[Evenstar]

This is totally off topic but I'd love an American opinion and I thought who better to plunder than writers, plus i dont know any except you lot!

Is it true that Americans are more interested in Antique books than Brits?  I have a small dictionary that was published in 1818 and was considering sending it to an auction house near me in England.  A friend then suggested I sell it on Ebay to the American market as "they go crazy for really old stuff" but I dont think Ebay is the right marketplace for something valuable, or maybe I'm wrong?

Would really like some feedback and thoughts if you have any?

Hope its not annoying that this isnt directly related to my writing?

 

[AshMP]

Right now "vintage" is hot in the US and I am a collector of particular vintage things, but as to books?  I just don't know. And dictionaries?  I know even less.  I think it depends largely on the book itself, condition, collect-ability and rarity.  Let's say you had a first edition of Gone With The Wind ... good.  Now, let's say that book was signed ... better yet.  Now let's say that book was in pristine condition ... amazing, you're in for a windfall. 

Then again.  You have the run-of-the-mill stuff.  You can get books, even old, old books for $1.00 at a flea market. 

My point is, the market is so wide and huge and without having an appropriate appraisal done on the item, there is no way to tell.

And, it's also probably smart to mention that a lot of highly valuable things have fallen off in the light of economic times in the US. 

 

[60865]

Call the two English auction houses: christies and SPB and find out where their book sales do best.
They will probably have an expert of the book dpt who will tell you if there is a market for your book.

 

[Anotherdreamer]

I don't know any Brits to do a comparison, but I love old stuff. Good luck! 

 

[Lisa Grace]

I write historicals and I know old dictionaries are valuable in finding out if a word would be in common use for that time period. Also, to double check the meaning. Sure, give Ebay a shot. Research what others are going for, then set your price.

 

[Madeline]

Yes, vintage books are important to me.

My prized possession is a old, old, so old I don't know how old...print of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.  It is my favorite book and a good friend found it in a vintage book store.  It is so valuable to me, I don't even touch it without gloves on.   I have no idea why it is such a treasure to me, but the smell of it, the look, the feel, wondering how many people read it before me...I could go on and on.  I just love it.

If there was a fire in my house I would save my pets, my computer, and that book.  

Give it a whirl selling what you have.  Who knows?  Perhaps you'll find some retired dictionary writer who collects them or something?

 

[Monique]

Some of my most prized possessions are antiquarian books. I have no idea of the market in England. That said, some of the ones I treasure the most are bound volumes of original issues of the Strand magazine that I bought on eBay and were shipped from the UK.

I'm sure you probably already realize this, but old does not necessarily mean valuable.

 

[George Berger]

In general the American market for antique books is probably a bit stronger than in the UK. So that's the good news.

The bad news is that the antique market as a whole is really depressed lately. I've bought a couple pieces of Victorian jewelry lately for $20 or less that would have been $300 pieces three or four years ago - we're talking hallmarked English silver, no damage or repairs, selling for +/- 10% of the intrinsic scrap value. Right now I'm watching a gorgeous 1930s German Jugendstil ring - later than what I usually collect, but still totally awesome - on eBay. It's at about $30 right now, with an hour or two to go, and is probably going to end for less than $60 - and pre-WWII German jewelry is just stupidly rare, because so very little of it survived the war.

And the really bad news is that 19th century dictionaries are, by and large, worth slightly less than 19th century bibles, which are generally worth about a dollar less than they would cost to ship. It might be that yours was printed by a historically-important printer or publisher that people collect, but if that's not the case, you might make a pound or two, if you're really lucky.

Look on the bright side, though: at least it's not a textbook. You can't give antique textbooks away...

 

[NoahMullette-Gillman]

I can say I love old stuff and I think most people I know do too. Also, there are a lot more people in the US....