Recent Purchases...

Over the Christmas break I made three series book purchases. Two of the purchases were made on ABE (Advanced Book Exchange), a book service I have only occasionally used. The third purchase I made was on Ebay. I know I've been ranting the last couple of days about Ebay, but I feel the need to vent once again. Forgive me in advance, if you will please.
All three packages arrived today (Don't you hate that? You'd think they would spread themselves out over several day so that you have something to look forward to in the mail. Bills come almost every day. Why can't packages?). Two were well packaged in new boxes, and one package was a tad beaten and worn. The first package I opened was a copy of the Dana Girls "In the Shadow of the Tower." It was a copy in a red and turquoise jacket, a format I've recently decided I would like to collect. The book is in beautiful condition, the dust jacket bright and attractive, and the spine just a little lighter than the cover and back. It looks great and I will add it to the collection. I paid 28.00 for the book. It was a little pricey, but the condition of the book justified the price. I purchased it through ABE.
In the next package I had a copy of "Beverly Gray's Surprise". Anyone who collects the Beverly Gray series knows that the Clover books are cheaply made, and many copies have not held up over time. "Surprise" was only released in the Clover edition, so a nice sturdy copy can be hard to come by. Often times the cellophane coating on the cover is peeling or gone, and the bindings have also loosened over the years. This is the last title in the series, and when I found this copy on ABE for 10.99 I jumped on it. I now own a nice, sturdy copy of the last volume in a series I like, for a price that was minimal. If the general rule of thumb that the last book in any series is harder to find, than I think I did pretty well.
My last package, the one that didn't look so good was purchased from an Ebay seller. It contained four Beverly Gray titles that were sold as a lot. I opened the package, and I was grateful it was not raining today. The box had been used several times, and the books were not wrapped in any plastic or paper. Some newspapers were balled up, I suppose to keep the books from moving around in transit. I can't understand why a seller would mail books that aren't protected from moisture. Upon close inspection, I quickly determined that the books were not up to my collecting standards. They aren't terrible copies, but the dust jackets are faded and worn, and the books have a musty odor, something not mentioned in the original description. I paid 40.00 for the four books, and will try and sell them for 9.99 each in my Bonanzle booth. Perhaps at that price they will sell as reading copies, and I will break even, sans my Bonanzle selling fee.
I was obviously most disappointed in my Ebay purchase, and will not be giving the seller superior ratings. A wet, rainy day could have completely ruined the books I purchased. As it is, I am stuck with books that I really don't want, despite missing copies of two of the titles. My ABE purchases are very good, and they were well wrapped and protected. I purchased the Beverly Gray books without doing a lot of homework, something that happens when an auction is about to end. Buying books on ABE or Bonanzle gives the consumer a chance to find out what they are getting before they make their purchase. Auctions can be fun, and good deals are sometimes made, but the fixed price sales can sometimes prove to be the better way to go.

Nice Books.... High Price

Here is a great example of what I wrote about yesterday. Check out this Ebay item:

Item Number:230419696020

Eight of the Bolian illustrated Nancy Drew books... Price? A Buy It Now of 602.00!

I don't have any of these books in my collection, but I know they are a little more desirable among collectors. I have not seen them for less than 50.00 on Ebay, but this seems to be a rather steep price: 75.25 a book. All eight for 602.00.

And another picture besides spines facing out would have been nice. What do the fronts look like? At 602.00, I'd like to have a look before buying. The description says "Some are in better from very nice to good." Better what? Shape I presume. The seller offers to send more pictures upon request, but why not post up front? I have a hunch these copies are not worth 75.00 a book!

I, unfortunately do not have 602.00 laying around for an Ebay purchase.

They seem overpriced to me. Desirable? Yes. Obtainable? "Not I, said the blindman..."

Ebay: A sad state of affairs...

