Collectible Childrens Books on eBay

[picture*books]

As per cc's suggestion, a thread for relatively higher dollar children's books sold on eBay and the ensuing discussions.

[picture*books]

A first edition of The Little Prince with a decent unclipped dust jacket sold for best offer under $2500 last week on eBay. The DJ is notoriously fragile in the first and early editions. Nice professional description by the seller, along with plenty of photographs for the prospective buyers.

Item 275614973213 sold for Best Offer < $2,500 on April 14, 2023

1943 1ST ED., 1ST ISSUE - THE LITTLE PRINCE by ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPERY - HC/DJ

Item Description:
"Saint-Exupery, Antoine de. THE LITTLE PRINCE. Written and Drawn by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Translated from the French by Katherine Woods. New York, NY: Reynal & Hitchcock, (1943). Quarto, 9 inches high by 7-1/4 inches wide. Hardcover, bound in salmon cloth titled in maroon on the front cover and the spine, with an illustration of the little prince on the front cover, in the first state dust wrapper. The edges of the dust jacket and its spine are darkened. There are a few small holes and short tears along the folds of the jacket's spine which have been internally reinforced with clear archival document tape. 94 pages, profusely illustrated in color by Saint-Exupery. There is minor offsetting to the endpapers and the bookplate of "The Gordons" is mounted on the front pastedown. A very attractive clean copy in a good dust wrapper.

First edition, first issue in the first state of the dust wrapper.

The points are as follows: Reynal & Hitchcock is the publisher and no other printings are listed on the copyright page; There is a 5 line colophon at the end of the book; there is an image of a red rose on page 27. The first state dust wrapper has the price of $2.00 and the correct address of the publisher, "386 Fourth Avenue", is on the front flap.”

[picture*books]

A softcover Advanced Reading Copy of Roald Dahl's Matilda sold recently on eBay for Best Offer under $1,100. I haven't seen this one before. Interest in Matilda first printings have increased due to the successful Broadway musical.

Item 266247731435 sold for Best Offer < $1,100 on May 6, 2023

Matilda by Roald Dahl ~ Advance Reading Copy Softcover 1st Edition

Item Description:
"Viking Kestrel, New York, 1988. Advance Reading Copy of the US edition. Bound in publisher’s yellow wraps printed in black. Numerous Quentin Blake illustrations. Book Condition: Very Good plus. Slight toning to wraps with general shelf wear. No internal markings.

Matilda won the Children’s Book Award in the year of its publication. A scarce format of one of Dahl’s best known works. "

[imagine.ink]

I just re-read this entire thread from start to finish.  It took me three days to finish reading it all the way through (due to sensory overload, I couldn't read the entire thread in one sitting).   I cut and pasted sections of particular interest to me (books that I need to research, etc.) for future use.  

Sadly, I ran across many names of booksellers who are no longer with us: Joe, Jack, gismas (don't remember his real name), and many others.  

Thanks so much, Stan, for all the invaluable information recorded on these pages!    

Out of curiosity, I was wondering ... in your opinion, do Caldecott or Newbery winning books tend to maintain their value better?  I would have thought Caldecott, but I was surprised how many Newbery winners are mentioned with very high prices on this thread. 

[picture*books]

I think first edition Caldecott Medal books hold their value the most Michele, although first edition Newbery Medal books are also considered 'blue chip'. First edition Caldecott Honor books are much more collectible when compared to Newbery Honor books.

It's probably the approachability of the picturebook when compared to the chapter book that impacts the collectibility and value. And also the scarcity plays a factor given the higher attrition rate of picturebooks compared to chapter books because of the age of the reader.

Currently the highest valued first edition Newbery Medal winner is A Wrinkle In Time, which is a $10-to-$15,000 book in VG/VG condition. The values of first editions Make Way For Ducklings, A Snowy Day, and Where The Wild Things Are exceed that, and The Little House is comparable.

[picture*books]

A 1892 first edition of Andrew Lang's Green Fairy Book sold recently on eBay for $430. It's remarkable that the original Longmans, Greens first editions from circa ~1900 can be so reasonably priced in consideration of the Folio Society reprints from ~2010 sell for $100's.

