Recent Nancy Drew Library Edition Prices on eBay

This kind of post can have unintended consequences because online sellers see it and assume that all Nancy Drew library editions are exceedingly valuable when that's not true at all.  Even Nancy Drew collectors who aren't interested in library editions misunderstand, thinking that any old Nancy Drew library binding is of high value. 

In an attempt to mitigate potential misunderstanding, here's an example of some Nancy Drew library bindings that are of low value.  (Click on images in order to see them in higher quality.)

The listing was for 10 Nancy Drew library editions for $24.00, or $2.40 per book.  Bulk lots usually offer good deals, but even individually, these books are worth roughly around $5.00 each.  If the books were in excellent condition, they'd likely be worth around $10.00 at the most.  They aren't valuable, not by a long shot.

This is why:  The books are relatively recent, and the cover art is identical to the modern Grosset & Dunlap editions that are still in print.  The cover art on these books offers nothing different or interesting.  Yes, people collect them, but they command lower prices for a reason.  There's nothing special here; they are just a variant.  They are also fairly abundant.

Nancy Drew fans want the library editions that are older and that have cover art that is in some way different from the original editions.  The preferred ones have cover art that is based on the original editions but has been redrawn.  Library editions of this type are interesting and coveted, because they offer something new that is appealing to collectors.

Perhaps the most popular library edition type is this one.  It consists of Nancy Drew #1-34, issued in many color variations.

These books are coveted because the covers feature the familiar illustrations that we love, but they were redrawn.  They aren't identical to what is on the Grosset & Dunlap books.  The bindings are colorful, and the books look outstanding on the shelf.  You can't beat the appeal of these books.

A few examples of this binding sold via auction recently on eBay.  It's apparent that a few more collectors have entered the fray, deciding to collect library editions.  These prices are the highest I've seen yet for this particular style binding.

These prices do not mean that these books should sell for this much.  I feel like these are high-end prices, caused by at least one person who is new to collecting library editions.  I am not suggesting that the buyer paid too much.  They paid what the books are worth to them.  Instead, I am saying that sellers should not consider these prices to be the new baseline.  These auction results indicate that a few people really covet these books and were trying to win the auctions at all cost.  

Years ago, the rule of thumb for eBay auctions was that the actual value was the amount of the third highest bid.  The third highest bid on both auctions was $101.00.  Around $100 is probably the high end of what could be the considered the value range of these books, let's say $25 to $100.  Condition and the binding color matter greatly.  These books are red, which makes them pop.  The condition isn't that great, but the books are very hard to find.

I wrote all of the above before the third auction closed.  Here is the result.

The person who won the other two auctions didn't bid on this one.  Maybe they didn't need this one, or maybe they failed to spot this auction.  Whatever the case, their absence caused the book to sell at a much lower price.  

I mentioned a price range of $25 to $100 for these books.  This one went for near the bottom of that range.  I have sold a few examples of this binding at auction but mine maxed out at around $100.  Some of them sold for quite a bit less.  Even $100 is a bit of a high-end price.  The actual value is probably around $50.

I usually don't bid on any of these auctions.  While I would like to have every color variant for every title, I have 196 different books in this style of binding at present.  I won't try to buy one unless it is different and the condition is high-grade enough that it's worth paying a premium. 

Fortunately for me, I already have the title/color combinations that were offered in these auctions.  Also perhaps in my favor, I haven't updated the cover gallery on my website in many years.  Nobody knows for sure what I need and which books could stand an upgrade.  For that reason, nobody will know when I could decide to bid on future library edition auctions.

In conclusion, I thought about what my books are supposedly worth based on these recent auctions.  If I assign a value of $100 each, then my set is worth $19,600.  That's insane!  The books aren't worth that much.  If I were to decide to sell all of my books, I'm confident that the dispersal of 196 books into the marketplace would cause prices to decrease.  There is just no way that my set is worth around $20,000. 

If I assign a value of $50 each, then my set is worth $9,800.  That's high, but I can kind of see it.  Therefore, I will close this post by saying that these books are worth around $50 each, not $100 to $150 each.  

