I wrote the three previous parts of my book sale report on Saturday and Sunday right after the sale, but I am finally beginning to go through the books I bought, so this post is an addendum to my story.
I picked up the Nancy Drew $1 box editions of Bungalow Mystery, Lilac Inn, and Fire Dragon. All three are in worse condition than the ones I already had, so they will be sold.
I picked up the $1 box editions of Hardy Boys Missing Chums and Chinese Junk. Chinese Junk is in rough shape, so it is not worth much. Missing Chums is in nice shape. I found this auction for Missing Chums with the $1 box:
1962 RARE $1 DOLLAR BOX HARDY BOYS BOOKS Vintage GIFTS Item #230319637435
The book sold for $52.01 with free shipping. The book I bought at the booksale is in nicer shape than the one from the auction. I already have a copy of Missing Chums with the $1 box, so I have one to sell. I will have to decide how to price it. In general, Hardy Boys collectors seem to pay more for special printings than Nancy Drew collectors do. The Nancy Drew $1 box editions do not usually sell for more than $20.00.
As previously mentioned, I bought Nancy Drew Whistling Bagpipes with the tri-fold ad, and I also bought Nancy Drew Larkspur Lane with a nice dust jacket with the blue spine symbol listing to #18 on the front flap. This is a desirable printing as the book is thick and the jacket has the blue spine symbol. In order to have a blue spine symbol dust jacket on a thick book, it is necessary to find books that have jackets that list to #18. The blue spine symbol was introduced when the dust jackets listed to #18, so those printings occurred when the dust jackets first began to have the blue spine symbols.
I bought a copy of Nancy Drew Broken Locket with the four glossy internals. It lists to #10 in the post-text ad, so it can be any one of the first six printings from 1934 up to 1937. There is no way to tell the printings apart without a dust jacket. The book has an inscription dated Christmas 1934, so the book has to be either the 1934A-1 or the 1934B-2 printing. The book is valued at $80.00 in Farah's Guide, but this book is a bit worn. It is still a good find. I already have a copy of Broken Locket in a first printing book with a first printing dust jacket, so it will be sold.
I picked up all of the Landmark Books because I knew that I had once read of their desirability with homeschoolers. I was completely at sea as to which ones and how much, so I took all of them. My gut feeling was that I should buy them, so I went with it. I did not have time to think about it or do any research; I bought them on impulse. I have now checked completed listings for the Landmark Books. I found this auction:
RARE 1961 LANDMARK HB/DJ GREAT MEN OF MEDICINE BOOK Item #230326584502
The above book sold for $16.25. The dust jacket is faded around the edges just like the one I bought.
I bought one on the U.S. Marines. Mine is in better condition than the one from this listing that sold at $12.95:
STORY OF THE U.S.MARINES Landmark #14 Item #260335350479
Here is a lot that contained 26 Landmark Books with dust jackets:
Lot of 26 LANDMARK BOOKS HC DJs homeschool, history Item #330309004028
This lot closed at $97.23, and 25 of the 26 books have dust jackets.
I bought around 25 Landmark Books at the booksale, and around 20 of them have dust jackets. I was right to pick them up.
6 comments:
Regarding the $1 box PC's - are they always worth picking up if you find them in decent but not neccessarily fine condition? Thanks!
Here's an example: ebay item number 160317820513. 11 books, including a Bungalow with $1 box, not in the best condition, but doesn't look too bad from the pictures. The seller states "These books are not in collectible condition." I need the Tolling Bell, the Old Attic and the Blackwood Hall for my collection. These three don't look very bad from the pictures, but the bid is now at $20, more than I want to pay for the three, especially considering the seller's comment. So I guess what I'm asking is: in your opinion, in a case like this, is it worth buying the lot for more than you want to pay, assuming you can resell the Bungalow book on ebay and get some of your money back? Or would you take the seller at his word, and consider this whole lot not worth anything to a collector? I'm not bidding on this item - I'm just asking to learn. Thanks!
That auction is a tough call. I feel like the ending price made it questionable as to whether it would have been worth it. The books cost a little more than $2.00 each. I would have passed on it for sure. Better deals will come along.
As to whether $1 box editions are always worth picking up, it depends upon how rough the condition is. The $1 box editions tend to always be a little rough. Some people have stated that the materials used on them were inferior to what were used on other picture covers.
I have noticed that both the $1 box editions and the book club edition picture covers seem to always look a little bad. This is a book club edition pc:
Nancy Drew #8 book club pc
I don't know how I posted that before I intended.
To continue, if you can get a $1 box edition with moderate wear for just a few dollars, it is worth getting. I picked up a $1 box Fire Dragon at the booksale in really rough shape. I paid $2-3, and I don't think I'll try to sell it for more than around $5, or at about cost. I don't feel that it is worth much more than what I paid.
When I sell books, I try to price them at slightly above what the resellers want to pay, so I would not try to sell the Fire Dragon $1 box for less than $5. I think $5 would likely keep them from buying to resell after postage is added.
And one more thing I meant to add: the book club edition PCs are not RARE like that seller states. They are scarce, but not RARE. Someone else has some for sale in her new Bonanzle booth. They can be found, just like most other books.
Thanks, Jennifer, all good information to know. I greatly appreciate that you share your knowledge and opinion with us!
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