Item 225850348872 sold for $430 on Dec. 13, 2023

Green Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang 1892 First UK Edition with Decorative Boards

Item Description:
"Here we offer the 1892 first edition, first printing, of the children's classic illustrated collection, The Green Fairy Book, by Andrew Lang and published by Longmans, Green, and Company, London. This first is notable for its striking gilt-engraved decorative cover featuring a dragon. Gilt page edges all the way around (to keep dust out.)

Boards have typical edgewear (please see pics.) Hinges are very secure. A few fingerprints. Very clean, bright, and crisp text and illustrations. 366 pages, plus 2 pages of ads; measures approximately 7.25 x 5-inches.

This very special first will make a wonderful addition to your collection or a very special and thoughtful gift "

[picture*books]

For those with an interest, posted an article on identifying the first and early printings of Dr. Seuss Cat In The Hat, here: https://1stedition.net/blog/2024/01/the-cat-in-the-hat-early-edition-identification.html.

Here's the summary of the article:

Mar 1957 – Sep 1958 Printings
The Cat In The Hat was published with five dust jackets from 1957-to-1958 with different prices on the dust jacket front flap, along with and without the Beginner Book ‘B-1’ designate printed on the bottom of the DJ spine.

Since the Beginner Books were not published until late in 1958, the DJ’s without the ‘B-1’ on the spine are the earlier printings.

Congruent with these dust jackets The Cat In The Hat was published with two variations of the book itself, one with a single signature binding, then later one with a three signature binding.

- 1st printing: Dust jacket price ‘200/200’ / no ‘B-1’ on DJ spine / single signature
- 2nd printing: Dust jacket price blank / no ‘B-1’ on DJ spine / single signature
- 3rd printing: Dust jacket price blank / no ‘B-1’ on DJ spine / three signatures
- 4th printing: Dust jacket price ‘195/195’ / no ‘B-1’ on DJ spine / three signatures
- 5th printing: Dust jacket price blank / with ‘B-1’ on DJ spine / three signatures
- 6th printing: Dust jacket price ‘195/195’ / with ‘B-1’ on DJ spine / three signatures

[picture*books]

A signed copy of the 1924 Boxcar Children sold last week on eBay for $1,500. This is the first Boxcar Children book; there are now over 120 books in the series.

Item 285705907807 sold for $1,500 on Mar. 3, 2024

The Boxcar Children First Edition Signed The Box-Car Children. Gertrude C Warner

Item Description:
"The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Warner. First edition, signed , 1924. This is a rare and valuable item for any book collector. This book is signed from the author to one of her students. This lot also includes a signed photograph of the author that was kept in the book. All four color plates are in excellent condition.

The book is in great shape and will make a perfect addition to any library. It is an excellent opportunity to own a literary gem and a piece of history.

The book's topic revolves around the story of the Box-Car Children and is sure to captivate readers of all ages. This edition of the book is the first one, making it a total rarity. Get it now to add a valuable piece to your collection! Please look at all pictures. Happy to provide additional pictures, information, or answer any questions."

[lux.ra_14]

These ancient threads are cumbersome. This one is more than 15 years old and many pages long.

Thread should be pinned for the info it contains, even though some of it is outdated. New topics should be posted as new threads. Activity here is sparse enough. New threads would give some sign of life, especially for the next time eBay revamps the forums and possibly culls inactive boards.

Another thread, "A book that looks like nothing, " is 20+ years old. Interesting as an online artifact but, again, it contains much outdated material. Many of its suggestions no longer hold up. Even the OP of the thread seems to have finally quit the book business.

[picture*books]

Several "Lazy Liza Lizard" books authored by Marie Curtis Rains sold recently on eBay for over $300:
Lazy Liza Lizard over $200 on eBay. The illustrator is Vera Neville.

I am not familiar with the title or author. It appears the first title was published in 1938, 'Lazy Liza Lizard', and a second title in 1953, 'Lazy Liza Lizard's Tricks'. The author's only books.

Vera Neville was more prolific, with over 40 illustrated books.

[fantasyclassics]

Marie Curtis Rains (July 7, 1884- May 13, 1953) born in Maysville, Ky, taught Kindergarten for a number of years in the Cincinnati, Oh area. She is quite popular in the Cincinnati area, but I am not sure how strong of an interest there is for her books outside of the area. Many years ago I sold a Fine/Fine copy inscribed by the Author to one of her relatives for the outrageous price of around $45. Prices have gone up since that time.