Thoughts on the Value of Nancy Drew #56 The Thirteenth Pearl

I have long suspected that most people seeking to purchase a matte edition of Nancy Drew #56 The Thirteenth Pearl do not care which printing they get.  A growing number of collectors are fine with the double oval editions.  Most of you still scorn them, but some people do appreciate them.  I am now part of that group, but only when the double oval editions are in nice shape and have good quality paper.

The double oval books tend to surface in bad condition.  They were made from cheaper materials than the previous matte printings.  Those books, just like the book club edition picture covers from the 1960s, look worse when in rough shape than the other matte editions do. 

Click on this photo from a current eBay listing.  Look at the double oval editions (the ones with no ink on the top edge).  There is something about how the double ovals look when worn that I find yucky.  That was my sole reason for not liking them in the past.

Once I found a bunch of double oval editions in nice shape, I discovered that I really enjoy them.  Look at these beauties.

Last night, I checked on recent sold listings of Nancy Drew #55 and #56.  I needed to know if the value has changed since in the fall.  I was surprised to see the highest sold copy of Thirteenth Pearl was a copy with double oval endpapers.  It sold for $49.99 plus $10.65 shipping. 

My mind was blown.  This changes everything.   

To me, Thirteenth Pearl in the matte PC shouldn't be as scarce as people think.  At least five printings exist: the first, second, and third printings plus at least two printings in the double oval edition.  However, the price continues to rise, so collectors place great value on the matte edition of Thirteenth Pearl.

A double oval copy selling for $49.99 meant that I needed to raise my prices.  My first thought was to go with $74.99 for the first printing, $64.99 for the second printing, and $49.99 for the double oval edition.  I went with $74.99 for the first printing and $49.99 for the other two books.  The second printing copy has some flaws, so I feel that I should price it the same as the double oval edition.

I want to see if anyone is willing to pay $74.99 for Thirteenth Pearl.  It could go either way.  Typically, I never have to relist Thirteenth Pearl.  The books I place up for sale always sell during the first listing cycle.  This likely means that I've been pricing them too low.  This experiment will help me see whether that is the case.

If the book priced at $74.99 doesn't sell, then my conclusion will be that all matte copies of Thirteenth Pearl, regardless of printing, are worth about $50 if in at least very good condition.

You see, I don't think there is much value difference between the first and second printings and the double oval printings.  Last year, I priced the double ovals at $29.99, the second printing at $34.99, and the first printing at $39.99.  I feel that the double ovals should be lower than the earlier printings, but not by much.

I have charged nearly as much for the double oval edition as for the first printing, and the double oval edition always sells.  It often sells first, probably because the price is lower.  That's why I don't think the buyers care which matte version they get.  

If a double oval edition can sell for $49.99 on eBay, then a similar price range should be true for the three printings.  The first and second printings should be priced no more than $10 to $25 higher than the value of the double oval edition.  At least that's what I think should be the case, but I'm no longer sure.  It will be interesting to see what happens.

Nancy Drew Auction Results for Books with Blank Endpapers

I took some screen captures of recent Nancy Drew auctions.  I don't have any particular comments to make.  What sold and for how much should be apparent in the images.  Click on each image to see a larger version.

Recent eBay Auctions of Note

The first two are crazy.

Nancy Drew #1 Old Clock tweed book without dust jacket

The book does not have a dust jacket and is not worth more than $10.  It sold for $29.99 plus $5.63 postage.  The buyer might have been influenced by the seller's statement, "Own a piece of American publishing history."  Sure, but it might have been better to have selected one priced a lot lower.

Nancy Drew #10 Larkspur Lane first printing with no dust jacket

The book is the first printing of Larkspur Lane and sold for $249.99.  The book does not have a dust jacket and is not in very good shape.  I just sold one in much better condition in an auction for less than $60 just a couple of months ago.  I do not believe I have ever sold a first printing of Larkspur Lane without a jacket for more than $100.

With a dust jacket, the first printing of Larkspur Lane is worth at least several hundred dollars in the current market.

Nancy Drew #5 Shadow Ranch with first printing dust jacket

Somebody got a good deal.  The very first printing of The Secret at Shadow Ranch with dust jacket sold for $325 in a Buy It now listing.

Nancy Drew #7 Clue in the Diary first printing with dust jacket

The book closed at  $2,025.10.  The buyer purchased the book to resell.