I've been keeping my eyes on Ebay lately, and there really isn't much there for the serious collector these days. Over the Christmas break, I have been using the advanced search and looking at the recently added books while drinking my first cup of coffee. I insert a couple of different keywords: Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton, Ken Holt, Rick Brant, and occasionally Dana Girls.
Nancy Drew comes back with the most books, but there is little of any value that I can see. You find plenty of Flashlight books and sets, and certainly some matte yellow spines as well. In addition, blue tweeds that don't have dust jackets are fairly prevalent. But early white spines are not very prevalent. Early books that are in good condition, with a dust jacket and complete with all glossies are selling for a price that makes it fairly hard for the average collector to make a bid. Books that start at 300.00 are out of my league. I have noticed that many of these high priced books are listed over again, because they do not sell. Little inventory, and high prices seems to be the trend.
It's a little better for Judy Bolton collectors. More early copies creep in, and I managed to buy a first printing of The Midnight Visitor for just under 40.00 last month. I was able to upgrade my copy of that book, but it's still a challenge to find things to bid on. There is very little in the way of boy series books. I have not purchased a boy series book for months, due to a lack of inventory.
I hear other collectors talk about the early days of Ebay, and how so many collections were built using this venue. For those of us that have entered rather late in the game, it's a struggle.
I would love to find some deals, but currently deals are just not to be found on Ebay. Between a lot of junk, good books are being eaten up by resellers and collectors with heavier pockets than mine.
I am an optimist by nature, so I keep returning to the well. However, my bucket is rarely half full after the trip. Anyone finding anything on Ebay these days?

Another High Selling Nancy Drew!

This unique collectible Nancy Drew book which has a label advertising the film "Nancy Drew: Detective just sold for a whopping 1700.00 on Ebay. These books with the wrapper included are very hard to find and date to 1938.

The book is a 1938A-12 printing and is in very good shape. The seller had a reserve price set, and up until 10 seconds before the auction closed that reserve had not been met. Things changed rather quickly! Congratulations to the seller and the buyer. It looks like a beautiful book to own. The economy may be hurting, but occasional high prices are still turning up on series books!

Should "Musty Odor" Be Included... Book descriptions on Ebay!

When I search for books on Ebay, I am very conscious of the price I'm paying for an item. I'm a teacher, and though I am fortunate to have what I have, my income basically pays my bills, with a small amount of extra for an occasional series book now and then! I can't pay large amounts of money for a book- I just don't walk in those circles. So price point is important to me. As a result, I try to look at descriptions of items sellers have on Ebay or Bonanzle, and then make a good decision regarding a purchase.
This past week, I purchased from several dealers 10 of the 12 Connie Blair books. The series was published by Grosset and Dunlap between 1948 and 1958, and is recognizable among collectors for having a color mentioned in each title. I received my first book yesterday in the mail. The Ghost Wore White was listed as a first printing which it was. The pages are indeed white as described, and the dust jacket is nice in a mylar protected cover. However, on the back inside endpapers there is a slight warping (very slight) and some white spots that appear to be mildew. The book also is emanating a strong musty odor. Looking at the book, I would assume it spent some time in a damp basement, and even if it did not get wet, dampness has begun to affect the book. I can see how a seller who does not specialize in books may not have caught the mildew spots, as they are very small, but how can you miss the odor?
It would seem to me that if a strong odor is in a book, a seller should lower the price, and let the buyer be aware of its presence. I paid 31.00 for the book, and I would have reconsidered the purchase if I had known what I know now.
Am I disappointed? A little. I still have a first, and it won't look bad. I'll have to see if there is a way to get rid of the odor. As a seller, I want to be sure that I give people a solid description of what they are buying. We all deserve this!

Bobbsey Twins First Sells High!

I don't remember ever reading a Bobbsey Twins book, but they certainly are one of the longest running children's series to have ever been published. Dating back to the early twentieth century, they were part of the Stratemeyer output and apparently read by children for many decades. I probably see more Bobbsey Twins books in antique stores and flea markets than any other series, but I have never had a desire to collect any. I did see a set of several volumes this summer while on vacation that tempted me. They were from England, if I remember correctly, and were attractive. The seller wanted almost 20.00 a book, and I resisted the temptation.

An apparent first edition (as worded by the Ebay seller) sold last night at the rather impressive price of 787.00. This is far more than I have ever seen for a Bobbsey Twins book. It was published by the Mershon Company of Rahway, NY, and has a glossy frontispiece, as pictured.

I have no idea if this book is a first printing of the title. I am sure, however, that the seller is quite happy with this sale. It proves to me, once again, that people are interested in collecting juvenile series fiction, and you never know what you may find that can command a high price later.

Next time I see a stack of old Bobbseys, I'm going to take a closer look at them!