rare books to look for at garage sales

Pocket watches can sell for mega-money, like the world's most expensive, a 1920 Patek Philippe Supercomplication. Wake up to the day's most important news. Best Easy, Cheap Dinner Ideas for Your Family. While a complete set in pristine condition is hard to come by, a first edition set from its initial run sold at auction for $137,500 at Sothebys in 2008. Every printed book has a first edition, many never have later editions., Sutton warns that identifying a first edition book can be a major challenge. Country Living editors select each product featured. Rarebooks.stanford.edu is a resource for scholars, students, librarians, book professionals, and collectors. Germany's Black Forest isn't just known for great cakecuckoo clocks from the region are prized by collectors. Where there is a selection of older and used items, one is likely to find books. Required fields are marked *. Oftentimes, people won't think twice before chucking a book into a box and putting it out with the rest of the junk during a garage sale. Yikes!). , Paperback Good quality knives 6. In the late '90s it was easy to find and sell books online. Notes: Numbers: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page. Reading has surprising benefits you might not know about! It would be the precursor and blueprint for what would later become the trilogywith its first installment, The Fellowship of the Ring, released 17 years later in 1954. : In recent sales, the manuscript of the book was sold for as much as $13.4 million in a 1999 auction . So if your neighbors are having a garage sale soon, you might want to keep your eyes peeled for the following wares. Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2021, I was thinking of Christmas gifts to give out and I know A LOT of people who would love to learn about making money at garage sales. My favorite memories all involve books, she says. Best Easy, Cheap Dinner Ideas for Your Family, 42 Best Bedroom Paint Color Ideas for 2023, Early Spring Flowers Will Combat the Winter Blues, What Our Editors Bought and Loved in February, Dad Jokes To Keep the Whole Family Laughing, These Items Could be Worth So Much Money Today, This Christmas Vacation Village Is Just Magical, 60 of the Most Valuable Toys From Your Childhood, You Won't Believe What These Antiques Are Worth, An Update For Our Country Living Fair Community, 40 Things You Should Never Buy at a Thrift Store, Things From the 70s That Could Make You Rich, 55 Things in Your Attic That Are Worth a Lot. A missing page can easily destroy a books value, says Sutton. Below I have listed a few that caught my eye, either because I have seen/owned/remember them from my childhood, or think its spiffy that they are worth so much. In 2013, a California woman forgot to take an $18,000 pair of earrings out of a jacket before selling it for $20. Coffee Table Books But you dont need much of either to start a promising collection., Most any accomplished book collector will suggest that new collectors let their passions and interests drive the development of their antique book collection. Most people find it overwhelming and assume they dont have the knowledge or money. Since its so limited, a first edition copy in near-perfect condition runs about $65,000. You'll be glad you built up your arm muscles to get this 600+ page book home. 10 VINTAGE METAL LUNCH BOXES WORTH MONEY - RARE ITEMS TO LOOK FOR AT GARAGE SALES!! It was auctioned in 2014 for $9.48 million. Learning how to spot valuable books at a thrift store can be fun and profitable. A good way to judge this is to ask yourself, Would I want to keep it on my shelf for decades to come? If the answer is yes, then the intrinsic value is highand the book will make an excellent addition to your collection. The Rothschild Prayer Book for years has been one the most sought-after Rare books for people interested in investing in books. 9. Sometimes you can get a book cleaned and restored even if there is mold damage, but be sure not to store a moldy book with other mold-free books, as the fungus can (and will) spread. However, to succeed at this, having the right systems, information and tools is critically important. The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe. AbeBooks has been part of the rare book world since going live in 1996. If you are a lover of books and a lover of antiques, antique book collection might be a thrilling pursuit for you. As discussed in the introduction, estate sales can be a gold mine for bibliophiles. It's estimated that the global resale market for athletic shoes has reached $2 billion and among the most prized are Nike's iconic line of Air Jordans. Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard. In April 2004, a first edition copy sold at auction for a whopping $321,600 at Sothebys New York. I have heard specific collectors require books to be anywhere from 15 to 50 years old to qualify as vintage. In addition, Christies also auctioned off a poem Poe wrote to woo a married woman (that wasnt his wife) for $830,500. But if you cant afford that hefty price, a more affordable second printing of the first edition can be yours for about $49,000. Since 10,000 copies were printed, it's not super rare, and the publication year could fool people into thinking it's not old enough to be valuable. Thank you to the following individuals and businesses who shared their images of antique and vintage books for this blog post: Are you an estate sale company or auctioneer? : Hemingway famously wrote, In order to write about life you must first live it.Due to its very limited numbers, In Our Time is considered one of the rare books for book collectors around the world. Garage sales that are held following someone passing away who had a long illness are great places to find unused medical supplies. 