Recent Interesting Nancy Drew Auctions

There have been several interesting eBay auctions for Nancy Drew books.  This auction was for The Password to Larkspur Lane with the photoplay wrapper.

Most of the wrappers did not survive, so the wrapper is rare.  This particular wrapper is in outstanding condition.  The auction closed at $1,864.63.  Farah's Guide values the wrapper at $1,200.

A second auction with the photoplay wrapper surfaced just after the first auction closed. 

This second auction closed at $1,050.00.  Based on the winning bidder's user ID, I believe that the book was purchased to resell.  I could be wrong, but the buyer is an antiquarian bookseller who does not specialize in series books, which is how I draw my conclusion.

I would love to own this wrapper, but I am not willing to pay a high price for it.  The Bonita Granville movie items are all neat, but I personally would not want to pay very much for any of them.  They are a very low priority for me.  That takes me far out of the running for these auctions.

If I were going to purchase one of these wrappers, I would only be interested in the first auction for the one that was not faded.  The second one would be of no interest unless it fell into my hands very inexpensively.  To me, the two wrappers are in profoundly different condition, and the second one is far less desirable than the first one.  If I were to purchase the wrapper, I would want to display it in a frame, and the faded part is a huge flaw.  In my opinion, the second wrapper is only worth around 25% to 33% as much as the first wrapper.  Either the first wrapper sold too low, or the second wrapper sold too high.  I'll let you draw your own conclusion as to which is true.

Another interesting auction was for the first printing book of Nancy's Mysterious Letter.

The first printing of Nancy's Mysterious Letter lists to The Clue in the Diary in the post-text ads.  This auction closed at $118.28, and the book does not have a dust jacket.  Multiple later printings list to Nancy's Mysterious Letter in the post-text ads, and those books are often mistaken as the first printing.

The first printing listing to The Clue in the Diary is extremely scarce and is one of the toughest first printing books to acquire.  This first printing is harder to find than nearly all of the blank endpapers first printings, with the possible exception of the first printing of The Mystery at Lilac Inn.

Nancy Drew DJ and Dana Girls PC Prices

In the current market, Nancy Drew books with dust jackets seem to be mostly unwanted, while Dana Girls books in the beige spine picture covers are greatly in demand.

For the most part, I can no longer sell Nancy Drew books with dust jackets. People do not seem to want them. One could conclude that the people who want the dust jackets are not shopping on Bonanzle, but I lowered my prices when I relisted some on eBay. Those books did not sell, and some of them were below cost.

The books and dust jackets were not in perfect shape, but several years ago, I could have priced those same books at $15 to $20 and sold them easily. I had tweed copies of #1, 12, 14, 20, 21, and 29 with dust jackets and priced each at $6.99 each. None of them sold. A few years ago, people buying to resell would have purchased them for around $10 each and then marked the prices up. Times have changed.

I do not want to reset the listings for Bonanzle, so I may place those particular books in one lot and see if I can get a taker. I also wonder whether I should place many of my dust-jacketed books in lots to move them out, since I now have way too many. I hate doing that, since I do not feel that the books are worthless. Some people are still buying the dust-jacketed books at higher prices, so I do not wish to give away what I have. I just wish I could sell at least some of the dust-jacketed books to cut down on my extras. ............................................

Nancy Drew in the original text picture cover editions sell for around $5-$10 each unless the picture cover is a special or first printing. In those cases, the picture covers can sell for $15 and higher, although I have noticed that many people seem to prefer the cheaper copies rather than the first PCs.

I used to think that the Dana Girls beige spine picture covers have approximately the same value, with the exception of the high-numbered ones. I have concluded based on my sales on Bonanzle that the Dana Girls beige spine picture covers tend to be worth more than the original text Nancy Drew picture covers.

It is worth viewing the completed listings for Dana Girls books on Bonanzle, sorted by highest price first. While #27-30 are the hardest to find volumes, they are the hardest to sell when the prices are marked accordingly. I suspect that many buyers are content with the much cheaper white spine counterparts of those volumes, which keeps the demand down somewhat.

I have noticed that the prices of #1-26 in the beige spine picture covers are often priced low by many sellers. I began by pricing them low and sold them extremely fast. As I found more, I gradually marked the prices up since I concluded that the books had to be worth more than I thought. The books continued to sell fast even as my prices gradually increased.