Library editions are a niche collectible appealing to a certain demographic.  The supply is not unlimited, so prices will always be very volatile. 

Lucky Purchase of Two Nancy Drew Library Editions

These days, it's rather difficult for me to acquire Nancy Drew library bindings that are of interest to me.  Many people now want Nancy Drew library editions, so I have strong competition.

I was very lucky to purchase these two Nancy Drew library editions recently.  (Click on images in order to see them more clearly.)

Here is The Mystery at the Ski Jump with the books I already had.  The new Ski Jump is the first book on the left.

I collect all binding colors plus all variant lettering styles.  I don't care about the condition.  Better condition is desirable, but I will keep any variant regardless of condition. 

Here is The Scarlet Slipper Mystery with the books I already had.  The new Scarlet Slipper is the book in the upper left.

The new Scarlet Slipper is the same variant as the one seen at the middle top and is in much better condition, so it will be replacing that copy.  

I continue to reflect about how interesting it is that other collectors now like these books as much as I do.  In this old post, I mention possible reasons why collectors began to favor library editions.

The Surprising Rise of the Nancy Drew Library Edition

The huge change in opinion about library editions mainly applies to Nancy Drew.  There is an increased interest in other series like Hardy Boys, Dana Girls, and Judy Bolton, but the interest in the books and the pricing of them is much reduced as compared to Nancy Drew.  

Three Investigators library editions sell for high prices, but pricing of that series has gone into the stratosphere ever since the pandemic.  The pricing has more to do with the scarcity of the books and the continuing high interest in the series.

Even for Nancy Drew, library edition pricing varies widely.  Some bindings, like the ones featured in this post, are favorites of collectors.  Some bindings are far less interesting and have minimal value.  It's problematic for sellers to use blanket pricing for all library editions when some of them aren't worth much at all.

Nancy Drew and Mary Louise Gay Books

Last Tuesday morning, I checked eBay and saw four different listings that were all of high interest.  I had to make a fast decision on whether to purchase the books in order to avoid missing out.  I detailed what happened on my Facebook page immediately after I completed the purchases.

This just happened.  I checked eBay as one of my first activities of the day.  I saw a bulk lot of low-value Nancy Drew books with one library edition.  I felt certain that I had that particular variant.  (My goal is all titles in all colors.  Yeah, I know.)  I then noticed all three Mary Louise Gay books in separate listings.  The jackets were not faded and were A. L. Burt editions.  Now I knew that one or more of mine were faded.  However, I had to check on the library edition first.

The fixed-priced Nancy Drew library edition listings go fast, sometimes extremely fast.  I went to the other side of the house to verify that I had Moss-Covered Mansion in that color.  I saw only three copies in fairly bad shape and none of them that color.  Omigosh!

I jogged back to the computer, still feeling like I ought to have that one.  Nevertheless, I quickly purchased the bulk lot.  I then went to LibraryThing, where I found no evidence of having that variant.  Wow.

I then proceeded to the Mary Louise Gay listings.  Since the books were just mentioned on Facebook in one of the groups in passing, I knew that I needed to decide quickly.  I knew where most of my A. L. Burt books were, but I didn't see the MLG books at first glance.  I pulled out some of the Burt books from in the front and found them in the back.  All three had noticeably faded spines!

I went back to the computer and added all three books to my cart.  I then double-checked each listing to make sure that all three were Burt and that all three jackets were original and not reproductions.  Everything looked good, so I purchased the books. 

What an unexpected exciting start to my day!

The books from both orders arrived today.  Here is the library edition.

The library edition does have a hideous stain on the outside vertical edge.

No matter.  I collect the books for what is on the outside.  The book will still look great on the shelf with its three siblings and many cousins.  

It is the third book from the left in the front row.  

The Mary Louise Gay books arrived just as described.  The camera flash makes the spines appear slightly faded.  In person, they do not appear faded at all.  The jackets are in really nice shape.

When I posted about the books on Facebook, one person asked how I could tell that the jackets were not reproductions.  I answered as follows.

In most cases, you can't be sure.  I have to depend on the seller's honesty.  I believe that this seller is knowledgeable enough to know and that they are not lying about the jackets.  I don't see any warning signs that the jackets are reproductions.  Usually reproductions look too sharp and straight at the edges and the colors will be off a little bit.

