Pricing my collection (using Readerware)

For insurance purposes and also in the event of say a house fire, I'm
trying to get realistic prices for what my books are worth.

I use Readerware software, which allows me to go to various web sites
and pull data on any field - one of which, of course, is price.

I'm trying to find out what you folks use as a good source web site
for getting a realistic value for your books - "realistic" being the
key word. For instance, I just bought a copy of "Dark Sun" by Richard
Rhodes. I think I paid about 30 bucks for a 1st edition 1st printing.
Some sites are showing the value of this book at 4 or 5 dollars!

I realize that all of this is so subjective, but in the event of a
fire, I obviously wouldn't want to rely on that data to give to my
insurance company as I'd never be able to replace my books.

On the other hand, having to search out each and every book I have to
find what it's selling for would be a task that would take forever.

So, I guess my questions boil down to a few:

1. I have signed and 1sts all in a database now. What site would be
the best to use to get realistic pricing on replacement value by using
the software to pull it from?

2. Am I going about this all wrong? Is there a better or easier way
to get realistic pricing so I can get this to my insurance company so
in the event of fire or flood or whatever, I can actually have the
money to replace my very prized collection.

3. On signed books - I realize that although they may be worth a lot
to me, I'll never get what I think they are worth in the event of a
fire. Or is there a way to figure this value in - say from an
appraiser - one that the insurance company would agree to that persons
opinion of the value of my collection?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

LiRM

You are right. So much of this is subjective but I would STRONGLY
suggest you keep information on "going rates" if only on a yearly
basis, for your books. I'm not sure how insurance companies appraise
them but I would certainly suggest you ask them. That, at least, will
be a starting point. If they suggest you take photos and get values, do
so and then do so evein if they DON'T suggest it.
In other words, be pro-active and that also means not
undervaluing or overvaluing your current worth of your collection. You
do have to keep up with prices from year to year because books, like
any collectable item have price fluctuations. But be fair. Look as
objectively as possible at your editions. Are there corner bumps? Any
writing or bookplates or tears on the dustjackets? Any sunning?
I'm sure many sellers here can recall books which they once
sold (easily) for hundreds of dollars and which now have gone down in
popularity...and vice versa. So value does fluctuate from year to year.
There is a guy in California, an actor, who sells ONLY books which have
been made into movies and does quite well. The value lies in the
movie/book connection.
If you want a "realistic, what you could sell it for today"
value, I'd start with Amazon, Abe, Ebay, etc. Although people scoff at
Ebay, I find it IS used by serious collectors and booksellers and a
good, rare book WILL get decent bids there, IF there seller starts with
a fair opening bid and a reasonable reserve. I had that happen with a
rare book just recently and it happens regularly enough for me to use
the venue.
You are likely to find a serious discrepancy between
what Addall and Abe and Amazon list as the price of a book and what
Ebay sells them for. Keep in mind that anyone can ask ANY price for a
book and the bookselling sites are not final "vetting" (valuation)
sites. They are subject to seller bias, opinion and "guess-ti-mates",
not to mention wishful thinking. Also, the turnover time is quicker on
Ebay and there is some luck involved. For those who have the patience
to wait for the BEST price, Amazon, Abe or Alibris may be a good
place...but how you'd find the actual selling prices of those books is
another matter. How many bought them and at what price? Is there a site
which lists these things?
. Also, for your rarest books, look at some of the Swann
catalogs and Bauman Rare books. Clip anything relevant and put it in
archival quality bags and keep with your books. DO NOT PUT the actual
articles in your books; they'll discolor the pages unless they were
printed on acid-free paper. Anything you have that proves the value of
your books is an asset. Also compare "likes to likes' - condition
should match the books you use. After all, it wouldn't be fair to value
your book at $2000 if it is missing a dustjacket, is banged up, has
water stains, etc.
It sounds like you care for your books. Do try to keep
them protected in case of fire but I know not everyone can do that.
LiRM wrote:
For insurance purposes and also in the event of say a house fire, I'm
trying to get realistic prices for what my books are worth.

I use Readerware software, which allows me to go to various web sites
and pull data on any field - one of which, of course, is price.

