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Gislain New user 54 Posts |
I have a few books from 1936 to 1954.
Before reading some posts on the Magic Café I thought that they were worth more than $5.00 bucks. Does anyone know of any old magic book that is priceless? How old does a book have to be for it to be considered rare (eighteen hundreds or older)? What are your oldest magic books? Are there any old books (before 1950) that are considered as classics? |
Dave Egleston Special user Ceres, Ca 632 Posts |
Age is not necessarily the major determining factor when assessing value
I have a copy of "THE SECRET OUT" published in 1859 - But it is not as valuable as my copy of "CARD CRAFT" published 1991 - nor my newly acquired Scroll written by Masklyn ye Mage/Andruzzi (I just got it and I'm SO happy and proud). The book I tried to buy last year was titled "HISTORY OF MAGIC" I think it was published in the 1600's - I had to give up the bidding at $2100.00 (much to the relief of my wife) - I only started updating my library about 8 years ago so I have a lot to learn and I'm continually buying first editions - replacing other, older editions so I have a few duplicates - I need to put them up for sale - I just hate to part with ANY book - I guess that's why I have 3 copies of "MORE MAGIC" If you list the old books you have I can try and price them for you Dave |
Arlen Regular user Keith Arlen Lack 143 Posts |
Gislain,
I am a collector of first edition books and while I do not only collect ones about Magic, I do get the most excited about those. Ones that I do not have are any of the Golden Sphix Jubalee volumes. Those to my knowledge are very hard to come by. I do have several dating all the way back to the late 1600s and three that were published shortly after the civil war. A lot of parlor stuff in them and they are a real treat. There is currently a very old (1791) French book on Magic on eBay and it is currently up to $202.00. The stuff from the 30s and through the 50s, I am sorry to say, is not worth much as there was so much of it printed then. Magic was a very popular pass time in the days before TV. If you are into looking up old magic books, check out the Learned Pig at http://www.learnedpig.com. Very cool site. You will have to link some rings to get in but it is not difficult. |
Ron Giesecke Special user Redding, Ca. 947 Posts |
I have this old book, by some guy named Reginald Scot. It's from, I think 1584, and has an inscription that says "Please don't let that infernal Samuel Rid plagarize me posthumously."
Just kidding. . .I do see Frank Garcia's "Encyclopedia of Sponge Balls" hit the hundred dollar range on Ebay quite awhile ago. Sorry about the "discoverie" palpatations--I just can't restrain myself sometimes. --Ron |
x-treem Inner circle 1133 Posts |
Another place that I found online that has some pretty old magic ebooks is http://www.lybrary.com.
A direct from text adaptation : The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Starring Mickey Rooney in his final role.
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Gislain New user 54 Posts |
Thank you for the information.
After considering your posts and also looking through Ebay and other areas, I came to the conclusion that there aren't many valuable magic books out there. I thought that some of my books were worth something. I guess I was wrong. Thanks again. |
Dave Egleston Special user Ceres, Ca 632 Posts |
As someone suggested - If you're interested in selling/trading - Make a list -
Dave |
spherie New user Germany 52 Posts |
@x-treem: Have you ever ordered anything from the lybrary? And if, how about the quality?
Regards, Spherie |
Derek P. Moore New user Kansas City 53 Posts |
Quote:
On 2002-08-27 02:05, Ron Giesecke wrote: No kiddin'? Neato keen! I found a first edition of this book at a local used book store for $9. I've never really been into sponge ball sleights, except for "Rabbits, Rabbits", which I used to do as a kid (mostly I did it as a kid 'cause it involved a dirty joke!). It's cool to know that it's worth a $100 or so! I've been planning on goin' through the book cover to cover as soon as I purchase myself a set o' sponge balls. I also have "The Wizard's Magic Book", by Peter Adams, copyright 1930, and I believe I have a first edition (although it doesn't say). I found it in an antique store for $15. It's a paperback, and I've wanted to read it, it's full of diagrams, plans, and instructions for all those old stage props. But the pages are so brittle, I'm afraid the book'll fall apart if I open it too widely. *grin* And recently I picked up "Magic as a Hobby: New Tricks for Amateur Performers", by Bruce Elliott (foreword by Orson Welles). It's copyright 1948, but the edition I have was published by Gramercy, not Harper & Brothers. So, I'm assuming it's not a first edition. Those three books are the extent of my "old magic books" collection. Any idea what these last two books might be worth, ay? Peace out, Derek
All my posts are anti-copyright 2002 by myself. No rights reserved. Plagiarism is encouraged. Intellectual property is an oxymoron.