The jackets are real.  Here are photos showing the ads on the reverse side of each jacket.

Here are the spines of the jackets of the books that I have owned for years.  The fading is quite noticeable.

It was more important to me to own Burt editions with good quality paper than to settle for Saalfield editions with pulp paper.  The Burt editions are much nicer than the Saalfield reprints, and I was okay with faded spines so long as I had original Burt editions.

The Burt editions are extremely scarce as compared to the Saalfield reprints.  I would say that out of every 20 copies of the Mary Louise Gay books that come up for sale, only one of those books will be a Burt edition.  That was why I had to act fast when I saw the listings.

Taking a Chance on a Nancy Drew Library Binding

 I saw this Nancy Drew library edition for sale online.

The tape was a big drawback.  However, the book was still worth purchasing depending upon the condition of the spine underneath the tape.  I knew that the tape would no longer be sticky and that the adhesive backing would be dry and stuck to the book.  It wouldn't be pretty, but the situation was salvageable depending upon the condition of the spine.  

I knew that the spine could be completely intact, partially intact, torn, or missing completely.  I decided to take a chance, and I purchased the book. 

You might wonder why I wanted to purchase the book, since I have nearly 200 examples of this binding, and eight of them are copies of Black Keys.  

Did I need a ninth copy of Black Keys?  Why yes, of course I did.  The one with tape on the spine is another variant.  The book is the same as the one seen in the top left corner of the above image except that the series name and author name on the front cover are in white.  That's why I wanted the book.

Images can be enlarged by clicking on them.  If viewing via the web version in a browser, the images can be compared by enlarging a photo and then navigating forwards and backwards.

Once I had the book in hand, I was certain that the spine was intact under the tape.  The above photo shows the outer spine visible at the bottom edge.  I proceeded to remove the tape.  I used manicure scissors with the book open so that the tape was pulled away from the hinges.  I cut through the tape at the front hinge.

Excellent!  Yes, I am serious.  The spine looked bad because of the dried adhesive, but I knew that would be the case.  I was thrilled that the spine was still intact, although a bit worn near the top and bottom edges.

A blue and white multi endpaper can be seen at the top edge of the photo.  It fell out of the book while I cut through the tape.

I finished removing the tape.

The next step would be the hard part.  Getting the dried residue off of the book is very difficult.  I have done this before, and it is impossible to remove all of it.  The goal is to remove as much as possible without damaging the cover.

I first took a dry paper towel and rubbed at the book, freeing the dusty remnants of adhesive that weren't firmly stuck to the cover.  I next used some lighter fluid on a paper towel and rubbed at it.  I also tried some Windex on a paper towel.  Each attempt removed some dried adhesive.  I then quit because it was late, and I planned to do more the next day.  The book's appearance had already improved.

The next day I realized that I was going to have to start scraping the residue off.  There was no other way.  I have a rounded plastic scraper that came with a bottle of Un-du adhesive remover that I purchased around 20 years ago.  I use it for scraping.  Library edition covers are durable enough that they can withstand some scraping.  I wouldn't do it on a regular edition.

During a few sessions over approximately a two-day period, I scraped at the dried adhesive.  I finally decided to call it "done" even though I could probably remove more of it.  I'm satisfied with where the book is now.  I knew that this would be a worn copy, and I'm okay with that.

I love owning all sorts of variants, and I don't mind if some of them are quite worn.  

This book is now shelved with the rest.  

The Nancy Drew Cookbook FLB Library Edition

In June, an FLB library edition of the Nancy Drew Cookbook came up for auction on eBay.  I was very interested to see how high the auction would go.  To my knowledge, it was only the second one ever to come up for sale.  The FLB Cookbook binding is very scarce.

I purchased the FLB edition Cookbook seen above on eBay in November 2005.  The book was offered in an auction.  During that time, I usually was able to purchase any library edition I wanted, whether through Buy It Now or auction, with very little competition.  Sometimes though, a newbie buyer (a new account with no feedback) would show up on eBay and decide to go after a library edition at all cost.  That was what happened when I failed to bid high enough on the 1940s Style Library Binding of the Nancy Drew book, The Haunted Bridge.  

