Hi, for everyone asking questions as to the value of Encyclopaedia Britannica sets, the basic guideline is that the 1st up until the 8th Editions have great collector values, defined by condition. The 9th and 10th Editions are so numerous that they are of small value; up to maybe $3-500 in good condition. Anything after the 11th, 12th, 13th (1910-1928) is basically worthless.
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What is the value of 19 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica, 14th Edition?
There are a lot of these books out there. Only the ones that are over 100 years go for a fare price. This set only going between $25 and $35. Try auction/bid for better price and collector/buyer!
Hi! Was this set originally a 24 volume set?
I see the 24 volume sets selling on eBay rather consistently in the 100 range + shipping. The higher value ones are "free" shipping, which means the seller pays the price to because he/she pays for shipping.
The blue/white cover is different than many I have seen, so I am not sure if that will change the value.
There is a slight resurgence in all encyclopedia in a few markets, from my research.
1. is that there are some nursing homes that like to have sets on hand for their residents.
2. Junk journal and collage artists like them for tearing out pages and using them in their projects.
3. Home schooling parents are starting to be interested in them again to keep the kids off the screens and to teach reading skills.
Perhaps you could tap one of these markets and get yours sold!
Post back with an update!
Selling an incomplete set is usually more difficult than when you have a full set but some sellers try their hand at individual volumes.
Most of these are listed at less than $10 plus shipping and are usually very slow selling - but they do occasionally sell.
Your pictures look like your books may be in pretty good condition and that is a plus. You might try listing them on eBay with several pictures and good description of which volumes you have.
Shipping is always a problem due to the size and weight you will probably have to ship in 2 boxes so be sure of the shipping cost before listing. These can be shipped media mail so shipping is not very high.
If there is anything of real interest in any of your books - like maps or pictures - be sure to state that and pictures also as these are used for different projects.
You can start your set at a higher price and offer 'best offer' just to see what the market is for an incomplete set.
You might also try some local venues - Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, LetGo, OfferUp are some popular sites.
Check out Britannica on eBay so you can get an idea of the best way to list your set.
People still buy encyclopedias and a large majority sell for good money.
So - Just don't give up without trying some of the suggestions provided.
Remember - nothing ventured - nothing gained.
Good luck...
I have a complete set of Edinburgh signed edition Of Encyclopedia Britannica No "29" of 100 Sets in pristine condition. I would be happy if you could advise me how much is it worth as I am not able to find this anywhere on the Internet
I recently found a complete set of 1900 Encyclopedia Britannica. Does anyone know what they are worth?
A person is asking $349 on eBau for a set from 1911. The value of your books is determined by the condition of the book plus the supply and demand. I would recommend seeking the help of an auction house to sell the books for you.
I can find very little information about a 1900 edition except that it is one (maybe first) edition of the Americanized version with full contents of the the previous 9th edition.
Your books look to be in very bad condition (just looking at the pictures) so I do not believe a collector would be interested and they are usually the people who pay the big money.
I would just suggest you list them on several local venues like Craigslist, LetGo, OfferUp, etc and have them as pick up only so a potential buyer could see the actual books.
I have tried researching these before and like cybergrannie, come up empty handed. As amazing as Google and all of the analog resources are, they are not perfect and sometimes the especially old items get lost in some gray area of knowledge.
So that said, my best suggestion is to try to call Abe's Books at 1-800-315-5335 and see how much it would cost if you were to purchase this set from them (they don't have it for sale that I can see, but I would hope they could ballpark it for you. That would give you an approximate retail value (I find their prices a tad high, but ball park is good).
You can then use that price to start yours knowing that as a person you most likely won't fetch retail for them; most likely you will get 25-50% of retail depending on where you are located and how bad someone wants them.
One thing I can tell you is that because of the age and that they should be out of copyright, there are junk journal artists who may want to get their hands on one or more volumes. They will tear them apart and use them for art. Some find that blasphemous. I personally think it is awesome because the alternative is often the landfill, burn pile or if you are lucky, being recycled (which if that was all the time would be awesome, but it often is not the option).
If you are on Facebook, look at the group junk journal junkies boutique. You can join this group and then post them for sale--I would do one or two volumes at a time for a set price.
People can pay through Paypal and in most cases the cost includes shipping, just be sure your price is high enough to cover shipping and leave a few bucks for profit and paypal fees. US media mail if you are US is the least expensive method to ship.
I hope you do well with them!! They are neat!
I have an Encyclopaedia Britannica published in 1963. It also has a complementary bible and two year books as added extras. It is in its original bookcase. Is it worth any money or collecting?
By J. Scott
Make sure yours are not the R.S. Peale reprints. If your set is original it's worth something most likely :)
Is there any value or worth to the 50th anniversary edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica?
Thank you, the set just sold for $500.00
Hi I was just wondering if anyone knows much about this encyclopaedia, recently found in an attic that belonged to my grandparents
Anyone know if these have any value?
These books are only valuable to collectors, because they are under 100 years old . You may get $50 for the set. Try auction/bid for a better price!
Books such as this hold no value at all unless you are willing to keep them 100+ years. In most cases they are hard to donate and even harder to sell. In a few cases peple have been able to sell the books but for a very low price. Normally around $25 or so is all they can get for them. It is best to sell locally so you don't need to ship the books to the person who buys them.
Encyclopedia Britannica sets do sell but value varies with year/edition, condition and sometimes where located. If selling 'pick up only' sales would be limited to your area but no shipping involved.
There have been two 1962 sets sold on eBay (January) in the past several months.
Check these links and compare to your set.
Sometimes you can pick up ideas from other sellers on how to list your books.
www.ebay.com/
www.ebay.com/
Condition is important and your set looks like it has a lot of damage to the tops of the spines so that will lower the value.
I would suggest listing them on several local venues like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, LetGo, OfferUp, USA Forsale and start your price higher and lower it if no one shows an interest.
How much are my encyclopedias worth? 1768 Britannica 24 volumes?
What value might a complete suede covered, onion skin paged set of 11th edition 1910 Encyclopedia Britannica be worth?
I have a 24 set of Britannica Encyclopedia from 1969, it's in pretty good condition except for the index. I also have the 15 set (not really sure how many volumes there are supposed to be) of Britannica Junior Encyclopedia from 1968 which is also in good condition.
So I was just wondering what the value of these two sets might beI did find a children's set that is 20 volumes that they are trying to sell on eBay. It appears the set you have is incomplete according to the listing that I can find on eBay. You have 15 volumes and the other sets contain 20 volumes. The asking price for the complete set of 20 volumes is $50 + shipping and handling which will be quite expensive.
Also on eBay, there is a complete set of the 1969 encyclopedias that you are asking about. The person is asking $394 for this set. Here is the page that you can find all the listing on so you can check the prices against the two sets that you have. Just keep in mind the condition of the sets plays an important role when selling them and you'll need some really good pictures in order to list them online. www.ebay.co.uk/
