I have a nice complete set of the 1881 Encyclopedia Britannica. Does any body know if they have a reasonable value? I have researched the topic, but have yet to find anything related to my situation.
Thanks in advance!
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I have seen singles of these books listed on eBay and other auction site (BUT NEVER SOLD--some have been on for ages) in the $25 range. Depending on how many you have in your set, you could take $25 x the number and guess that is the value, but I will tell you asking price is never a true value--it is what the seller thinks they are worth. If no one buys, then the value is $0 until it sells.
It is a buyers market these days also!!
So to help you figure this out since there are not pictures with your post....Do any of these items below match yours? If so, watch and see if they sell and how much they fetch:
www.ebay.com/
SOLD items are truly the only way to determine today's market value.
All of this said, because these are quite old, you may not want to take on the task of selling yourself since people who buy very old books are quite fussy about them and your good maybe someone else's trash (a sad but true fact I have learned the hard way in my years of selling things).
I suggest finding a reputable book dealer in your area (preferably an independent, but if you have a chain like Half Price Books in your area, you could even ask them.
Sometimes, if you ask kindly they may help you understand what you have an place a value on them if they don't take them.
If they do give you an offer, know it will be approx 1/8 to 1/4 of retail value (you can say no to their offer and do the math and sell on your own). Meaning if they offer you say $50 you could at most take 50 x 4 and ask $200 if you sold on your own--numbers for explaining purposes only--NOT true values).
Sometimes these old encyclopedias have value for the art. If a professional tells you they have little value as books, you can always cut and frame some the more beautiful art.
I frequently see lovely framed encyclopedia art selling at craft shows and usually fetching $25 up or 1 page in a nice frame.
Please post back what you learn!
It is antique, since it is over 100 years old. If it is complete contact some book dealers and get a free verbal appraisal
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