There has always something about newbies to eBay and how they react to certain listings.  It can be library editions or anything else.  It was always frustrating to me when a newbie chose to go after a library edition.

A newbie to eBay decided to bid aggressively on the FLB Cookbook that I purchased in 2005.  There was also another bidder involved, someone who was not a newbie.  I waited until the end to bid, as I have always done.  I bid something like $125 on it, which should have been more than sufficient to win the auction.  I lost the auction.

Shortly after the auction ended, I received a second-chance offer, because the winning bidder had backed out.  Certainly, I could not rule out shill bidding by the seller, but I am confident that the seller was not the winning bidder based on the messages I exchanged with her.  

Consider that just about nobody wanted library editions in those days.  Would a seller really have bid on her own auction for a library edition?  I just don't think so.  Also, nobody had any idea what kind of prices I might have been willing to pay.  I usually purchased library editions at low Buy It Now prices, in bulk lots, or as the only bidder in an auction started at a reasonable price.  It would be more logical for a seller to shill bid now than in those days of low interest.

After I received the second-chance offer, I declined it.  I told the seller that I didn't feel that it was fair for me to have to pay one bid increment below the winning bid since that person was not a serious bidder.

I don't recall whether my suggestion or the seller's was mentioned first.  In any case, the seller offered to relist the book at the same low starting bid.  I offered to pay the seller a price somewhere in the middle.  I believe my offer was about at what the third highest bidder was willing to pay.  I do recall the seller not wanting to take my offer.  Some people might say that she was going to shill the auction agin, but I really don't think she was bidding on the auction herself.  

Besides, I rather badly wanted the book.  I just didn't want to have to pay one increment below what the winning bid was.  I didn't want to have to wait through another auction, not knowing who else might get involved.  I had a chance to purchase the book outright, and I told the seller that I did want to purchase it for what I offered.  

I had offered the seller $75.  At that time, it was an exorbitant amount to pay for a library edition.  I didn't tell anyone what I paid.  Well, I didn't have a blog at that time, and I certainly didn't go into discussion groups and tell people about my spending habits.  They would have thought I was insane.  

It's apparent that I got a really good deal, now that the Nancy Drew library editions have become much more desirable.

The recent auction closed at $330.  For this auction, the third highest bid was $30.  Usually, the third highest bid is used to assess the actual value.  Based on the scarcity of this book, I would place the value at above $30.  Let's say at least $75 to $100, but it could very well be worth more than that.  While the pink/salmon FLB binding is not too hard to acquire for the Nancy Drew titles from the main set, the Nancy Drew Cookbook is in a different league.

The FLB editions date from the 1970s, but I don't know the exact range of years.  The highest numbered title of which I am aware is Forgotten City, which was published in 1975.  If Forgotten City was the final book done by FLB, then FLB quit rebinding the Nancy Drew books in around 1975.

My FLB Cookbook has a handwritten date inside of when it was acquired by the library:  12/15/73.  My copy does have the red endpapers of the first printing, so it is a rebound copy of the first printing from 1973.  Therefore, the Cookbook would have been rebound by FLB from 1973 to 1975.  The regular edition Cookbook is quite scarce compared to the average Nancy Drew book.  While the Cookbook can be found by most people who want one, there really aren't that many copies out there.  Very few of the Cookbooks would have been sent to FLB for rebinding.  That's why the FLB Cookbook is so hard to find.  

I also like the FLB cover better than the original cover.  The style is great and really stands out.  This is a special collectible Nancy Drew item.

In an auction with competitive bidding, books often close at well above the perceived value.  It might take years for this book to come up for sale, so the winning bid was well worth it. 

These notes are for me to document my struggles with uploading photos via the sorry new Blogger interface.  On the first attempt, the first two photos landed in the correct part of the post but in reverse order.  On the second attempt, the photos were in reverse order again even though I reversed the order in which I selected them.  The photos were also in the wrong part of the post.  I had to move the text to get the photos in the right position.  For once, I was able to drag the second photo to above the first photo.  That typically no longer works.  However, it did cause HTML problems, so dragging the photo is still a bad idea.

