[PW] Rare Book Appraisal

[Gillian Wiseman]

So much of a rare book's value depends on the condition of the book, which can only fairly be appraised by an expert with the book in hand, that an online appraisal, even with good photos of the book provided, can only be an approximation.

It is also very difficult to determine if a book is a "forgery" or has been altered to appear to be something it is not, when you don't have the book in hand. 

Also, many books that might seem to be of value to a non-expert due to age and edition and signature, turn out to be of little value to collectors...

I'm saying all this second-hand, as my mother was a used/rare bookstore owner for 20+ years, so take it with a grain of salt, but the overall advice I'm giving is - hire an appraiser to come in and look at what he has found - it'll be a far more accurate account than he'll get even going to a good, trustworthy online resource.

But for a first approximation - try www.abebooks.com
He can at least search for the author/title of books, and eliminate those that are worth a dollar.

Gillian Wiseman
Electronic Resources Librarian
Waco-McLennan County Library
(254)750-5944
gwiseman at ci.waco.tx.us

-----Original Message-----
From: project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org
[mailto:project-wombat-bounces at lists.project-wombat.org]On Behalf Of Jim
Longo
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 8:26 AM
To: list at project-wombat.org
Subject: [PW] Rare Book Appraisal



This one's for me, so no rush.  My uncle has come across a large collection of books from the 1910s and 1920s--many of them first editions, some of them signed.  He wants to know how much, if anything, he's going to be adding to my cousins' college funds.
 
Are there legitimate websites devoted to rare book appraisal, or does one have to deal directly with an appraiser?
 
Thanks in advance,
 
Jim Longo
Scott-Macon, Ltd.
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