I'm trying to find out what you folks use as a good source web site
for getting a realistic value for your books - "realistic" being the
key word. For instance, I just bought a copy of "Dark Sun" by Richard
Rhodes. I think I paid about 30 bucks for a 1st edition 1st printing.
Some sites are showing the value of this book at 4 or 5 dollars!

I realize that all of this is so subjective, but in the event of a
fire, I obviously wouldn't want to rely on that data to give to my
insurance company as I'd never be able to replace my books.

On the other hand, having to search out each and every book I have to
find what it's selling for would be a task that would take forever.

So, I guess my questions boil down to a few:

1. I have signed and 1sts all in a database now. What site would be
the best to use to get realistic pricing on replacement value by using
the software to pull it from?

2. Am I going about this all wrong? Is there a better or easier way
to get realistic pricing so I can get this to my insurance company so
in the event of fire or flood or whatever, I can actually have the
money to replace my very prized collection.

3. On signed books - I realize that although they may be worth a lot
to me, I'll never get what I think they are worth in the event of a
fire. Or is there a way to figure this value in - say from an
appraiser - one that the insurance company would agree to that persons
opinion of the value of my collection?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

LiRM

"LiRM" wrote in message
...

For insurance purposes and also in the event of say a house fire, I'm
trying to get realistic prices for what my books are worth. . . .

1. I have signed and 1sts all in a database now. What site would be
the best to use to get realistic pricing on replacement value by using
the software to pull it from?

A. You are asking about current market prices, so presumably
you want indicators from either the largest market or the market
where you live. www.abebooks.com will meet your need.

B. "Insurance value" of a book should be higher than its
current price, in order to compensate for the time you expend
trying to locate a replacement copy.

It is not your fault that thousands of copies of Rhodes's
superb Dark Sun were remaindered for $5 (sticker $30 I think.)
The publisher printed too many i.e. forecast the market wrongly.
A generation ago the surplus might have been pulped, but
there now are convenient channels to sell remainders cheaply.
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Check with your insurance company as to what they accept in terms of
values. I suspect that most will want an appraisal from a qualifed
independent source, such as a book dealer. Several years ago I went
through this process. I purchased a special rider to my homeowner
policy. I have my collection in a data base. I provided the database
to a book dealer with whom I've done a lot of business over the years.
He is a qualified appraiser and offers this service as part of his
business.

For a fee he appraised the books and provided me with documentation of
his credentials and his appraisal. This was accepted by my insurance
company. The appraisal should be updated every 5 years or so. The
insurance was surprisingly cheap, the appraisal can be expensive
depending on the size of your collection.

On 2 Sep 2006 16:13:22 -0700, "TZ1000" wrote:


Check with your insurance company as to what they accept in terms of
values. I suspect that most will want an appraisal from a qualifed
independent source, such as a book dealer. Several years ago I went
through this process. I purchased a special rider to my homeowner
policy. I have my collection in a data base. I provided the database
to a book dealer with whom I've done a lot of business over the years.
He is a qualified appraiser and offers this service as part of his
business.

For a fee he appraised the books and provided me with documentation of
his credentials and his appraisal. This was accepted by my insurance
company. The appraisal should be updated every 5 years or so. The
insurance was surprisingly cheap, the appraisal can be expensive
depending on the size of your collection.

If you don't mind saying so, can you give me a ballpark figure for
what the appraiser charged you to price your collection?

Also, does an appraiser actually have to see a collection, or would
simply sending him a copy of the database and accurate descriptions
suffice? Or would he/she want photo's of each book?

The number of signed and non-signed 1st's total about 200 books. These
are the ones I'm really interested in pricing.

On the other hand, I have literally hundreds that don't fall in these
categories, but it wouldn't hurt to put them on this special rider as
well, just so I can replace those out of this remaining collection
that I'd want to repurchase.

Thank you.

On Sat, 2 Sep 2006 13:28:31 -0400, "Don Phillipson"
wrote:

"LiRM" wrote in message
.. .

For insurance purposes and also in the event of say a house fire, I'm
trying to get realistic prices for what my books are worth. . . .