The following comments do not apply to books with heavy wear or books that have noticeable flaws like a tape scar on the cover or a split binding. Books with those flaws are always worth less.

I have this lingering idea that the low-numbered volumes should be worth a little less than the mid-range volumes, but I may be wrong. I first priced these books at around $5, but I have now raised my prices to around $10. If the book meets the points for the first PC printing (#23 on back cover, ND to #39 and DG to #23 on inside), then I price it slightly higher, unless the condition is rough.

#7 to maybe around #11 are probably worth around $15 each. #12 to around #21 are definitely worth at least $20 each. Some of #12 to #21 may be worth more than $20 each. Some volumes are much harder to find than others, and #12 seems to be one of them. #23 to #27 are worth $20-$25 each. #28 and #29 are worth $40 to $70, roughly. #30 is worth around $100, and possibly a little more.

Collectors have known for years that the higher-numbered volumes are scarcer, but it is apparent that many people have trouble finding the middle volumes. The values mentioned here are based on what I have successfully sold so far, and some of the middle volumes may be worth more than what I have quoted. ............................................

I have observed that eBay auctions no longer yield actual values for the majority of books sold. Often, the Dana Girls picture cover editions sell on eBay for under $10 in the auctions, and that is why many people price them so low in their listings. The sellers who successfully get the higher prices have used the fixed-price listings in which buyers have more time to notice the books.

The completed listings search on eBay is mostly useless now, and I encourage sellers of series books to utilize other methods in order to fairly price their books. For series books, Bonanzle's completed items search will help greatly since it has many months of completed listings.

Sellers always need to watch pricing trends. Some books that were once high in demand are not currently of interest, and many once-coveted books are no longer worth very much at all. Sellers must be willing to adjust their prices up and down based on the current trends, even when the trends are down.

Those RARE $1 Box Editions

Remember this auction?

 1961 Rare Nancy Drew BOOKS $1 BOX Vintage OLD Gifts

The seller sold the above $1 box edition of Fire Dragon for $15.50 with free shipping. In the auction, the seller made the following claim:

"Only a handfull of volumes were printed this way...just try to find another!"

Considering that the seller just dared us to find another, I was stupefied [sarcasm] to find this auction.  Check it out:

(<--sarcasm a="" auction.="" check="" discover="" href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=330300850592" it="" out:="" this="" to=""> 1962 RARE $1 DOLLAR BOX HARDY BOYS BOOKS Vintage GIFTS

Approximately three weeks later, the same seller had another one up for sale. This time he stated, "With the ‘impossible-to-find’…One Dollar BOX printed on the top right front cover corner !"

Now this is my favorite part: the seller goes on to say that the $1 box edition of Fire Dragon "is a rare printing" that "is increasing in value every day!" I love it because this second auction closed at just $5.95 with free shipping. It looks like the value went down by nearly $10.00 in just three weeks.

If the book is so very RARE, why did another seller also have one for sale?

Nancy Drew Mystery Books - 2 - $1 box books! GREAT

The above lot contained #4 and #38 with the $1 boxes, but it did not sell, most likely because the seller wanted $38.62 for the lot. Of course if the $1 box editions were as RARE as the first seller stated, $38.62 would be quite a bargain. Apparently nobody was interested in such rarities.

Nancy Drew May 2008 eBay Prices

Nancy Drew books are selling quite well on eBay currently.   I would have thought that Nancy Drew prices would have been down right now due to the economy and high gas prices.  Instead, there are several people who are aggressively bidding on the books, and in some cases are paying extremely high prices.   Some of the ordinary tweed books with dust jackets have sold for $100 and up, which is surprising since most of them sell for $10.00-$35.00.

