. Let me explain. This doesn’t mean I’m not interested in reading most of the books I collect – just not the copies I have in my collection. While people collect for many reasons, and I am certain there are many who read the books they collect (and also collect books just to read), the purpose of collecting in my case and many others is not to read every one of them but to appreciate the cultural and historical place the books hold and try to preserve them in a collection. Also, collectors want their collections to have value. Even if they never plan to sell their books, they know preserving condition is very important to retaining their value as historical artifacts. Thus, most collectors defer to preserving the books in their collections in the best condition possible, which means they don’t ever read them.

Flash Comics #6 from the famous Edgar Church Collection. It is graded 9.6 which is Near Mint Plus, incredible condition for an 80-year-old comic book.

Flash Comics #6, D.C. (1940) Value $10,000 (courtesy Heritage Auctions)

Now, does this mean I never read the stories that are in the books in my collection? Sure, I do, but I try to find a later reprint, or a copy of the same book in lesser, non-collectible condition (affectionately known in the hobby as a “reader copy”). I don’t mind reading these because they have little value to a collector (remember – condition).

That said, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve purchased a “reader copy” and then decided not to read it because I don’t want to damage it more (I told you collectors are somewhat neurotic about condition). Of course, some Vintage Books in my collection have never been reprinted, so I will likely never be able to read the stories, but I can live with that. Please feel free to share your thoughts on this topic and let us know if you have a certain book in your collection that you have never read but would like to.

A very desired Pulp with a great cover. Rare to find in this condition so you don’t want to read this copy, even though the cover and “Vampire Master” story are rather enticing.

Weird Tales, Vol. 22 #4 (Oct. 1933). Value $1200+

Collecting is a passion. If you are a collector, you know this. It doesn’t matter if its coins, comic books, vintage cars or designer shoes, it is something in our DNA that gets us excited about acquiring the subject of our interest. If you collect, you love your collection and enjoy talking about it to those interested (and even uninterested). Furthermore, collectors enjoy being able to interact with other collectors and make new friends with a shared interest (another reason for this blog).

Collecting has somewhat the thrill of being caught up in some alluring, inescapable love affair. The object of our enthusiasm more often chooses us than we do the choosing.“

-Lilla S. Perry, Famous collector of Chinese Snuff Bottles

Finally, collectors often display a sort of neurotic need to protect and preserve items they collect. I’d like to believe this is a noble thing, to preserve these cultural and literary artifacts for future generations. While this is generally true, I also believe collectors like to “show off” a bit by having the most well-preserved copy of a particular book, or other collectible, and love to compete for items in the best condition.

So, yes, there is a bit of competition in book collecting, who knew!

A Vintage Book collector’s dream, a lot of Vintage Paperback Books at auction

OK, so you would like to sell your collection of Vintage Books (paperbacks, comics, pulps, digest and/or magazines) or maybe you just bought a box at an auction or yard sale. What do you do?

First you need to get a rough idea of the value. This is important for those with knowledge as well as those with little knowledge. The Vintage Book market is strong, but you have to be able to determine a realistic value in order to sell your books for what they are worth. For example, I was at an antique mall in Ohio a few years back where many dealers displayed their items in glass showcases. I asked the attendant to open one particular showcase and discovered a stack of vintage comic books from the 1950s on the bottom shelf all priced the same, $5.00 each. Every book was worth at least more than 100 times more than it was marked. Of course, I bought them all. If the dealer had just taken the time to check what the books were selling for online or purchase a $20 comic book price guide, they could have really made out (I believe what happened is the books were all of the horror genre instead of superhero, so the dealer wasn’t alerted to their value). I still have these books in my collection.

Shock Suspenstories, E.C. Comics (1952). Value $500+

How to Sell Vintage Books

If you have a collection of vintage books that you’re looking to sell, there are several avenues you can explore. One option is to sell online through platforms such as eBay. These platforms allow you to reach a wide audience of potential buyers and the market can set the price (note: this is not foolproof because the books must be identified accurately).

Another option is to sell your vintage books to specialized bookstores. These establishments often have a keen interest in acquiring valuable books and may offer a fair price for your collection. However, keep in mind these stores need to re-sell the books at a profit and thus, will rarely offer full market value. In addition, and unfortunately, the number of brick and mortar used bookstores are dwindling which limits this resource.

Additionally, attending Vintage Paperback, Pulp, or Comic Book conventions or joining online communities dedicated to buying and selling Vintage Books can help you find buyers. Connecting with collectors is ideal, as they are more likely to pay market value for books they need for their collection.

To properly value Vintage Books you need to start with determining four factors:

1. Format. Must be a paperback book, comic book, digest or magazine.
2. Year published. Must be published sometime between 1930 and 1965.
3. Genre. Must be fiction, in the mystery, horror, science fiction, superhero or social exploitation (i.e., drugs, juvenile delinquency, bad girl and lesbian) genres.
4. Condition. Must be in at least very good or better condition.

I’ll discuss the details of these factors in a follow-on post. While there are some exceptions (also covered in another post), you can’t go wrong using the above four factors as a starting point to determine if your Vintage Books are valuable..