1. I have signed and 1sts all in a database now. What site would be
the best to use to get realistic pricing on replacement value by using
the software to pull it from?

A. You are asking about current market prices, so presumably
you want indicators from either the largest market or the market
where you live. www.abebooks.com will meet your need.

B. "Insurance value" of a book should be higher than its
current price, in order to compensate for the time you expend
trying to locate a replacement copy.

If I wanted to factor in time spent looking at books over the years,
I'd be looking at a figure in man-years, all enjoyable I might add
g.

But you're right - that time just wouldn't be the same to go out to
replace those lost to fire or flood and it should be worth something.
I'll have to ask them about this as well.


It is not your fault that thousands of copies of Rhodes's
superb Dark Sun were remaindered for $5 (sticker $30 I think.)
The publisher printed too many i.e. forecast the market wrongly.
A generation ago the surplus might have been pulped, but
there now are convenient channels to sell remainders cheaply.

On 2 Sep 2006 10:23:27 -0700, "
wrote:

You are right. So much of this is subjective but I would STRONGLY
suggest you keep information on "going rates" if only on a yearly
basis, for your books. I'm not sure how insurance companies appraise
them but I would certainly suggest you ask them. That, at least, will
be a starting point. If they suggest you take photos and get values, do
so and then do so evein if they DON'T suggest it.
In other words, be pro-active and that also means not
undervaluing or overvaluing your current worth of your collection. You
do have to keep up with prices from year to year because books, like
any collectable item have price fluctuations. But be fair. Look as
objectively as possible at your editions. Are there corner bumps? Any
writing or bookplates or tears on the dustjackets? Any sunning?
I'm sure many sellers here can recall books which they once
sold (easily) for hundreds of dollars and which now have gone down in
popularity...and vice versa. So value does fluctuate from year to year.
There is a guy in California, an actor, who sells ONLY books which have
been made into movies and does quite well. The value lies in the
movie/book connection.
If you want a "realistic, what you could sell it for today"
value, I'd start with Amazon, Abe, Ebay, etc. Although people scoff at
Ebay, I find it IS used by serious collectors and booksellers and a
good, rare book WILL get decent bids there, IF there seller starts with
a fair opening bid and a reasonable reserve. I had that happen with a
rare book just recently and it happens regularly enough for me to use
the venue.
You are likely to find a serious discrepancy between
what Addall and Abe and Amazon list as the price of a book and what
Ebay sells them for. Keep in mind that anyone can ask ANY price for a
book and the bookselling sites are not final "vetting" (valuation)
sites. They are subject to seller bias, opinion and "guess-ti-mates",
not to mention wishful thinking. Also, the turnover time is quicker on
Ebay and there is some luck involved. For those who have the patience
to wait for the BEST price, Amazon, Abe or Alibris may be a good
place...but how you'd find the actual selling prices of those books is
another matter. How many bought them and at what price? Is there a site
which lists these things?

Not that I'm aware of. That would be a valuable resource, though, if
anyone knows of one.

. Also, for your rarest books, look at some of the Swann
catalogs and Bauman Rare books. Clip anything relevant and put it in
archival quality bags and keep with your books. DO NOT PUT the actual
articles in your books; they'll discolor the pages unless they were
printed on acid-free paper. Anything you have that proves the value of
your books is an asset. Also compare "likes to likes' - condition
should match the books you use. After all, it wouldn't be fair to value
your book at $2000 if it is missing a dustjacket, is banged up, has
water stains, etc.
It sounds like you care for your books. Do try to keep
them protected in case of fire but I know not everyone can do that.

My major concern is a hurricane (I live in FL).

I don't care about clothes, electronics, photos (I have all of my
important ones scanned) or anything else - that can all be relatively
easily replaced. Only my books cannot. The only real solution I see
here is some kind of safe room that is basically completely water and
fire proof - and the cost of putting in something like that would
exceed the cost of my collection.