2002-2023 LoveToKnow Media. Over the past two decades however, he has applied the knowledge he's picked up along the way into running a profitable online business/hobby in his spare time. Please try again. Country Living editors select each product featured. 17. A good way to judge this is to ask yourself, Would I want to keep it on my shelf for decades to come? If the answer is yes, then the intrinsic value is highand the book will make an excellent addition to your collection. Hardcover with jacket. You are out of luck. When I received this book, again I was going to give it away but it was SO intriguing and such a delightful and well written book to read that I just kept it, my friends are on their own! The certificate was tucked away in a box of papers the buyer purchased, so it wasn't until later he discovered its modern value had soared to a jaw-dropping $130 million. The book was well-preserved and was numbered 45 of the first 100 copies ever printed. Etsy. Sterling silver flatware 2. , First edition identification varied widely among publishers until the early 1990s, she says. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations. Valuable Collectibles from the '70s - These 1970s Items Could Be Worth Money. Over 30 years Experience Buying and Selling Rare Books Nationwide for Institutions and Collectors. You are out of luck. In her tireless search for antique books, Sutton has become an avid user of EstateSales.org. At VintageBooksToRead, Grybos focuses mainly on selling vintage books, which he classifies as published before 1980. Harry Potter - Rare & Valuable Editions Book: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (U.K.)Author: JR Rowling Description: 1st Edition, 1st Printing. Keep searc. 2. Since then, they've sold over $1.8 million. There was no question in my mind, she says. At nearly 27 carats, the ring's stone was so big it looked like costume jewelry, so it was decades before the ring's new owner had it appraised and learned its true value. If you've found a stash of classics at your thrift store, you'll want to look for well-known authors, first editions, first prints, books in great condition, special editions, lesser-known titles, and signed books. Remember that antique books are at least 100 years old. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Another garage sale staple, now that the teens are done with them. Most people find it overwhelming and assume they dont have the knowledge or money. This was a fun book. 3. This was a gift to my SO he loved it said he had learned a few things by the time he hit the middle of the book & he was excited by the prospect of turning a hobby into a side business . 9. In 2009, one of 12 copies known in existence sold at auction for $662,500 at Christies in New York City. J.D. Whether you have old books in the attic, are shopping at an antique flea market, or are thinking of starting the hobby of rare book collecting, you may wonder how to identify a rare book. The Hunger Games (Trilogy) swept the teen market a while back, meaning there are now countless volumes to be found in garages destined to make their eventual way to the garage sale. Michele is a writer who has been published both locally and internationally. Whether or not you can play a lick, buying that old axe sitting in the corner of the garage sale can bring big returns. Published by Bloomsbury, July 1997. I stopped there later that day and I purchased boxes of books.. Back in 2013, he or she came upon what might be one of the most impressive garage sale hauls of all time. Place it (still) near a fireplace. Enjoy a great reading experience when you borrow the Kindle edition of this book with your Kindle Unlimited membership. This guide brims with nuts-and-bolts advice. Only 250 copies were printed for friends and family, as one of these rare copies sold at auction for 43,400 (about $56,124) in 2016. Edgar Allan Poe, who died in 1849, once turned over a manuscript to a local printing press for self-publication. There are a lot of books on the market about how to have a garage sale and yes some about making money buying at them but many of these books can be limited in their information. Every printed book has a first edition, many never have later editions., Sutton warns that identifying a first edition book can be a major challenge. Get the goods on antiques, collectibles, vintage finds, and all things estate sales. Food dehydrator 12. Other questions Rambo asks are, Is the spine tight? Also will be setting rare bromeliads and other plants. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Sutton, who browses EstateSales.org daily to find deals in her area, advises reading the full description of the sale and also browsing through the pictures to get a sense of the persons interests, which can provide insight into what kind of books you will find. For example, prior to 1990, Dr. Seuss first edition books require their original dust jacket for authenticity. Invented in 1858 by John Landis Mason, these handy glass jars with the airtight seals were first used for canning. The first comic that Superman appeared in resold for $3.2 million, and others can go for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Florentino is devastated, but remains a romantic. When J. K. Rowling's first hit book was published in the U.S. in 1998, the title was changed from the Philosopher's Stone to the Sorcerer's Stone. In 1998, a first edition of Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales sold at auction at Christies in London. Age is not the sole defining issue but rather one factor of many in determining price, Sutton says. Camping equipment 5. It's an easy read, full of very useful information. First released in 1865, Lewis Carrolls Alices Adventures in Wonderland is one of the most sought-after first editions in literature. For years garage sale trainer Dan Blakely has been helping people easily supplement their income by going to Garage sales! Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2018. , Item Weight Hardcover versions and those signed by J. K. Rowling are worth more. As Cheryl Rambo of, The ephemeral nature of books makes condition critical, says Grybos. Only 1,500 copies were printed and sold, perhaps as it was considered a fashionable, yet disposable novel when it was first released. Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2021. You're not likely to find a million dollar book in a thrift shop, but you could find one worth hundreds. Chock full of extremely valuable information. 1941260r-Bournemouth NewsREX/Shutterstock, We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), items are sitting in your attic, you could make a lot of money, cheap items to buy now that will be worth a fortune later, toys from your childhood could be worth a fortune now. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. Created for the 2013 Justin Timberlake/Jay-Z tour, they've resold for $7,000. I also find beautiful books at auctions, antique stores and thrift stores. Where there is a selection of older and used items, one is likely to find books. Published by Boston: Little, Brown.Estimated Value: $5000+ for excellent condition! Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2020. Keep your eyes peeled for original prints from these authors: You might think modern books can't be as valuable as antique books. Estimated Value: $1900 $6000+. , Basically, how many copies are left, how good of a condition is the book in, and is it important enough to be valued by others for that time when you might want to resell it., While age can increase value because it increases rarity, be careful of sellers who slap a high price on a book simply because its old. 1. The term vintage can have different qualifying ages depending on the source and the item, she says. Please try again. The key is to find first editions of popular books in great condition, like J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone, which recently sold for $80,000. I stopped there later that day and I purchased boxes of books.. Van Vogt - Pre 1950s first editions Agatha Christie - Any Pre-1960 first editions Alain Fournier - Early editions You can find anything from outdoor furniture to laundry detergent at the average estate sale, but dig a little deeper you just might unearth the types of hidden treasures and antiques that could make a savvy buyer some serious cash. Antique American trunks in good condition generally might be worth a few hundred dollars. ISBN: 0-7475-3269-9Estimated Value: $3500+ Signed = $10,000+ (An unsigned copy is listed on eBay for $25,000, at the time this article is published. It's not unusual to find old records at garage sales. Is there writing on the pages? Our Collection of Rare and Collectible Books. As Mr. Blakely says Happy Sailing!, Good place to start for people interested in buying and re-selling, Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2022. , Language The book, the first printed by movable type, sold for a whopping $5.39 million (about $11.5 million today), a world record at the time for the highest amount paid for a single book. For example, there is a chapter on how to organize your self without taking up too much room in your home and the middle of the book is devoted to instructing the reader on finding value in common items, such as DVDs, CDs. In fact, that exact thing happened to a member of the Atariage forums. Is the cover sun bleached? All of these factors can decrease the market value of a book: Condition can be one of the most important factors in determining a books market value, so its important to assess the condition of an antique book carefully. It wasnt a best-seller when it was released in 1925 with only about 25,000 copies sold by the time of the authors death in 1940. Water, moisture and humidity are all enemies of the book, so if you are at a sale and see boxes in a basement that have not been moved for months, be careful and give a close look over the items before purchase, says Grybos. