I have 26 volumes of the 1905 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica with supplements. About 10-15 % have binding damage due to shipping. All are wrapped in brown paper.
Are they worth anything?
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They are complete and are over 100 years old, so they may be. The damage will decrease the value. If I were you I would take them to several book dealers for verbal appraisals, which are free.
Thanks for your advise, much apprecaited.
I don't see any photos and I also don't see any active or sold auctions on eBay. I always recommend people finding their exact item on eBay and go to the sold section and look at how much their item is selling for which gives them the exact market value today.
Never use active auctions to value--you can watch active items to see if they sell...but active auctions only tell you what the seller thinks the value is...value today is what someone is actually willing to pay.
Sometimes you can find these in other auctions just through Google, but I don't see any of those either.
I am sorry I can't give you a value today...tomorrow this may change as the market changes by the minute. If you check back to eBay tomorrow you may find auctions and get an idea of the actual value.
If you need a quick answer, you are best to take it to a reputable book dealer in your area and get their opinion. I always ask under the premise of I am going to insure...then they give a fair value. You can always go back and say you changed your mind and need to sell.
As an aside and something interesting...There was an interesting article from 2012 where someone claims they purchased a set for 1,600 dollars...freakonomics.com/
You may be able to track this person down and get his feedback on the current market value. He seems to be quite an aficionado!
It is very doubtful that you will find a book store that will be interested in buying your set and as to value a book store will probably tell you to donate them (if you can find someone that will take them). Most thrift stores, resale stores and library book sales will not even look at them as they are just to difficult to sell and they are cumbersome and take up a lot of space.
Wow thanks for all the information. Yes, it is the 10th edition but does state, it has 31new and later articles wriiten by American Authors, replacing articles on similar subjects written by different authors for the original ninth English (Foreign) Edition.
It comes with 6 Volumes of New American Supplement
This sounds like a nice set. If you feel comfortable with listing your set on eBay then I would certainly give it a try but I would also list it on Craigslist and maybe some of the other local sites like IOffer, LetGo, Facebook Marketplace or any other that come up when you put your zip code in Google.
As I said, I would list the starting price higher ($400 or more) and keep it listed for a while. Listing is usually free on any of these sites (even eBay) but there will be charges if it sells (total charges of 13-15% including PayPal fees) but if you are lucky and your set sells then it would be worth it. Many of the local sites do not charge fees.
List your set on several sites but remember to take it down if it sells (keep good records.). We are talking about maybe listing your set for several months so keep that in mind.
Also, if you decide to list on eBay, research the best looking listings presently on eBay and copy their style so your set will stand out. Lots of pictures - up to 12 pictures are free on eBay so use them.
Be sure your pictures show maps if there are nice ones in your set - People love maps.
Good luck - I love old sets and I still have several so there are still people around who value history in the written word.
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