Reply With QuoteI'd probably go ebay. Someone looking for items like this is unlikely to be a timewaster non-payer type and the books will likely find their true value. A book dealer will do what all dealers do and try to buy the as cheaply as possible.
I wonder if anyone can point me in the right direction - I have a handful (ten or so) of design/graphics type books dating from the late 1940s and early 50s that came from my Grandfather. While the link to my relatives is nice the books are pretty big and just sat on a shelf gathering dust. Does anyone know the best way to go about selling them or at least finding out if they even have any value?
I'd probably go ebay. Someone looking for items like this is unlikely to be a timewaster non-payer type and the books will likely find their true value. A book dealer will do what all dealers do and try to buy the as cheaply as possible.
Don't mean to sound negative, but old doesn't necessarily mean valuable. It will be a niche market I'd say (ie not that many potential buyers) and only of historical interest (important though that may be), which will be reflected in the value (usually low). But who knows? Author(s) could be important enough to affect value.
Head over to Abebooks and see if you can find similar copies for an idea of price:
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/books/old...k-values.shtml
If that avenue is a dead end, then personally, I'd be donating them to my local art/design college who I'm sure will appreciate and make the best use of them.
eBay is a start, the last time I was at an auction I think 13 boxes of books went for about £20.
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When my Father passed on he left hundreds of old antique magazines like The Conniosseur and others. Some dated back to the early 20th century. Being an architect he also had lots of books on the subject. They made fascinating reading. Unfortunately I had nowhere to store them and the auction houses were not interested. Neither were the charity shops. I ended up giving them to a local charity that specialised in second hand books. They subsequently sold most of them at an annual market. There was little value to be had from trying to sell them on ebay.
Thanks for your wisdom all. I’d not seen Abe books previously but the site pretty much confirms that the market values are minimal. It seems a real shame that there is no demand for pieces of history such as these books, but that’s life I suppose. I will have to seek out somewhere suitable that would welcome a donation.
Abe Books is wholly owned by Amazon, who took it over back in 2008Originally Posted by Mr Nuttington
It may also be worth checking on the Amazon main site, but do be aware that there are a lot of books there listed at wildly optimistic pricing - some sellers will list a load of books at hundreds of pounds each, in the hope that they might just sell one of them to a desperate/unsuspecting buyer.
Click-bait title leads to disappointment
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I would drop the V&A a quick email and ask if they would have any interest in them, they may be right up their street .
As Geralt said, I'd see if any of the titles are available on Abebooks - think of it as the Chrono24 for vintage book dealers. Like Chrono24 the prices are on the optimistic side, but it'll give you a rough idea whether they're worth anything and give you the contacts details of specialist dealers who might be worth getting in touch with.
I know, isn't it traditional for such to be popped in a carrier bag and chucked in a hedge bottom?Click-bait title leads to disappointment
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Glad it wasn't just me then....Click-bait title leads to disappointment
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Not really the 'specialist' interest I thought it was going to be. Probably says more about me though.
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