#1 The Secret of the Old Clock, 1930A-1 w/copy DJ, $570.00
#1 The Secret of the Old Clock, 1935 w/DJ, $690.00
#1 The Secret of the Old Clock, thick 1940s w/DJ, $56.50
#2 The Hidden Staircase, 1939 w/DJ, $125.00
#2 The Hidden Staircase, thick 1940s DJ, $61.00
#3 The Bungalow Mystery, blank endpapers edition, no DJ, $153.50
#3 The Bungalow Mystery, blank endpapers edition, no DJ, $103.38
#4 The Mystery at Lilac Inn, 1935 w/DJ, $150.00
#4 The Mystery at Lilac Inn, thick 1940s w/DJ, $139.51
#4 The Mystery at Lilac Inn, 1945 w/DJ, $111.51
#4 The Mystery at Lilac Inn, 3rd art DJ, $95.00
#5 The Secret at Shadow Ranch, blank endpapers edition, no DJ, $58.00
#6 The Secret of Red Gate Farm, thick 1940s DJ, $149.05
#6 The Secret of Red Gate Farm, 1935 DJ, $125.00
#7 The Clue in the Diary, 1932A-1 w/DJ, $1,650.88
#7 The Clue in the Diary, 1934 w/DJ, $195.00, $99.99
#9 The Sign of the Twisted Candles, 1932D-2 w/DJ, $375.00
#9 The Sign of the Twisted Candles, 1948 w/DJ, $224.72
#10 The Password to Larkspur Lane, thick 1940s DJ, $151.00
#11 The Clue of the Broken Locket, thick 1940s DJ, $151.00
#11 The Clue of the Broken Locket, Applewood edition w/DJ, $53.00
#12 The Message in the Hollow Oak, 2nd art DJ, $76.00
#12 The Message in the Hollow Oak, thick 1940s DJ, $77.77
#12 The Message in the Hollow Oak, tweed w/DJ, $89.88
#13 The Mystery of the Ivory Charm, 2nd or 3rd prt w/DJ, $405.00
#13 The Mystery of the Ivory Charm, thick 1940s DJ, $67.00
#15 The Haunted Bridge, 1st prt w/DJ, $177.51
#15 The Haunted Bridge, tweed w/DJ, $92.88
#15 The Haunted Bridge, 1940s w/DJ, $77.88
#16 The Clue of the Tapping Heels, 1940s DJ, $90.00
#17 The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk, thick 1940s DJ, $142.50
#19 The Quest of the Missing Map, 2nd or 3rd prt w/DJ, $182.50
#19 The Quest of the Missing Map, early prt w/DJ, $67.00
#20 The Clue in the Jewel Box, 1943A-1 w/DJ, $228.40
#23 The Mystery of the Tolling Bell, 1946A-1 w/DJ, $56.55, $52.00
#25 The Ghost of Blackwood Hall, tweed w/DJ, $73.00
#30 The Clue of the Velvet Mask, 1st prt w/blue silhouette endpapers and DJ, $51.00
#32 The Scarlet Slipper Mystery, 1954D-1 w/DJ, $42.00
#35 The Haunted Showboat, 1958A-1 w/DJ, $75.00
#37 The Clue in the Old Stagecoach, 1960A-1 w/DJ, $53.51, $50.00
#41 The Clue of the Whistling Bagpipes, w/tri-fold ad, $50.87
Complete Set Matte PCs #1-56, $405.00

Nancy Drew Prices on eBay

A strange phenomenon has been occurring in recent months on eBay.   The prices for most Nancy Drew books have plummeted while others have gone sky-high.  It is now easy to get most older dust-jacketed Nancy Drew books at very reasonable prices, while oddly, the Applewood facsimile editions from the last 17 years often sell for much higher prices.   It would seem to me that the older books ought to sell for higher prices than the newer books.

The Applewood editions have exploded in value ever since Applewood stopped printing them over a year ago.  I feel like people are reacting emotionally as though these books are suddenly rare and don't realize that the books will come up for sale.  There have been cases where the Applewood editions, which retailed for under $20.00, have sold on eBay for $50.00, $100.00, and even above $200.00.  Even if the sellers claim that the books are rare, they are not rare.  The books are out there and will come up for sale again.  Not only that, I recently read that Applewood is under negotiation with Simon and Schuster to begin reprinting the first six Applewood editions and that they will likely negotiate a new contract in the near future for the rest of the titles that they previously printed.  I fear that some people will soon regret the huge prices that they are paying.

