i need a site that can tell values for old books?

Question

i need a site that can tell values for old books?

Answer 1

One quick and dirty way to get an idea is to check your books against the bookseller websites:



www.abebooks.com



www.alibris.com



www.bookfinder.com



Be aware that condition is very important, presence of a dust jacket and condition of that jacket, edition and printing. Also, the prices being asked are a seller's price; if you were to offer the book to a dealer for sale, you'd get about 40-60% of what the dealer will ask for it.



Good luck!

Answer 2

eBay will tell you not only what the current bid price for a book is, but also what recent copies have sold for. The latter is a much better guide to what a book will bring.



Abebooks will tell you what people are asking for books. Sellers don't always get what they ask, so don't expect those prices if you are the seller.



Book value varies enormously with condition. MINT books are perfect. You cannot tell them from new books. Of course they have a perfect dust jacket, also.



A book in FINE condition is worth 90% of a mint book. It is in excellent condition with the slightest signs of wear in book or dust jacket. A small, neat inscription -- owner's name -- may be acceptable.



A book in VERY GOOD condition is worth three-quarters what a mint book will bring. The only fault, common in old books, is slight fading or foxing (brown spots). The dust jacket has good color, with no damage except rubbed corners and edges.



A book in GOOD condition is worth about 40% what a mint one will bring. You can tell easily that it isn't new. There should be no missing pages, and the dust jacket will have some small tears along the edges, but the color is ok.



A book in BAD condition, 4% of mint value, maybe, may have a missing page at the front (not the text). The book may be warped or the spine damaged. The dust jacket is tatty and worn.



No dust jacket? It's not worth much to dealers. Is it an ex-library copy? That is bad, also. Sorry, no price guess here.

Answer 3

Sites online are not the best places to get the evaluation of the price of an old book.



Your best bet, if you're unable to do so yourself, is to take it to a rare/antique book dealer and ask them to appraise it for you.



How much a book is worth depends on:

-Condition: Mint, fine, good, bad, poor. Mint books are worth a lot more than books in "fine" or "poor" condition.

-Does it have the original dust jacket/cover, and what condition is it in?

-How many copies exist?

-What edition is it? First editions are much more valuable than say..books from the third or fourth printing.

-Is there anything particularly unusual about it? Doe it have an author's signiture, a vellum plate, an (intact) map?





The first thing you'll want to look at is the condition of your book. Is the spine cracked? Are there waterstained pages, or has it been damaged by mildew? Is the cover separating from the pages? Are the pages dog-eared or are there sticky things or stains (other than water) on them. Are the covers closing properly and is anything flaking off the book itself? Has it been patched or repaired with librarian's tape, is there discoloration on anything at all?



Next, check the publication information for a publication date, the publishing house, etc. Check to see when the book was first published.



After that, check for anything unusual. Books that come with intact maps (no rips, tears or pieces missing, very little wear on the edges) that belong with them (such as railroad propaganda, geographical books) are worth more with them then without. If there's an unusual picture (on vellum or on regular paper) make a note of that. Do as much research about your book as you can.



Check to see what the condition of other copies of the book you have are. If most of them are in poor condition, with a few that are good or fine, and you have a copy in fine condition, then it's likely people will be interested in your book.



Is it fairly unusual as a book in and of itself? Check to see how many copies are still around, see if it was ever mass marketed. Mass-market books can decrease greatly in value because everyone has one.



Even after you do all the research and checking, it would be a good idea to take it in for an appraisal by a rare or antique book dealer, just to get a second opinion. If you overvalue, no one will buy it, and if you undervalue, you may regret it later.



I hope this helps you, and good luck with pricing!

Answer 4

Check out these sites first:

alibris.com

bibliotec.com

www.loc.gov which is the Library of Congress and you can ask the librarian your question.

Also, check several different rare booksellers' accounts either on line or in person. And don't go with the first offer, because some will gouge you, while others will just offer you the going rate they think they can make reselling them.

And if they are in good condition, first edition, first printing books, you may want to check with both Sothbey's and Christie's auction house websites.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

there are a number of books with fee lists obtainable that allow you to already know the present fee of previous books. those fees substitute many times so which you'll want an up as much as now fee record. Books are everywhere, and maximum of them are economically valueless. Their age does not rely. Their rarity does not rely. Their literary or real high quality does not rely. the only 2 issues that do rely are (a) whether every physique needs them and is keen to pay for them, and (b) their difficulty. On difficulty, books are graded as effective, very stable, stable and undesirable. A e book graded stable can in reality be in person-friendly words incredibly poor -- only readable. you are able to locate out approximately e book grading in virtually any e book on e book accumulating. After beginning as much as earnings approximately what people might want immediately, e book grading is the main mandatory situation to earnings next.

Answer 6

I know of one book dealer (near Philadelphia) that deals in old books and may be able to help you.



http://www.bookbarn.com/index2.htm Baldwin's Book Barn,