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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 |
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#2
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Pricing my collection (using Readerware)
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 |
#3
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Pricing my collection (using Readerware)
"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) |
#4
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Pricing my collection (using Readerware)
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. |
#5
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Pricing my collection (using Readerware)
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. |
#6
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Pricing my collection (using Readerware)
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. |
#7
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Pricing my collection (using Readerware)
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 |
#8
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Pricing my collection (using Readerware)
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 |
#10
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Pricing my collection (using Readerware)
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 |
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