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. by Doubleday, 1993, 1st edition-2nd print, DJ is price intact (23.50) collectors set of books . If you have a first edition, look for a typo on the back of the dust jacket: jay Gatsby with a lowercase j. This spelling error was corrected by hand with ink or a stamp. Originally titled Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies, the First Folio is a collection of 23 plays by William Shakespeare, including The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, and Romeo and Juliet. The answer islots. Today, nostalgia has bumped the resale value of models like the blue TPS-L2 up to as much as $500. The librarians kept a historical section under glass near the counter and gazing through to the antiquarian maps and history books intrigued me., The same is true for Jennifer Sutton, owner of the, My favorite memories all involve books, she says. Fishing/Camping Gear. From quiet picnics with Laura Ingalls Wilder to late college nights with Edgar Allan Poe, my recollections are all based on my favorite author of the time., Both accomplished antique book collectors, Grybos and Sutton identify estate sales as one of their most successful spots for hunting down rare books. Survival-related reference books 3. They are some of the not-so-obvious and really fun and exciting things to look for when researching rare books. 5. Pride and Prejudice, however, went on to gain literary status throughout the 20th and 21st centuries with a number of film and TV adaptations. Yikes!) But, more importantly, you can ensure you wont get ripped off when shopping for your own personal collection. There are only 12 rare books still in existence. Stephen King is a well-known modern author and many of his books from the 1970s and 1980s are valuable if you have the first edition. These titles indicate the year that the book was printed., As discussed in the introduction, estate sales can be a gold mine for bibliophiles. . You will learn just about EVERYTHING from A to Z to easily start and maintain a money-making business and/or hobby. Back cover has 6 review blurbs. Well known to book collectors and booklovers, our site is an excellent resource for discovering a rough value of an old book. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Most bibliophiles and rare book enthusiasts associate books with a positive memory from their childhood. Most rare book collectors agree that antique books are far older than vintage books, an important distinction for the purpose of collection and resale. Welcome to Stanford Libraries' online reference for rare books. While you'll spend at least $20 (or MUCH more) at a big box store, you can pick them up for a fraction of the cost thrifting or garage saling. Your email address will not be published. 5. F, ocus on your subject area, says Sutton of VintageBookworms. One with the dust jacket in good condition will fetch a great price. Finding antiques at garage sales and estate sales is a great way to get a bargain. 6. Book: The Cat In The HatAuthor: Dr. Suess Description: 1957, published by Random House. While loyalists will tell you there is no bad book by Elmore Leonard, Get Shorty is probably his best-known novel and certainly worth arm-wrestling for at a garage sale. Vintage books that are 20 years old or older can also be valuable. Keep in mind, even if you only make $100 off the resale of the book you bought at a thrift store, that's a huge profit considering you probably paid under $5 for it. Suggested Books to help you value or sell books: Links to Websites to help you value, sell or find rare books: Amazon.com Has every book imaginable, including many collectors / rare editions. Likewise, I only purchased antique books with highly decorated covers.. These are the most expensive books in the world. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. I have fond memories of going with my grandmother to the local library in Mt. Battery-operated appliances 11. 40 Garage Sale Finds That Could Secretly Be Worth a Ton. Similarly, identifying first editions within the Nancy Drew series requires a dust jacket so that you can view the list of titles on the jacket. Just recently, Sutton found an sale on estatesales.org that listed books in the description, but upon browsing the photos she was thrilled to see dozens of shelves lined with atlases, magazines, reference textbooks and novels. You can get help pricing your vintage jewelry here. The sold price shows you what someone actually paid for the book in the end, while listing price is the sellers early determination of the books value (which may or may not be accurate). We Buy Old and Rare Books and Manuscripts. A 1976 Apple 1 computer built by Steve Jobs is currently listed on eBay for $1,750,000, along with a variety of other brands and models valued at thousands of dollars. If you can find a signed copy from the first printing of the third book in the trilogy, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, you could sell it for up to $300. Similar Valuable Books: Green Eggs And Ham by Dr Suess. The VW Rebranding: Did You Fall for It or Did You Take Note of the Date. Bookbid Rare Books specializes in rare antiquarian and modern collectible books. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. For example, prior to 1990, Dr. Seuss first edition books require their original dust jacket for authenticity. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. , ISBN-13 Six Days of the Condor was the original book title that the Robert Redford movie, "Three Days of the Condor," was based on. Intrinsic value is your own personal interest in the book based on your passion for the subject or the author. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Check out our rare books for sale selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our book sets & collections shops. Part of the value of books is based on demand and desirability, so it would make sense that classics would have higher demands than unknown works. The first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone is the only book in the series that credits Joanne Rowling as its author (J.K. Rowlings birth name before she took a pen name) and a print line number that reads, 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. The American edition released in 1998 removed the Joanne Rowling author credit and also changed its title to Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. Identify them by their vibrant colors and fruit shapes, like apples and berries. Laminated pictorial boards (not bound in cloth )- shiny-ish illustrated covers by Thomas Taylor. Sutton, who browses EstateSales.org daily to find, The photographs of the items for sale in the home often provide a much clearer idea of what I might be able to find, as the written descriptions often just list books, she says. This beautifully updated & move-in ready two-story in the heart of Proctor is not only gorgeous to look at but well-cared for and highly practical as well. We're not talking about designer duds you can resell on eBay, although those finds can bring in cold, hard cash, too. Our point? While age can increase value because it increases rarity, be careful of sellers who slap a high price on a book simply because its old. Please try again. Unlike buying rare books and antique collectible books, valuable books to look for at thrift stores are the ones that are collectible, but not obviously worth millions. Anyone who has been to an estate sale, garage sale or thrift store has seen the pile of old, tattered books tucked away in a corner, mostly ignored. Sixteen are preserved at institutional libraries, while six are in the hands of private collectors. Same, but with the rare 50 Word vocabulary sticker on the front of dust jacket, and not price clipped up to $4000. Find rare books, vintage and antique books, signed books, limited editions, B&N exclusive editions, leather-bound books, hard-to-find books, and more at Barnes & Noble. Vintage kitchenware like Pyrex can go for thousands, but if you happen across antique-looking pottery you also might want to snap it up. First editions of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone can fetch about $40,000 to $55,000 at auction, depending on its conditionrecently, a rare copy sold for nearly $100,000! In 2013, a 1,000-year old Chinese bowl bought for $3 at a yard sale was auctioned off for more than $2 million. Carmel, Pennsylvania, on daily reading trips in the summer, he says. This means, as of 2018, a book published in or before the year 1998 could be considered vintage. The get rich guide to garage sale foraging and urban treasure hunting. While trying to figure out if some old books I had were worth any money, I found some not-very-old books that are worth a surprising amount of cash. The original paperback and hardcover editions can fetch $2000+. 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. This will truly make the experience enjoyable. Learn the q, 7 Most Valuable Rare Antique Fishing Lures You Might Actually Own. Part of HuffPost News. There can be multiple printings of a first edition. For example, a first edition 7th printing can be worth up to $475. Forget the movie, the book is better. They coul of elaborated a bit more! Believe it or not, only 500 copies were printed during its initial run, with 300 of those going to libraries and schools across the United Kingdom. But if you are dreaming of a garage sale super-score, bring home a trunk from the luxury French design house Louis Vuitton. For that reason, people aren't apt to think these cookbooks have great monetary value. All rights reserved. 1960. Estate sales are a fantastic place to find some amazing books if the homeowners were old enough, says Grybos. This book provides valuable insights into successfully mastering the world of these sales. Most bibliophiles and rare book enthusiasts associate books with a positive memory from their childhood. Using individual knowledge, the reader already possesses, to dominate those sales. Casino Royale sold out in a matter of a few months, as the demand for more adventures with James Bond grew in the United Kingdom. : Take a look on eBay to see what variations are the most collectible. If you can find the 1961 version of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, it's worth around $500. Nowadays the rarest kinds, like those stamped with an upside-down logo that were used as dispensers, could sell for around $1,000. The buyer, Rick Norsigian assumed them to be the lost negatives of the famous landscape photographer Ansel Adams, so he decided to hire a lawyer to help him sell the prints.