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People are still paying pretty high prices for any first edition sets in decent condition. For example, all the GA&U boxsets (with various 1960's impressions) that are really smart (i.e. VG or better) are still selling at £200+. Some of the finer sets are going for ~£400. I don't think this is bad.
But your best bet, if your going to go for a 1st/1st set, is to assemble it yourself, I'd say. RK 1st impressions (in various states) seem to be on eBay literally every week. I've recorded dozens selling this year. And they're not going for that much.
I agree with Jlong --I wouldn't personally go anywhere near £100 for anything less than 1955/56 impressions, in decent shape. After the first few years (i.e. 1954/55/56; and the 1st few impressions), you shouldn't need to spend much more than about £75 to get hold of a decent copy. Really fine examples always go for more though. Really depends on how keen you are on acquiring early impressions, & how much money you have...
BH
But your best bet, if your going to go for a 1st/1st set, is to assemble it yourself, I'd say. RK 1st impressions (in various states) seem to be on eBay literally every week. I've recorded dozens selling this year. And they're not going for that much.
I agree with Jlong --I wouldn't personally go anywhere near £100 for anything less than 1955/56 impressions, in decent shape. After the first few years (i.e. 1954/55/56; and the 1st few impressions), you shouldn't need to spend much more than about £75 to get hold of a decent copy. Really fine examples always go for more though. Really depends on how keen you are on acquiring early impressions, & how much money you have...
BH
Thanks, that helps give me some better perspective! Older editions of LOTR is new to me but I've been collecting HOME books for a while and know generally what they're worth. But people's of middle earth I don't know so much about. Would a nice copy be worth £300? And does the DJ being priced or not matter? ( I assume unpriced jackets were copies that came to the US) thanks for all the help!
Prices for PoME have been falling quite a bit lately. This year in particular has seen quite a few eBay prices under £200. There is one up right now for £150 (Interesting eBay Auctions).
Ahh, the old domestic (priced) "export" (unpriced) dilemma. The simple fact, despite what the export copies were produced first crowd say --is that unpriced copies (or at least the jackets) were (regardless of any other market) definitely produced with the express intent of distribution to Book Clubs. Therefore, there is no way you can disassociate the unpriced copies from the Book Club taint. One can call them "export" copies if you like; one can claim they were produced first (& claim some sort of chronological superiority) --but you can't say they aren't Book Club copies. Of course, you might not care if they are Book Club copies --but the book market does, normally, seem to care about this.
BH
Ahh, the old domestic (priced) "export" (unpriced) dilemma. The simple fact, despite what the export copies were produced first crowd say --is that unpriced copies (or at least the jackets) were (regardless of any other market) definitely produced with the express intent of distribution to Book Clubs. Therefore, there is no way you can disassociate the unpriced copies from the Book Club taint. One can call them "export" copies if you like; one can claim they were produced first (& claim some sort of chronological superiority) --but you can't say they aren't Book Club copies. Of course, you might not care if they are Book Club copies --but the book market does, normally, seem to care about this.
BH
Khamul wrote:
Prices for PoME have been falling quite a bit lately. This year in particular has seen quite a few eBay prices under £200. There is one up right now for £150 (Interesting eBay Auctions).
Ahh, the old domestic (priced) "export" (unpriced) dilemma. The simple fact, despite what the export copies were produced first crowd say --is that unpriced copies (or at least the jackets) were (regardless of any other market) definitely produced with the express intent of distribution to Book Clubs. Therefore, there is no way you can disassociate the unpriced copies from the Book Club taint. One can call them "export" copies if you like; one can claim they were produced first (& claim some sort of chronological superiority) --but you can't say they aren't Book Club copies. Of course, you might not care if they are Book Club copies --but the book market does, normally, seem to care about this.
BH
Agreed. A fine priced PoME shouldn't be more than 200 pounds these days. Unpriced perhaps a little less.
Also on the topic of HoME, is a price label added after being price clipped mean much in terms of what the book was intended for and collectible value? a few years ago i bought a 1/1 Book of Lost Tales that has an A&U sticker on it and i remember someone telling me that that was good, a bonus in a way. But that book was not price clipped and did not have a price, just the sticker. Thanks, and it looks like there's someone who wants that PoME!
Peeta wrote:
So you all are not going to be bidding on this copy huh?!
Nope, already got a priced one and an unpriced one. I think that is me done with copies of PoME!
Once Stu has finished boasting... you know he'll maybe take a picture of them both on top of one of his cars for you!
Peeta, the stickers on BoLT I & BoLT II (& Shaping --but more complicated) are the priced copies; there are no jackets with printed prices --GA&U utilised stickers. Therefore it can be hard to tell copies that were never priced, from ones that have simply had the sticker removed (or removed through wear). Sometimes you'll see people mention sticker residue i.e. it had a sticker, it doesn't now. Although, keep in mind, Guild/BCA (Book Club) had there own marked copies for the early numbers of HoME --so unmarked copies of BoLT probably genuinely were for export i.e. commonwealth copies.
You could, of course, try to assemble as set of both priced & unpriced...
BH
Peeta, the stickers on BoLT I & BoLT II (& Shaping --but more complicated) are the priced copies; there are no jackets with printed prices --GA&U utilised stickers. Therefore it can be hard to tell copies that were never priced, from ones that have simply had the sticker removed (or removed through wear). Sometimes you'll see people mention sticker residue i.e. it had a sticker, it doesn't now. Although, keep in mind, Guild/BCA (Book Club) had there own marked copies for the early numbers of HoME --so unmarked copies of BoLT probably genuinely were for export i.e. commonwealth copies.
You could, of course, try to assemble as set of both priced & unpriced...
BH
Thanks khamul, that helps! Does anyone want to take on what the price sticker situation with Shaping and after is? i assume that some of it is just inflation so they took the old price off and put a higher price on via sticker, but...was there something else going on? thanks
Khamul wrote:
Once Stu has finished boasting... you know he'll maybe take a picture of them both on top of one of his cars for you!
Peeta, the stickers on BoLT I & BoLT II (& Shaping --but more complicated) are the priced copies; there are no jackets with printed prices --GA&U utilised stickers.
Khamul wrote:
Once Stu has finished boasting... you know he'll maybe take a picture of them both on top of one of his cars for you!
BH
Funny you should say that, as when I got home today, I found that my copies of Peoples had been out for a drive. The priced one was in the drivers seat, obviously...
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