On the other hand, one of my wife's friends just had such a room built
as an extension to his home. I bet he sleeps very well at night
knowing he has literally no worry's with a storm approaching. He is
quite wealthy though, and can afford this luxury



LiRM wrote:
For insurance purposes and also in the event of say a house fire, I'm
trying to get realistic prices for what my books are worth.

I use Readerware software, which allows me to go to various web sites
and pull data on any field - one of which, of course, is price.

I'm trying to find out what you folks use as a good source web site
for getting a realistic value for your books - "realistic" being the
key word. For instance, I just bought a copy of "Dark Sun" by Richard
Rhodes. I think I paid about 30 bucks for a 1st edition 1st printing.
Some sites are showing the value of this book at 4 or 5 dollars!

I realize that all of this is so subjective, but in the event of a
fire, I obviously wouldn't want to rely on that data to give to my
insurance company as I'd never be able to replace my books.

On the other hand, having to search out each and every book I have to
find what it's selling for would be a task that would take forever.

So, I guess my questions boil down to a few:

1. I have signed and 1sts all in a database now. What site would be
the best to use to get realistic pricing on replacement value by using
the software to pull it from?

2. Am I going about this all wrong? Is there a better or easier way
to get realistic pricing so I can get this to my insurance company so
in the event of fire or flood or whatever, I can actually have the
money to replace my very prized collection.

3. On signed books - I realize that although they may be worth a lot
to me, I'll never get what I think they are worth in the event of a
fire. Or is there a way to figure this value in - say from an
appraiser - one that the insurance company would agree to that persons
opinion of the value of my collection?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,

LiRM

LiRM,

Where do you life in Florida? I'm about thirty-five miles of Tampa.

Two years ago, I watched the trees begin to bend in the other direction
after the eyes of two hurricanes passed directly over us. Made me think
of Yogi Berra's famous line: 'It ain't over 'til it's over."

We were lucky in that by the time they reached us, both hurricanes were
only at tropical storm strength; however, they still did quite a bit of
damage. We were real lucky when Hurricane Charley veered off into
Charlotte County at the last minute, instead of coming into Tampa Bay.
Those people weren't lucky, though.

I don't think any room can be built that would be safe enough from
another Hurricane Charley. The room would have to be a sealed box of
sorts, and I do mean "sealed," with one hell of a top.

I was checking into getting insurance for my books last year, but that
was last year. This year this bibliomaniac is selling many of his
collections instead, due to health and wealth reasons. I'll still be
keeping a few collections after the selling spress is over, and will
look into insurance again after my disabiblity retirement from the Post
Office is approved.

I had already coordinated with my insurance agent concerning the
procedures on attaching a rider to my insurance policy to cover my
books. It wasn't going to be that expensive, only a few hundred. My
insurance company did require an evaluation from a professional
bookseller. I checked with a few booksellers who were members of the
Florida Bibliophile Society, and had already chosen the bookseller who
was going to perform the appraisal before I had to change my plans
because of health reasons. We never did get to discuss the cost of the
appraisal, but he definitely wanted to do a physical appraisal, and not
just a review of the listings of my books on my websites. I believe you
will find that most booksellers will want to at least see the books they
are appraising, since they have a professional reputation to uphold.

I'll still be President of the Florida Bibliophile Society until next
January, so let me know where you live, and I'll recommend some
booksellers who do appraisals.

One final thought: During the appraisal, the bookseller will provide
his or her professional opinion on the replacement cost or value of a
particular book, using the tools of the trade. The time it takes you
to find a copy of the book does not enter into the replacement value
formula. That is "fun time."

