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What is value of 1921 Home and School Dictionary in good condition?
Dictionaries are generally low in value as they are just not something most people wish to spend money on.
Unbeknownst to many people books like this are sold more often to interior decorators and they are just looking for cheap old books to fill up a shelf.
eBay sold items does not list any sales over the past 6-12 months and eBay is a large book selling site. Amazon does not show any recent sales.
Current value can only be placed on sold items (either exact same item or something very similar) so we basically have nothing to base a value on.
There is a similar book (1923 edition) presently listed on eBay and the seller is asking $25 plus $5 shipping. This book looks to be in better condition but difficult to tell for sure.
There is no way to tell how long this book has been listed for sale as the seller is a book dealer and they keep their books listed for months (even years) and they may or may not sell.
An asking price does not represent value as value can only be determined by how much someone actually pays for the item.
You can place a watch on this item to see if it sells anytime in the future.
www.ebay.com/
You may want to list your book on Craigslist as it is usually free and someone in your area may be looking for an item like this.
Cool piece! I have not found any examples on any of my source sites to get you today's market value. The only true way to value a piece is to find an exact match that has sold. Value today is only what people will pay for an item.
I can tell you as a dictionary, most have very little $$$ value and sit on eBay and Etsy unsold at very low prices.
As art, some have some value--but it is not monetary as much as it is for harvesting the pages and pictures.
What I mean by that is I was recently introduced to the art and craft of Junk Journaling and artists use things like old dictionary, encyclopedia, cookbooks and such as part of their pages of their Junk, Smash, or Inspiration/Art journals.
This is so much fun and takes things that would often go into a landfill and makes them beautiful. They tear out pages, and either use the page as a whole, or do something called a fussy cut, where they carefully clip out line art or pictures, and glue them into pages of the journal for emphasis and art purposes.
So my recommendation for you is first take it to a second hand bookstore and see if they will offer you anything for it. Most won't and if you befriend the seller, they can often give you value if it would sell online so you would know how to price it.
If they tell you it has no value, my next suggestion would be if you have a place that sells craft items--like we have a non profit here called Center for Creative Reuse. Often these places (or other artist colony type places) will take it as a donation to use in art pieces.
Thanks for sharing!! Post back what you decide to do with it! Blessings!
I have a copy of the Philadelphia School dictionary by Benjamin Johnson 1805. Any help and pricing this would be a great help. Of everyone I've talked to nobody can find any records, auction, or book sales about this particular dictionary. I am aware that only 3 libraries are known to have a copy.
Thank you.
My suggestion is because of the rarity of the book to contact a reputable auction house in your area--preferably one with excellent yelp and better business bureau (BBB) (that is if you are in the US--if you are outside the US--a high rating in your country's consumer rating venue). Look for real auction houses that specialize in old and rare books, paintings, and paper to find the best fit for the appraisal and sale.
Be sure to read the contact thorough if you do decide to use the company so you understand everything about the sale and your percentage of the profits. Be sure to look for things like if they place a reserve on the piece (which means if you want to get X amount for it, they will not sell it for a lower amount). Usually this costs more, but if it is a high appraisal piece, it may be worth it to have the auction set that way.
I do not recommend selling a rate item on eBay. Too much hassle, too much risk for potential fraud, and if you are not an established seller who specializes in rare books, little to know chance of getting a true value from a buyer if it is appraised at a high dollar amount and that is what you want to fetch for the item.
Sadly the days of eBay being the go-to for rare things is lost for new sellers (and quite frankly risky for ALL buyers as there are so many con artists out there is disgusting.
It is so much different than when I started selling back in the early 2000s and a newbie could safely sell or buy something rare and have a successful auction for both buyer and seller.
Post back what you learn!! I am hoping that in your case rare = a nice tidy profit!!
I have a family heirloom that is in relatively good shape. The pages are in great shape, the cover is also in good shape.
It is missing the cover page, but all pages from the preface on are there. Is it worth anything?
I would take this book to a dealer. It may be worth something since it is over 100 years old.
I'm trying to find out a price for this Philadelphia School Dictionary of the English Language, that I have by Benjamin Johnson 1805 that is a first edition. I have come to a standstill on my search. It has led me to only three libraries that hold the dictionary. I was just wondering if anybody has run into this dictionary and knows of any of the books by this author and what they sold for.
Thank you very much.
An antique first edition must be of some value. Your best bet is to take it to an antique book dealer for a free verbal appraisal
Old reference books in good condition may have value to the right person. This page concerns the value of a new century dictionary.
This is a page about finding the value of a Funk and Wagnalls dictionary. While some dictionaries are rare enough to have significant value, most are worth very little. With some research you should be able to determine what yours are worth.
Old dictionaries can be valuable if they are old or rare enough. This is a page contains information about the value of Encyclopedia Britannica Dictionary of Arts and Sciences.
Trying to find out the value of old books can be daunting at times. This is a page about finding the value of old Webster's dictionaries.
