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COLLECTIBLE PAPERBACK PRICE GUIDE
How to properly value paperback books

You have just acquired some old paperback books, or you have had some lying about for years. How do you determine if they are valuable enough to hang on to or place on ebay?

There are a number of priceguides available, and if you keep reading, I will review the best one in my opinion, and the only up to date one I have come across. But first, lets review some other means to determine prices for paperback books:

  • Check ebay
    • Many paperbacks appear every day on ebay. Most do not sell. The key is to check the selling price of those that do sell. You cannot go by the starting price, because as mentioned before, most never receive a bid. You cannot go by the the current auction price, as many items are bid up within the last 10 seconds of the auction. The only reliable way is to check results of completed auctions. Do this by using advanced search, and check the option for completed auctions
  • Check Amazon
    • I am amazed by the number of books appearing on Amazon. The unfortunate thing for serious paperback collector is that the majority of these are for reading, not collecting. Most are low grade, and there is rarely an adequate grading system used by most but not all book dealers on Amazon. I get the feeling they are using Amazon to dump their junk, and put the really collectible stuff elsewhere
  • Use Google to search the Internet
    • This is a tried and true method, but can become tedious if you have a large number of paperbacks to value. And there is one serious drawback. If you have something truly rare, it is unlikely that any dealer has one in stock at any given moment. The truly rare items don't come up for sale very often. The chance that one will be offered when you are looking may be small. You run the risk of having a rare item and not recognize that fact

What is the best method for determing if you have a valuable paperback book? The answer is to find a priceguide. But which priceguide? The market is constantly changing. Different types of paperbacks run hot and cold. A ten year old priceguide may not reflect the fact that digest style paperbacks are a hot item, or a particular author has become far more collectible of late.

Which priceguide do I recommend? Until recently, I would have recommended Collectable Paperback Books by Jeff Canja, or one of the Warren books. However, these are now 7 or more years out of date. Prices do change significantly over time, and dramatically sometimes. It is important to find an up to date guide.

At the top of my list is COLLECTIBLE PAPERBACK PRICE GUIDE by Gary Lovisi, published in the last year by Antique Trader. This book has a lot going for it. First, it is written by one of the foremost experts on paperbacks alive today. Gary publishes many of his own paperbacks under the Gryphon Press label, and publishes Paperback Parade, the only periodical devoted entirely to Vintage Paperback collecting. He does a great job and if you have even the slightest interest, get a subscription.

Second, there are over 1000 cover illustrations, the largest number of all color illustrations that I have ever seen in a priceguide before. And these are not on separate pages in some remote part of the book. They are interspersed with the text, and would cover 40-50% of the total page area (just a guess).

The priceguide covers each genre by chapter, with chapters on Fantastic Fiction (SF/F/H), Mysteries & Crime, Westerns, Movie and TV tie-ins, Sex and Social Issues, and more! There is a listing for pseudonyms, recommended dealers, book shows, an index of authors and more! There has never been a book like this before in our hobby and I believe it will become the template for all future books about books.

Third, there are a number of articles written on subjects that should interest every collector. These include:

  • The Vintage Era of the Mass Market Paperback
  • How to Start a Collection and What to Collect
  • Condition
  • Volatile Areas of Paperback Collectibles
  • How to Budget a Collection
  • The Importance of Cover Art
  • and many more

The only drawback to this book, and it is minor, is that it is not completely comprehensive. It lists 4000 of the most valuable paperbacks, and does not list the common, everyday items.

All in all, I highly recommend this price guide.

Should you have an interest in checking out this book, I have included a link to Amazon where it can be viewed for both new and used copies. Just click on the bookcover picture in the Amazon link just above this paragraph. If this link is blocked, try the Amazon banner near the top of the page. Just put Antique Trader Paperback Priceguide in their search engine, and it will come right up.

If you are looking for a more comprehensive priceguide, the best I can recommend was that By Graham Holroyd- Graham Holroyd's Paperback Prices and Checklist. This is far more comprehensive, and many consider it to be the bible for serious collectors of vintage paperbacks and paperback first editions. Two minor problems- it is becoming somewhat dated, with a 2003 publishing date, so it is out of print. Used copies are usually available from the Amazon link below, but are generally fairly pricey for a used item. This is probably a testament to the value of the book. Enjoy!


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COLLECTIBLES
FOR SALE
PULP MAGAZINES
Titles starting with letters:
  • A
  • B thru H
  • I thru R
  • S thru Z
    • PAPERBACK BOOKS
    SF and Fantasy books are listed by author.
     Ace Doubles listed by book number.
    SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY HARDCOVER BOOKS
    Authors starting with letters:
  • Science Fiction Bookclubs
    • Pulp Magazine Cover scans
    Over 5000 Hi-definition Pulp Magazine Cover scans
    are available on CD-rom or DVD
    The largest collection of hi-definition scans available anywhere. Buy this collection and see it all at once, or view it on this page- it will only take 15 years to see it all!
    POSTERS!!
    Beautiful hi-gloss pulp magazine cover posters
    suitable for framing- you will be proud to display these
    REFERENCE MATERIAL
    Here are some reference guides to help you understand and appreciate the Science Fiction world of books and pulps better

    PULP ARTICLES
    How to Collect Pulp Magazines
    Read Here
    Useful information if you are considering starting a collection
    Worlds Best Pulp Magazine Priceguide
    Read Here
    The bible of pulp magazine priceguides. Place a value on most any pulp, no matter how obscure
    Grading Pulp Magazines
    Read Here
    Accurate grading is essential in pricing Pulp Magazines
    Travels in Search of the Elusive Pulp Magazine
    Read Here
    A series of articles about traveling around the country in search of Pulp Magazine collections- the weird characters, the strange collections the odd homes and locales
    What will be the Treasured Collectibles of the Future
    Read Here
    to find which items lying about today may become the valuable collectibles of the future

    PAPERBACK ARTICLES
    Read our standards on
    PAPERBACK GRADING

    Read a useful article on
    COLLECTING PAPERBACKS
    to see what a pro thinks about the subject.

    Looking For a Great
    PAPERBACK PRICE GUIDE?
    Read a review of what I consider to be the most up to date and perhaps the best Collectible Price Guide ever printed.

    INTERESTING LINKS
    Visit our companion page
    Pulp Magazine Cover of the Day

    to view the daily updated Pulp Magazine Cover. You can purchase the CD or DVD above and enjoy all 5500 pulpcovers in high resolution glory, or you can see then in low resolution one at a time over the next 15 years!

    Visit our companian Paperback Cover page
    Slightly Sleazy Vintage Paperbacks

    to find a daily pulpish paperback cover from my collection
    SCIENCE FICTION DVD's
    Here I list my selection for the 10 most underrated Science Fiction Movies of all Time. Do you agree? Use the email link at the bottom of the page to add your favorites.

    Hangman