best,
Jerry Morris,
Moi_the_Bibliomaniac


On 2 Sep 2006 10:23:27 -0700, "
wrote:
You are right. So much of this is subjective but I would STRONGLY
suggest you keep information on "going rates" if only on a yearly basis,
for your books. I'm not sure how insurance companies appraise them but I
would certainly suggest you ask them. That, at least, will be a starting
point. If they suggest you take photos and get values, do so and then do
so evein if they DON'T suggest it.
**************In other words, be pro-active
and that also means not undervaluing or overvaluing your current worth
of your collection. You do have to keep up with prices from year to year
because books, like any collectable item have price fluctuations. But be
fair. Look as objectively as possible at your editions. Are there corner
bumps? Any writing or bookplates or tears on the dustjackets? Any
sunning?
******************I'm sure many
sellers here can recall books which they once sold (easily) for hundreds
of dollars and which now have gone down in popularity...and vice versa.
So value does fluctuate from year to year. There is a guy in California,
an actor, who sells ONLY books which have been made into movies and does
quite well. The value lies in the movie/book connection.
**********************If you
want a "realistic, what you could sell it for today" value, I'd start
with Amazon, Abe, Ebay, etc. Although people scoff at Ebay, I find it IS
used by serious collectors and booksellers and a good, rare book WILL
get decent bids there, IF there seller starts with a fair opening bid
and a reasonable reserve. I had that happen with a rare book just
recently and it happens regularly enough for me to use the venue.
******************************You
are likely to find a serious discrepancy between what Addall and Abe and
Amazon list as the price of a book and what Ebay sells them for. Keep in
mind that anyone can ask ANY price for a book and the bookselling sites
are not final "vetting" (valuation) sites. They are subject to seller
bias, opinion and "guess-ti-mates", not to mention wishful thinking.
Also, the turnover time is quicker on Ebay and there is some luck
involved. For those who have the patience to wait for the BEST price,
Amazon, Abe or Alibris may be a good place...but how you'd find the
actual selling prices of those books is another matter. How many bought
them and at what price? Is there a site which lists these things?
Not that I'm aware of. That would be a valuable resource, though, if
anyone knows of one.
******************************.
Also, for your rarest books, look at some of the Swann catalogs and
Bauman Rare books. Clip anything relevant and put it in archival quality
bags and keep with your books. DO NOT PUT the actual articles in your
books; they'll discolor the pages unless they were printed on acid-free
paper. Anything you have that proves the value of your books is an
asset. Also compare "likes to likes' - condition should match the books
you use. After all, it wouldn't be fair to value your book at $2000 if
it is missing a dustjacket, is banged up, has water stains, etc.
********************************It
sounds like you care for your books. Do try to keep them protected in
case of fire but I know not everyone can do that.

LiRM replied:
My major concern is a hurricane (I live in FL).
I don't care about clothes, electronics, photos (I have all of my
important ones scanned) or anything else - that can all be relatively
easily replaced. Only my books cannot. The only real solution I see here
is some kind of safe room that is basically completely water and fire
proof - and the cost of putting in something like that would exceed the
cost of my collection.
On the other hand, one of my wife's friends just had such a room built
as an extension to his home. I bet he sleeps very well at night knowing
he has literally no worry's with a storm approaching. He is quite
wealthy though, and can afford this luxury
LiRM wrote:
For insurance purposes and also in the event of say a house fire, I'm
trying to get realistic prices for what my books are worth.
I use Readerware software, which allows me to go to various web sites
and pull data on any field - one of which, of course, is price.
I'm trying to find out what you folks use as a good source web site for
getting a realistic value for your books - "realistic" being the key
word. For instance, I just bought a copy of "Dark Sun" by Richard
Rhodes. I think I paid about 30 bucks for a 1st edition 1st printing.
Some sites are showing the value of this book at 4 or 5 dollars!
I realize that all of this is so subjective, but in the event of a fire,
I obviously wouldn't want to rely on that data to give to my insurance
company as I'd never be able to replace my books.
On the other hand, having to search out each and every book I have to
find what it's selling for would be a task that would take forever.
So, I guess my questions boil down to a few:
1. I have signed and 1sts all in a database now. What site would be the
best to use to get realistic pricing on replacement value by using the
software to pull it from?
2. Am I going about this all wrong? Is there a better or easier way to
get realistic pricing so I can get this to my insurance company so in
the event of fire or flood or whatever, I can actually have the money to
replace my very prized collection.
3. On signed books - I realize that although they may be worth a lot to
me, I'll never get what I think they are worth in the event of a fire.
Or is there a way to figure this value in - say from an appraiser - one
that the insurance company would agree to that persons opinion of the
value of my collection?
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
LiRM

Moi's Books About Books: http://www.tinyurl.com/hib7
Moi's LIbrary http://www.moislibrary.com My Sentimental Library
http://www.picturetrail.com/mylibrary Florida Bibliophile Society
http://www.floridabibliophilesociety.org

On Sun, 3 Sep 2006 09:26:31 -0400, (Jerry
Morris) wrote:

LiRM,

Where do you life in Florida? I'm about thirty-five miles of Tampa.