Here are some recent Applewood facsimile edition prices:

#7 The Clue in the Diary w/DJ $33.00
#8 Nancy's Mysterious Letter w/DJ $34.33
#9 The Sign of the Twisted Candles w/DJ, 4th printing, $50.32
#10 The Password to Larkspur Lane w/DJ $44.00
#15 The Haunted Bridge w/DJ, 1st printing $70.00
#15 The Haunted Bridge w/DJ, 1st printing $63.66

While most of the older dust-jacketed Nancy Drew books have collapsed in value, the printings from the early 1930s have exploded in value, in some cases far exceeding what the books have ever sold for in the past.  I have quoted some of these prices in older blog posts.   Here are the noteworthy auctions from the last week:

#1 The Secret of the Old Clock, true first printing 1930A-1, no DJ $306.00
#1 The Secret of the Old Clock, 1932 blank endpapers edition, w/DJ $401.00
#5 The Secret at Shadow Ranch, 1931 blank endpapers edition, w/DJ $361.00
#2 The Hidden Staircase, 1931 blank endpapers edition, w/DJ $800.00
#4 The Mystery at Lilac Inn, 1930 blank endpapers edition, probably the 2nd or 3rd printing, lists to Lilac Inn, w/DJ $761.50
#7 The Clue in the Diary, true first printing from 1932, blank endpapers edition, w/DJ $1,641.88
#8 Nancy's Mysterious Letter, true first printing from 1932, w/DJ $910.00
#10 The Password to Larkspur Lane, true first printing with revised/enlarged copyright page notice, w/DJ $515.00
#17 The Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk, true first printing, w/DJ $107.46

As high as these prices are, the five true first printing books were all sold to a bookseller who will place them back up for sale on fixed-price sites, unless the bookseller already has a buyer in mind.   In fact, because I know several seller's multiple ids, I am quite aware of exactly how much buying to resell occurs on eBay.   If not for the people buying to resell, the values of the more commonplace Nancy Drew books would have collapsed down to nothing. 

I estimate that roughly 40% of the collectible Nancy Drew books that are on eBay at any given time were recently purchased on eBay for the purpose of resale.  Most buyers would rather purchase a well-described book, so they do not buy from the sellers who found something in the attic and toss it on eBay with no description.  Those books almost always go to someone who then describes it correctly and places it back up for sale.

eBay Prices - Nancy Drew and Others

Nancy Drew:

#7 The Clue in the Diary w/DJ, 1932A-1, 1st printing, $2750.00
#22 Clue in the Crumbling Wall w/DJ, 1945A-1, 1st printing, $299.99
#3 The Bungalow Mystery w/DJ, 1933A-9, $251.99
#3 The Bungalow Mystery, blank endpapers, early printing, $152.49
#16 Clue of the Tapping Heels w/DJ, 1940A-4, $150.00
#11 The Clue of the Broken Locket w/DJ, 1934A-1, 1st printing, $118.49
#6 The Secret of Red Gate Farm, 1931C-2, blank endpapers, $92.50
#9 The Sign of the Twisted Candles w/DJ, 1933D-6, $91.00
#1 The Secret of the Old Clock, 1930D-4, blank endpapers, $89.88
#3 The Bungalow Mystery, 1930A-1, 1st printing, blank endpapers, $76.00
#5 The Secret at Shadow Ranch, 1931A-1, 1st printing, blank endpapers, $70.00

Dana Girls:

#1 By the Light of the Study Lamp w/DJ listing 3 titles, internals, $85.00
#5 The Secret at the Hermitage w/DJ, internals, $84.99
#6 The Circle of Footprints w/DJ listing 6 titles, internals, $84.99
#3 In the Shadow of the Tower w/DJ listing 3 titles, internals, $74.99
#17 The Witch's Omen, $66.00 #15 The Hundred-Year Mystery $19.95

Judy Bolton:

#33 The Secret Quest w/DJ, $53.99

Connie Blair:

#5 The Green Island Mystery w/DJ $47.77
#8 The Gray Menace w/DJ $37.56
#4 The Secret of Black Cat Gulch w/DJ $25.00

Vicki Barr:

#15 The Mystery of Flight 908 w/DJ $134.99
#14 The Clue of the Carved Ruby w/DJ $40.99

All prices are from listings that ended with a winning bidder.

Prices for early Nancy Drew books

There have been a few very early Nancy Drew books that have sold lately on eBay:

The Secret of the Old Clock w/DJ, 1930C-3, blank endpapers edition listing 4 titles on the front flap of the dust jacket, $787.00

The Hidden Staircase w/DJ, blank endpapers edition listing 6 titles on the front flap of the dust jacket, $326.21

The Hidden Staircase w/DJ, 1930C-3, blank endpapers edition listing 4 titles on the front flap of the dust jacket, $1492.65