The Surprising Rise of the Nancy Drew Library Edition

In around 1999, I decided that I wanted to own Nancy Drew #57-78 in the hardcover Wanderer edition with dust jacket as issued by Simon and Schuster.  As I searched for those books, I noticed all of the hardcover library bindings of Nancy Drew #79 and up that were for sale online.  I began purchasing those books in order to acquire hardcover copies of those books, which were only published in softcover.

As I began building my set of hardcover copies of Nancy Drew #57-175, I then noticed all the library bindings for Nancy Drew #1-56 that were for sale online.  I was quickly hooked and began working on multiple sets of the library editions.

Nearly all collectors scorned them, actually hated them.  As best I can understand, there are two reasons for the traditional overwhelmingly negative opinion of the library binding.  First, the books are library discards, and collectors have always hated any kind of library discard.  After all, a trade edition without library markings is infinitely better than a trade edition with library markings.  That's a given.  Second, a book with a library binding has been rebound, that is, bastardized.  The book was taken apart to be put back together with a substitute binding.  So it's understandable why almost nobody wanted them, and very few people thought otherwise during the 2000s.

I can think of exactly two other people who also wanted the Nancy Drew library editions during the first years in which I purchased the books.  I was able to purchase dozens of bulk lots containing some or many library editions during the 2000s.  In the early years, I typically first offered the extra books to those two people.  Whatever was left that they didn't need went on eBay in bulk lots.  I had to sell the extras for cheap, since nobody else wanted them.

It was discouraging, in a way, although at the same time I was fortunate that everyone else ignored the library editions.  That's why I own over 1,000 library editions, many of which are extremely scarce.  Some of them can be considered rare, and that's a word that I tend to avoid.  I believe that a few of my library bindings are unique examples in which my book was the only one ever bound that way.

It was incredible to have a collection of rare or unique books in a widely collected series and to know that my rare or unique library editions were unwanted by nearly all other collectors.  I typically paid around $2 to $4 for the average library edition back in the 2000s, although I sometimes had to pay significantly higher prices in the few cases in which someone bid aggressively on an eBay auction.

I mentioned my library editions in discussions during the 2000s, and the response was always a certain statement.  It went like this:  "I like the way those books look.  However, the only way I will ever buy a library binding is if I can get one in excellent condition that was never used in a library."

So those strict limits kept everyone away.  99% of library bindings were used in a library, and probably at least 75% of the books have moderate to heavy wear with library markings everywhere.  That's just how it is, so no one wanted them.

Somehow, the tide has turned, and this has taken me by surprise.  It was suggested to me recently that I had a lot to do with the change in opinion.  I undoubtedly played an important role, but other factors came into play.  I don't understand exactly what they were, but I can mention what could have influenced people.

It has been since 2010 that the interest has increased.  I think I sold a lot of library editions in individual listings on Bonanza beginning in 2009.  Bonanza was such a pretty site.  (The site still exists, but it doesn't have the charm it did in 2009.)  My Bonanza booth did attract a lot of attention via Google search and my relentless promotion of it in this blog.  It might be that people began to notice the library editions through my individual listings, which might then have sparked an interest.

I might be wrong about that, but something had happened by 2010.

In 2012, some of my library editions were featured in Country Living Magazine.  Perhaps the magazine's endorsement of the library binding and my mention of the article in this blog influenced a few people.

On August 5, 2013, the Nancy Drew Book Fans group and the Collecting Vintage Children's Series Books group were created on Facebook.  On that auspicious day, a collector commented on Jenn Fisher's Facebook timeline, suggesting that we needed groups in which to discuss Nancy Drew and other series books.  As a result of that comment, Jenn Fisher created the Nancy Drew group, and I created the series book group.  As I recall, I created the series book group, then I added Jenn and a dozen or so other people to it.  Immediately thereafter, Jenn created the Nancy Drew group, and she added me and some others.  The two groups were created within an hour or so of each other.  And off we went!