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x-treem Inner circle 1133 Posts |
Quote:
On 2002-09-16 09:52, spherie wrote: Yes, I have Handcuff Secrets (Deluxe edition) Margery (Standard edition), The Right Way To Do Wrong (Standard edition) all on one CD that I was able to name (The Houdini Files Vol. 1). Deluxe editions you get superb scans of the original book that you can switch to within their library program, which is included on the CD and easy to use.The Standard edition is also great the pictures are high quality and the typing is good as well. Shipping was incredible fast. The only thing I had a complaint about is that you can not print the scans of the original book if you go deluxe. Over all it is a great business. Shawn
A direct from text adaptation : The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde Starring Mickey Rooney in his final role.
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arttv New user 1 Post |
How much would the price be on the GREATEST MAGIC (Hilliard) First edition in very good condition?
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Dave Egleston Special user Ceres, Ca 632 Posts |
Vg - $100.00 - 150.00 A wide margin but unless you've been appraised by a bookseller "very good" is very subjective
Let me know if you'd like an offer on this book Dave |
RiserMagic Veteran user 361 Posts |
Quote:
On 2002-09-06 15:00, Gislain wrote: I would not say this is true. I have one book worth at least $1,500 and another pair (set of two) worth at least $1,400. Still another is worth over $500. It all depends upon what you bought, when you bought it, and condition. You still can buy certain new books which will appreciate in value - most will not. My collection of original Thayer blueprints certainly has increased in value. The Owen Magic Supreme "Keep the wheels turning..." books will do well over the years. The limited edition historical books will most likely increase in value. Many I have bought in the past 10 years have gone up. Be selective in your purchases going for quality all the time and you might well have a valuable collection in less than 25 years. An added benefit is the enjoyment and personal satisfaction derived from such books. |
ninjaduffy Veteran user UK 332 Posts |
I have a book, third printing, from 1918, printed in london england..... its cool.
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Chris Inner circle lybrary.com 1177 Posts |
Quote:
The only thing I had a complaint about is that you can not print the scans of the original book if you go deluxe. Over all it is a great business. If you can't print out the scans which come with the collector edition, then something is wrong either with the ebook or some other printing issue. Please contact me to see if we can sort this out. Collector edition ebooks should be printable just as the standard edition. Chris....
Lybrary.com preserving magic one book at a time.
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Clay Shevlin Elite user 497 Posts |
Some thoughts from a humble bibliophile:
There are two kinds of rarity: "absolute" rarity (i.e., the number of copies in existence in the world) and rarity "in commerce" (i.e., how difficult it is to find a book in the market). And do not confuse rarity with value (i.e., buyer demand). A very common book can be very expensive, but that has nothing to do with absolute rarity and sometimes even rarity in commerce. Case in point: look at what happened to ricky jay's Cards as Weapons - as soon as the price shot up into the hundreds of dollars, all of a sudden there was a glut of copies - there were thousands of copies printed of this book; short of a nuclear disaster, this book will probably never be rare, no matter how expensive. And the fact that at least a dozen copies of this book are always for sale (albeit at high prices) says that this title is not rare in commerce either. Either kind of rarity is not necessarily related to age, but the odds of a book being "rare" do increase with its age. A note on Ebay and its prices. There are a lot of neophytes buying magic books on Ebay, apparently with money to burn. Recently, a copy of a $75 book sold or over $200 on Ebay - and the author still has copies for sale he'd be happy to autograph to you. There's nothing wrong with being a neophyte, of course - that's where we all were at some time. But be careful when you bid and try not to get caught up in the excitement of bidding. No matter what any seller on Ebay tells you, there are precious few books which truly "won't be for sale again!" Try to get to know an experienced collector or an honest dealer (try John Cannon at Aladdin Books) who can give you advice on how to maximize your hard-earned dollars. And finally, with all the talk here about value, etc., my friendly advice would be to never buy books for investment, but for enjoyment. Not that some books won't appreciate, but the future is always uncertain, so why not get enjoyment out of your money now instead of hoping and praying your "investment" pays off. Just my thoughts and good luck to all with your collecting. |
Rennie Inner circle I think I have about 1826 Posts |
[quote]On 2002-09-06 15:00, Gislain wrote:
Thank you for the information. After considering your posts and also looking through Ebay and other areas, I came to the conclusion that there aren't many valuable magic books out there. I thought that some of my books were worth something. I guess I was wrong. Thanks again.[quote]gislain, I have to disagree with this statement. I have a fairly large magic book collection worth several thousand dollars and I have books I purchased in the mid 70's reasonably priced at that time and are now getting many dollars more than whatI originally paid.The Harbin book originally sold for I believe around $60.00, now in the thousands if you can find it.The Albo series of books, a complete set around $3500.00.Phil Golstein's color series on mentalism which incidently is a small paper stapled book which sold for $3.95 ea. in the 70's, today a complete set of 5 will run you around $500.00.What makes a book valuable, who knows really, I guess if you really want it price is no object though.Send a list of your books like a few others suggested, you may have something valuable and may change your attitude on collecting. Rennie
The effect is the important thing, how you achieve it is not.......
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