On July 21, I mentioned some low prices on eBay. I want to revisit one of the auctions. From my original post on this topic:
TRUE FIRST EDITION of very 1st Nancy Drew book, 1st Ed Item #160345733650
This auction was for the 1930A-1 printing of the first Nancy Drew book, The Secret of the Old Clock. The auction closed at $112.50. While the book had some stains and wear, all four glossy illustrations were present, and the book should have closed at a higher price.
I recently sold a copy of the first printing of Old Clock. See this listing. While my copy did not have the stains inside the book, it did have a faded spine. It is hard to say which book was in better condition since they had different flaws. I sold my book for $275.00.
The seller could have gotten more than $112.50 for the book.
Here is the picture of the book from the above listing:
In
my follow-up post, I made this point:
For the three auctions that I mentioned, the second highest bidder was also a reseller in at least two of the three cases. The final bid prices of the books were driven by resellers and not by people who actually wanted them. The books would be selling for next to nothing except that the resellers are buying nearly everything good on eBay and are bidding against each other.
Since the book shown above was sold to a reseller, I knew we would see it up for sale once again. Here it is:
CAROLYNE KEENE Nancy Drew Secret of Old Clock1ST PRINT Item #
190329845300
Here is the picture:
Compare the position and shape of the soiled spots, and I think you'll agree that this book is the same one from the auction that closed at $112.50. As further confirmation, I also know that the ID under which the above book is being sold is the selling ID for the person who won the original auction under his buying ID.
The seller wants $1,500.00 for the book. This particular reseller likes to try to get at least three times the value of each book. I question how well that strategy works, but the seller must have some success or else he would price his books lower. While the book is definitely worth more than $112.50, I feel that it is worth considerably less than $1,500.00. I would price it at no more than $500.00 and probably a little less than that.
In my follow-up post, I made this point:
Compare the position and shape of the soiled spots, and I think you'll agree that this book is the same one from the auction that closed at $112.50. As further confirmation, I also know that the ID under which the above book is being sold is the selling ID for the person who won the original auction under his buying ID.
The seller wants $1,500.00 for the book. This particular reseller likes to try to get at least three times the value of each book. I question how well that strategy works, but the seller must have some success or else he would price his books lower. While the book is definitely worth more than $112.50, I feel that it is worth considerably less than $1,500.00. I would price it at no more than $500.00 and probably a little less than that.
3 comments:
The earlier printings do seem to be coming down in price. I've never made a serious play for any until recently, because they've always been so expensive and often in bad condition (I'm not a stickler on condition, but if I'm shelling out . . . ).
I recently won a 1930-1932 format copy of The Secret at Shadow Ranch for $11.49. There are definite condition issues, but for that price, I'm willing to overlook quite a bit. Now I at least have an example of the format for my collection. Based on the tracking, it should arrive later today--I'm curious to see how intact it is. Will report back.
And the verdict is: lots of edge wear, wear to the upper spine, a stain on the back cover, one loose page, and one missing internal illustration. About what I expected, really.
I'm happy to have a copy in this format, but it's easily my least favorite. It's so plain. It also seems somewhat smaller, which I know isn't really the case. It is a little less thick than my 1933 copy of the title, but maybe that's due to wear.
The missing illustration is one that is loose in my 1933 copy, so I was maybe considering tucking it in the earlier edition? When I do marriages like this (always with dust jackets in the past), I keep both books, just leaving the marriage on display with the extra book or dust jacket stored. Saves on shelf space, anyway.
As far as aesthetic appeal, the blank endpapers editions are not very interesting to me. The only reason I value the blank endpapers editions is for the fact that they are the original format for the Nancy Drew books. I also am mainly interested in getting as close to a first printing as I can, so most of my blank endpapers books have dust jackets and are either first or second printings.
I feel the same way about the Nancy Drew books with dust jackets that have no spine symbol. The jackets with blue spine symbols are more attractive on the shelf, and I particularly love the thick books with dust jackets that have the spine symbol and list to #18. They are the nicest ones. My interest in the jackets without spine symbols is primarily restricted to the first printing dust jackets of #1-18.
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