Facebook groups make it very easy to share photos.  I have shared many photos of library editions in the groups since 2013.  I believe that my images strongly increased interest in the library editions.  After all, when you see the beautiful rainbow of library bindings in the below photos, how can you possibly resist the allure of them?  The books are gorgeous when shelved together, even when they have library markings and lots of wear.

The interest further increased in around the last two to three years, especially since 2019.  A number of people who are fairly new to collecting Nancy Drew books have embraced the library binding, and their enthusiasm has influenced others.  Interest has increased so much that I am astonished.  I never thought that other collectors would ever catch up with me and share my love of all library editions.  I think library bindings are beautiful works of art.  Now others do, too!

These days, I find it very easy to sell my extra Nancy Drew library editions.  The green APC and the FLB bindings are especially in demand.

These images show recent eBay sold items.  Notice how much people are paying for individual green APC editions.  Remember that you can click on an image to see a larger version.

In the 2000s, I considered the green APC editions to be worth around $5 each.  In the last five years, I decided that they were worth around $10 each.  It's now apparent that if the books have light wear—which is the case for the books seen in the above results—that the books are worth $35 to $50 each.  Here is an image that shows two of the books that recently sold on eBay.  They are in very nice shape.

Books in rough shape are not worth as much.  Many sellers make the mistake of taking books in rough condition and pricing them like they are in excellent condition.  That's not an effective strategy.

I recently sold some green APC books that I priced at $10 to $15.  I might have gotten slightly more for some of them, but my books had some wear and tear.  I also tend to price my books on the low side.  I would rather sell the books quickly to people who want them than try to get the highest possible price.

Let's cover some of the other bindings.  Another type is the patterned binding.  One example that sold at $26 can be seen in the above eBay sold listings.

This is actually a very desirable binding, which is probably a revelation to those of you who do not collect library editions.  Country Living Magazine borrowed some of my patterned library editions for a photo shoot.  Read "Judy Bolton in Country Living Magazine" for more information.

I consider the patterned bindings to be worth $15 each if in excellent condition, but they might be worth a bit more depending on the pattern.  I have not seen enough sales results to know the actual current value.  Certainly, any book with a more striking pattern is worth more than one with a less interesting pattern.

My all-time favorite library binding is the one seen below.  I have 184 of them; yes, that's one hundred eighty-four of them.  I want every book in every color.

This binding has become difficult to find.  I have no examples of sold listings except for books I have sold and for one bulk lot shown in one of the eBay screen captures.  That bulk lot contained seven of them, but the books were in rough shape with very heavy wear.  The bulk lot was listed at $24.99, and a best offer was accepted.  The books were priced appropriately for the rough condition.

I have never sold one of these books for more than $15, but I have also never sold any in excellent condition, since I end up keeping the nicer copies when they come into my possession.  I am confident that books as nice as the ones pictured above would be valued at $35 to $50 each in the current market.

The FLB library editions have been in demand for at least five years.  Four different examples are seen below.

Nearly all of the books are pink or salmon like the one seen at the top left.  Some scattered books are blue, green, or gold, and these books are quite uncommon.  While I have seen some pink books sell at around $50 each, the value is probably more around $20 each.  The other colors would be worth a little more.  Again, keep in mind that these values are for books in excellent condition.  I do not believe that I have ever sold an FLB book for more than $10.  The books I have offered have had moderate to heavy wear.

The books seen below are from the "multi" library binding.  The covers mimic the design of the multi endpapers used inside Nancy Drew books.

I have no information on current value for these books.  I have never sold one for above $10, and I don't know how much the current buyers value them.

The Grosset and Dunlap lavender spine library edition is seen below.

The Grosset and Dunlap library edition was an official binding, so the books were not bastardized.  The collectors who scorn most library editions do want this type, but with the restriction that the books be in excellent condition and not library discards.  These books are slightly easier to find in uncirculated examples.  For all other library bindings, 99% are library discards.  For these books, probably around 80% are library discards, so uncirculated examples can be found through careful searching.  The value of uncirculated examples in excellent condition is probably $25 to $35.  That's a guess since I haven't seen many sales of them.  Circulated copies with moderate wear are worth no more than $10.

There are also other types of Nancy Drew library editions, but the above examples are the ones seen the most often.