Rare Book Valuation. How I Do That. Part Five. "Wait A Minute".

Rare Book Valuation

How I Do That

Part Five

"Wait A Minute"

            It would seem I could wrap things up?  I’ve assembled the components for a formula projecting a ‘valuation’.  Haven’t I?  IF... one copy is for sale on eBay for $575.00 and a second copy was at auction estimated a $1500. – $2500 but did not sell and a third copy actually sold at auction for $2128.00 and I cannot find any other actual copies of the actual original first edition of the actual old book BUT TOO... notice is noted that a ‘fish print’ is in the book with, too, a menu... whatever that’s about... and... apparently... numerous “nice old” (original to the original book) illustrations all within an attractive 1869 ‘publisher’s cloth with title in gilt gold’ original binding and... notice is noted too to... PAY ATTENTION TO THE condition OF THE BOOK and... THE condition OF MY COPY of the book and, of course, I never forget ‘divide by four’ (Part Three).

            The formula is actually suggesting we need to do a bit more... rare book seller... work... “before we get there” (have a valuation that ...SELLS the book.  A couple of dibs and dabs of “Wait a minute”).

            Oh... your just gonna keep your copy “anyway”?  No your not.  Why?  Because you do not have a copy of this book.  Why?  Because this book is ...in actual fact.... a RARE BOOK.  You’s gonna be rare book hunter along time before you “FIND” a copy of Allerton... ‘on the loose’ that you may choose to “keep”.  All rare book hunters will tell you that one will find a ‘rare book’ but it probably won’t be the old rare book you aspire to ‘keep’.  Anyway and again, the old rare books I find I aspire TO SELL...  You can ...and may... “buy mine”?

            So I go back over the ‘its’ again. Let me start with the eBay copy.  I remember reading the condition description ‘very carefully’ (Part Four).  I read it again.  SURE ENOUGH what I recalled reading is still reading the same:  At $575.00 this eBay copy for sale notices in minimal text that this copy lacks (is missing) the folding fish print.  An imperfect copy... to say the least.  “The least?”  Yeah... every info bit I’ve found on the Allerton notices the beautiful fish print of a Brook Trout.  So... like... if... YOUR copy lacks this plate... your copy of this old rare book (Allerton) IS an imperfect copy missing the most featured item and what does that mean for valuation to collectors?  IT MEANS “NO”.  Would you buy a car without its engine?  “NO”.  Got it?  It is “NO” no matter what.  Collectors do not want an Allerton missing the fish print.  Not even for a ‘divide by four’ $125.00.  It is... to a rare book hunter/seller like I... a... “NO!”.  No matter what including it now being obvious why this copy of Allerton is still sitting around on eBay “at five seventy-five”.

            My copy has the fish print in PERFECT CONDITION.  It has to have the fish print and I want it to be ‘perfect condition’ too... for a ...collector grade... valuation.  And, again, I know you ‘don’t have one’ (a copy).

            Skipping over the old ‘unsold’ auction listing because it is vague in its details and I... have the ...very detailed (including the fish print) descriptions (note plural) and illustrated... Thompson Sale catalog listing... I... very carefully purposely slowly patiently and with my actual copy at ...and in... hand I... yeah I even have a magnify glass too for that is so ‘tweed jacket mustachioed pipe smoking old school rare book seller...

            Here within that catalog entry are all the noted tid-bits I need to know of and find ALL of the features of a collector grade copy... including the menu... and

            “Condition”

            This last I’ll get back to as a stand alone valuation issue.  Right now I spend my time ‘checking out’ the proper completeness of my copy “compared to Thompson (the Thompson copy)”.  It (my copy) does compare ‘complete as issued’ so mine (my copy) may be ‘seller offered’ as ‘being identical to the Thompson copy’, a seller to collector assurance that is VERY... GOOD to be able to amend to MY COPY.  This sort of full bore comparison quickly makes ‘good sense’ to any full bore rare book hunter because it makes... good cents... too.