Two years ago, I watched the trees begin to bend in the other direction
after the eyes of two hurricanes passed directly over us. Made me think
of Yogi Berra's famous line: 'It ain't over 'til it's over."

We were lucky in that by the time they reached us, both hurricanes were
only at tropical storm strength; however, they still did quite a bit of
damage. We were real lucky when Hurricane Charley veered off into
Charlotte County at the last minute, instead of coming into Tampa Bay.
Those people weren't lucky, though.

I don't think any room can be built that would be safe enough from
another Hurricane Charley. The room would have to be a sealed box of
sorts, and I do mean "sealed," with one hell of a top.

I was checking into getting insurance for my books last year, but that
was last year. This year this bibliomaniac is selling many of his
collections instead, due to health and wealth reasons. I'll still be
keeping a few collections after the selling spress is over, and will
look into insurance again after my disabiblity retirement from the Post
Office is approved.

I had already coordinated with my insurance agent concerning the
procedures on attaching a rider to my insurance policy to cover my
books. It wasn't going to be that expensive, only a few hundred. My
insurance company did require an evaluation from a professional
bookseller. I checked with a few booksellers who were members of the
Florida Bibliophile Society, and had already chosen the bookseller who
was going to perform the appraisal before I had to change my plans
because of health reasons. We never did get to discuss the cost of the
appraisal, but he definitely wanted to do a physical appraisal, and not
just a review of the listings of my books on my websites. I believe you
will find that most booksellers will want to at least see the books they
are appraising, since they have a professional reputation to uphold.

I'll still be President of the Florida Bibliophile Society until next
January, so let me know where you live, and I'll recommend some
booksellers who do appraisals.

One final thought: During the appraisal, the bookseller will provide
his or her professional opinion on the replacement cost or value of a
particular book, using the tools of the trade. The time it takes you
to find a copy of the book does not enter into the replacement value
formula. That is "fun time."

best,
Jerry Morris,
Moi_the_Bibliomaniac

Thank you, Jerry. That is a kind offer to provide those names. I
live in the Fort Lauderdale area, so anyone in this general area would
be helpful. I haven't spoken to my insurance company in any depth on
this yet, but will in the coming weeks. If you could post those
names, I'd appreciate it.

Regards,

LiRM



On 2 Sep 2006 10:23:27 -0700, "
wrote:
You are right. So much of this is subjective but I would STRONGLY
suggest you keep information on "going rates" if only on a yearly basis,
for your books. I'm not sure how insurance companies appraise them but I
would certainly suggest you ask them. That, at least, will be a starting
point. If they suggest you take photos and get values, do so and then do
so evein if they DON'T suggest it.
**************In other words, be pro-active
and that also means not undervaluing or overvaluing your current worth
of your collection. You do have to keep up with prices from year to year
because books, like any collectable item have price fluctuations. But be
fair. Look as objectively as possible at your editions. Are there corner
bumps? Any writing or bookplates or tears on the dustjackets? Any
sunning?
******************I'm sure many
sellers here can recall books which they once sold (easily) for hundreds
of dollars and which now have gone down in popularity...and vice versa.
So value does fluctuate from year to year. There is a guy in California,
an actor, who sells ONLY books which have been made into movies and does
quite well. The value lies in the movie/book connection.
**********************If you
want a "realistic, what you could sell it for today" value, I'd start
with Amazon, Abe, Ebay, etc. Although people scoff at Ebay, I find it IS
used by serious collectors and booksellers and a good, rare book WILL
get decent bids there, IF there seller starts with a fair opening bid
and a reasonable reserve. I had that happen with a rare book just
recently and it happens regularly enough for me to use the venue.
******************************You
are likely to find a serious discrepancy between what Addall and Abe and
Amazon list as the price of a book and what Ebay sells them for. Keep in
mind that anyone can ask ANY price for a book and the bookselling sites
are not final "vetting" (valuation) sites. They are subject to seller
bias, opinion and "guess-ti-mates", not to mention wishful thinking.
Also, the turnover time is quicker on Ebay and there is some luck
involved. For those who have the patience to wait for the BEST price,
Amazon, Abe or Alibris may be a good place...but how you'd find the
actual selling prices of those books is another matter. How many bought
them and at what price? Is there a site which lists these things?
Not that I'm aware of. That would be a valuable resource, though, if
anyone knows of one.
******************************.
Also, for your rarest books, look at some of the Swann catalogs and
Bauman Rare books. Clip anything relevant and put it in archival quality
bags and keep with your books. DO NOT PUT the actual articles in your
books; they'll discolor the pages unless they were printed on acid-free
paper. Anything you have that proves the value of your books is an
asset. Also compare "likes to likes' - condition should match the books
you use. After all, it wouldn't be fair to value your book at $2000 if
it is missing a dustjacket, is banged up, has water stains, etc.
********************************It
sounds like you care for your books. Do try to keep them protected in
case of fire but I know not everyone can do that.

