Recently, someone posted in a Facebook group about two Nancy Drew books that they purchased in an antique shop. Ivory Charm was $45, and Larkspur Lane was $30.
Members immediately offered their unsolicited advice about how the books were too expensive. I felt bad for the buyer. The buyer apparently deleted the post, because it vanished. Later, someone else asked about the purchase in another group, wondering about the value.
As soon as the post asking about the value appeared, members jumped in, saying that the books were too expensive and suggesting that they are worth under $10.
I responded to the post.
First, here is a short answer. If you are considering a purchase, then the prices are fine and worth it if you are willing to pay them. It's whether the books are worth it to you, not what others think. Ivory Charm might have the four internal illustrations due to the cover texture. I can't tell on Larkspur Lane. If Ivory Charm has internals, then it probably is worth that price.
Checking eBay, I see copies of Ivory Charm without internals (including a wartime copy in rough shape) that sold for $20 to $30. That doesn't surprise me, since tweed books without jackets often sell for $10 or more online. (Yes, they do even if others think that is too high. I have sold tweed books without jackets for $10 plus postage. The books tend to sell fast. There is a market for them.) Likely, the books are worth the prices on them, although at the same time, the books could probably be found for cheaper if one is patient.
In these groups, members almost always will say books like these are priced too high. There is an expectation in these groups that all books without jackets should be very cheap, as in well below $10. Some members will say that the books should be $3 to $5. That simply is not realistic in the real world in the 2020s. 30 to 40 years ago, sure. Not now.
I have sold thick bare Nancy Drew books similar to these in the $25 to $35 range. That was probably 10 to 15 years ago. I don't recall the exact prices or anything else. It's been a long time.
We all remember the matte picture covers costing under $3 each. Those days are long gone. Any tweed Nancy Drew book or matte picture cover Nancy Drew book that is in nice shape is easily worth as much as the new books.
I want to back up my statement about the value of bare tweed Nancy Drew books. All of my sold listings are saved in my Etsy account. I took screen captures of all of the tweed books. A few books with jackets are also included, since I had no way of sorting them out of the results.
In some cases, the buyer got free shipping for purchases of $35 or more. In other cases, the buyer purchased one book and paid $3.95 postage. Most of the recent purchases had sales tax added, which was paid by the buyer. This means that very often the book's actual cost was more than the price on it.
As always, you can click on an image to see a larger version.
In some cases, the buyer got free shipping for purchases of $35 or more. In other cases, the buyer purchased one book and paid $3.95 postage. Most of the recent purchases had sales tax added, which was paid by the buyer. This means that very often the book's actual cost was more than the price on it.
As always, you can click on an image to see a larger version.
I would price all bare tweed books at $10 or more each, but most bare tweed books that I sell have at least moderate wear. I do not feel comfortable pricing them higher due to the condition.
I could be pricing the books with jackets too low. However, I find the books with jackets to be much harder to sell than the bare tweed books when the jackets have chipping. When I have tried to sell the tweed books with jackets at higher prices, they take way too long to sell. Even when the books with jackets are in excellent condition, they take too long to sell if priced higher.
Many years ago, a collector sold Nancy Drew books to the production for the movie, The Birdcage. The production decided in favor of bare tweed books instead of books with dust jackets. Some people actually like the appearance of the bare tweed books better than the ones with dust jackets. I believe the value difference between the bare tweed books and the tweed books with jackets is much less than what most other people think.
Other people who sell on eBay have no qualms about pricing the books higher. Here are some sold listings from the last year.
The second listing seen below is still visible. The book had moderate wear.
Many years ago, a collector sold Nancy Drew books to the production for the movie, The Birdcage. The production decided in favor of bare tweed books instead of books with dust jackets. Some people actually like the appearance of the bare tweed books better than the ones with dust jackets. I believe the value difference between the bare tweed books and the tweed books with jackets is much less than what most other people think.
Other people who sell on eBay have no qualms about pricing the books higher. Here are some sold listings from the last year.
The second listing seen below is still visible. The book had moderate wear.
The next sold listing is mine. My price was $3.57 per book. Whenever I choose to sell tweed and thick blue books in bulk lots, it is because I feel that the condition is not good enough to sell the books individually. This means that the books have heavy wear, stains, and possibly loose pages.
The next listing seen below is still visible. The book had light wear.
This is enough to support my position. Bare tweed books are worth more than just a few dollars.
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