            Let me make a strong suggestion at this moment:  READ THE BOOK.  Reminding again that all of this rare book realm is about books and reading... why not now that one has actually purloined to be at hand an actual rare book... READ IT?  Question mark.  Before that... task... one must accept, acknowledge and ...actually do...; inspect the ‘your rare book’ PAGE by PAGE to be, well, at a ‘least’, sure that ALL of the book is... ahhhh.... “There”.  This is called ‘collating it’ and means that, as an owner/seller.... YOU have looked at (INSPECTED) every page ‘to be sure’ “MY COPY” is “all there”.  The way this ends in rare book seller land is a purchasing collector will ask... ME... “did you (I) collate it?”

            “Yes.”  That’s a barrelhead top guarantee that the book is ‘all there’.  It is never mentioned again... in professional settings.  Now... on the wait a minute... a collation “done by you” is considered worthless and a “I have to do that myself (before I’d buy the crummy rare book you found)  Nothing personal:  Just a professional ‘must’ and you ‘can’t be trusted at that’ (collation of anything).

            While I am looking at each page... the suggestion of actually reading the book is denoted and as this rare book... like so many rare books, has a ‘very thin’ amount of text, the... to actually read the book is NOT difficult to do.  Actually it is most often FUN to do.  For example... a first edition of Robert Burns’ first book of poetry... is a rare book that is too a (actually not that) thin book so if one has one of those, likes Burns and likes all the rare book banter about Burns too... to actually read, yourself, the actual first edition copy of this “your rare book I found”... IS FUN.  Unless you are a really greedy rare book seller who feels this is all about money and not about reading books and... in most cases... these types cannot read ‘anyway’.

            Stepping back a moment here I call attention to the ‘very thin’ above.  The economics of the first edition – first book... at the moment of creation commonly was done with very small budget so... to no surprise a great many ‘rare books’ were published (and self published) on very skimpy budgets so that the resulting rare book today is very often a very thin rare book.  That’s a hint for you:  Many, many true rare books are truly thin books too.  It is okay to not embrace this hint because you’ll ‘find out anyway’ if you ever go anywhere ‘in rare books’.  When I look at the spine ends on your book case... I am looking for very thin spine ends.  The more thin books I see, PROBABLY the better collection “I am looking at” and... I have not even touched the ‘your books’ yet.  I won’t be touching your books ...if they are too thick.  But, of course, this has nothing to do with rare book valuation.  Or does it?

            The Allerton... IS a thin book.  To no surprise to me.  So as I am ...reading it... (a possible two thousand dollar book I own and will be selling)... I am looking at ALL the details that ‘make’ up the book.  “Make up the book” is not ‘valuation’ of the book.  Make ups are different critters than value.  I will note some ‘make ups’ in the Allerton but I will not explain them:

            Cover with title in gold

            Spine end.

            Title page

            Preliminaries

            Imprint

            Published (here published by the author}

            And ‘sold’ by the author

            WHERE (New York)

            Dates (of occurrence and publication)

            Copyright

            Full page prints

            Printed textual illustrations

            The text; titles and subtitles

            The fish print

            The menu

            Additional leaves (pages) of ‘advertising at the end

            Rear cover blind stamped with title.

            And more.

            While I am reading the book (Allerton) I am also very carefully ‘looking at every page’.  Just for me.  “This is fun”.  Remember Rat and Mole: ‘Nothing is so much fun as messing around with...’ Old Books.  If one is not a ‘totally there’ with this old books – reading them... the ‘I want to be a rare book hunter’ and ‘make a lot of money doing that’ is going to have a perpetual crass or trashy taint to your actions with it (old rare books) and... the most professional ones (rare book people) WILL quickly note this ...without noting it to you... and... then you will be professionally qualified ‘evermore’.

            Let us touch this point.  I do not ever talk about any of this... to anyone... for any reason.  That I am a rare book seller prowling to purloin the finest rare books I may find... is never spoken of or shown... off.  No.  Never.  You’d never know.  Never ever know.  A playing dumb is the least of it.  I prefer to play ‘not even there’.  Most rare books I find are found by I in the hands of a great ‘don’t know’ and I assuredly follow through by making sure their transactions with me never ever suggests in anyway that an ‘old’ ish book is ever in anyway a true old rare book ‘I found’ and “valuable’.  And:  If you are a rare book hunter I prefer that YOU feel that I ‘don’t know’.  ANYTHING.