LiRM replied:
My major concern is a hurricane (I live in FL).
I don't care about clothes, electronics, photos (I have all of my
important ones scanned) or anything else - that can all be relatively
easily replaced. Only my books cannot. The only real solution I see here
is some kind of safe room that is basically completely water and fire
proof - and the cost of putting in something like that would exceed the
cost of my collection.
On the other hand, one of my wife's friends just had such a room built
as an extension to his home. I bet he sleeps very well at night knowing
he has literally no worry's with a storm approaching. He is quite
wealthy though, and can afford this luxury
LiRM wrote:
For insurance purposes and also in the event of say a house fire, I'm
trying to get realistic prices for what my books are worth.
I use Readerware software, which allows me to go to various web sites
and pull data on any field - one of which, of course, is price.
I'm trying to find out what you folks use as a good source web site for
getting a realistic value for your books - "realistic" being the key
word. For instance, I just bought a copy of "Dark Sun" by Richard
Rhodes. I think I paid about 30 bucks for a 1st edition 1st printing.
Some sites are showing the value of this book at 4 or 5 dollars!
I realize that all of this is so subjective, but in the event of a fire,
I obviously wouldn't want to rely on that data to give to my insurance
company as I'd never be able to replace my books.
On the other hand, having to search out each and every book I have to
find what it's selling for would be a task that would take forever.
So, I guess my questions boil down to a few:
1. I have signed and 1sts all in a database now. What site would be the
best to use to get realistic pricing on replacement value by using the
software to pull it from?
2. Am I going about this all wrong? Is there a better or easier way to
get realistic pricing so I can get this to my insurance company so in
the event of fire or flood or whatever, I can actually have the money to
replace my very prized collection.
3. On signed books - I realize that although they may be worth a lot to
me, I'll never get what I think they are worth in the event of a fire.
Or is there a way to figure this value in - say from an appraiser - one
that the insurance company would agree to that persons opinion of the
value of my collection?
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
LiRM

Moi's Books About Books: http://www.tinyurl.com/hib7
Moi's LIbrary http://www.moislibrary.com My Sentimental Library
http://www.picturetrail.com/mylibrary Florida Bibliophile Society
http://www.floridabibliophilesociety.org

Appraisals,

LiRM,

You should google Robert A. Hittel, a booksller in Fort Laderdale. He
does appraisals.

There is a bibliophile society in your neck of the woods as well: the
Fontaneda Society. They may be able to provide additional appraisal
recommendations:

http://www.co.broward.fl.us/library/..._fonteneda.htm

best,
Jerry Morris

Moi's Books About Books: http://www.tinyurl.com/hib7
Moi's LIbrary http://www.moislibrary.com My Sentimental Library
http://www.picturetrail.com/mylibrary Florida Bibliophile Society
http://www.floridabibliophilesociety.org