Stolen library books

[faithsbks]

Ebay is at risk of becoming a vehicle for the sale of stolen library books, if it is not already.  Old books with library markings, often valuable ones, are frequently listed for sale on the Antiquarian Book site. Such books are typically marked as "Ex-Library" with pics included showing such markings. But in every case the markings should include a "Discard" stamp showing that the Library itself removed the book from its collection. Often

such "Discard" notices do not appear in the listing. This very likely means the book was stolen. Ebay should have a rule that no library book may be listed without a photo showing the Discard notice.

[faithsbks]

All good points. The books I had in mind are books with real value, such as first editions from well known authors. They show up here from time to time and a recent first edition by a leading 19th Century American writer is what prompted this "conversation".  It's unlikely a library would not want to keep such a book.

[aeparts1]

Isn't the value of a first edition pretty much destroyed if it has a library stamp on it, or evidence of a card pocket glued to a page? Plus, with  the wear a library book will have, they are no longer close to mint, or even acceptable condition. I could be wrong though, I am not a book expert.

There is a real problem with theft of rare & valuable books from libraries though. The main location of the library here in Pittsburgh had over $1 million in rare books stolen.  One of the library employees was involved, as well as the owner of a local used book store. These were books that were not in the circulating collection, they were pretty much museum specimens, that the general public could not see. All gone, never to be recovered.

[aeparts1]

I have to revise my comment above. It was $8 million in books stolen here in Pittsburgh. Try a search for book theft Pittsburgh.

[terrycece62]

If a library has rare and valuable books security steps are taken by library to ensure these books are  hard to steal .  books are in special collection rooms staffed and if a publec has acess as just stated can not be checked out or even removed from the special collection room.

These books are may be held in a locked display case for viewing but not for the public to even touch so  book is not so damaged or soiled  through frequent or  improper handling

Thefts  are rare  from libraries and as in any criminal case the ones with the greatest access (the library staff ) would be the first to investigated

[jewelbiz]

I have about 10,000 books I purchased in my lifetime going into houses, etc. buying for my business.  Now I want to sell them all and spend hours a day looking for good high cost books to sell here on eBay.  I pick out a book in my library and get very excited when I do a search and see on Amazon someone is asking $900. For the book but it’s out of stock.

Then I come back down to earth when I see it last sold here on eBay for $6.00!

[2013grotz]

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@faithsbks wrote:

All good points. The books I had in mind are books with real value, such as first editions from well known authors. 

No library staff with any sense is going to put anything with real value out with the regular collection or allow it to even be checked out. They certainly won't put register sleeves or stamps on them. Of course, as we discussed elsewhere on here recently, putting that stuff on a book is going to destroy it, condition-wise and make it worthless enough that it'd remove the point.

[2013grotz]

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@jewelbiz wrote:

I pick out a book in my library and get very excited when I do a search and see on Amazon someone is asking $900. For the book but it’s out of stock.

Then I come back down to earth when I see it last sold here on eBay for $6.00!

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Another interesting topic (digression).  A lot of sellers have auto-pricing algorithms set up in software they use to automate listing massive amounts of items.  One of the factors that go into that algorithm is how many others are for sale or have been sold.  They go haywire when they don't find any and assume it to be a rare book.  You can see one example (of two) of it in my current sales: A textbook from Issac Asimov on how to use a slide rule.  I saw that and as a result was pretty uncertain how to price mine, so I went with what's on there and said I'm very willing to negotiate in the item description.  While an interesting bit of arcana, I'm not going to be too upset to let it go for much less than what I have on it as long as I make enough compared to what I gave for it.

Another random story: I ended up in a discussion over a used book like that, posted in the thousands of dollars.  Funny part of it is the author chimes in and says "I got brand new ones sitting here I'll let go for $10!"  Funny how these things work. 

But yeah, if you're into books any significant degree, it's very good to know how a lot of book sellers come up with the prices they put on things.

[mobley120]

Probably so... I don't know about others, but I have never had much luck with selling books... I collect books but only because they are given to me, ah, it started many many years ago: a friend was cleaning out rental property and there were about a hundred books that had be abandoned, and he didn't want to throw them away, so I took 'em in, ugh, and that's where it started. I now have "probably" 5000 or better, a shed full and my office is packed... Very few people like throwing book in the trash, ah, some of the books, in which are brought to my back door, are in such rough shape, well, there's really only one thing to do with those books: paper recycling bin.

[tdumonde2014]

During your research, what percentage of "Library" Books being sold were stolen? 

[maxine*j]

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@faithsbks wrote:

... a recent first edition by a leading 19th Century American writer is what prompted this "conversation".  It's unlikely a library would not want to keep such a book.

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Based on my own experiences, living in a few different states across the U.S., I would guess that you haven't visited many public libraries recently, or looked through their "sales" carts.  Library book sales are replete with first editions, most of them of no interest to collectors because of condition. 

Occasionally, of course, there can be found one or two that do have some value left despite the stamps, pockets, and so on.  But that doesn't happen often these days for two reasons:  First, there are libraries who give their FOL volunteers first dibs on de-accessed and donated books, and since not a few of them are sellers, they get the ones with any value.  Second, I know of at least one public library, so I assume there are others, that has an eBay bookseller who goes through all de-accessed and donated books and sells the ones of value on commission.

=

[mobley120]

 just a follow up, the picture is of the most recent books and other stuff brought to our back door, it's from a clean out. It was a week before last week. There are about 100 or so books, and about 700 lps, and an old electro stereo systems, ugh... none of it has any true value, ah, into the shed it will be stored, ugh.

Oh, the tall green plants in the picture, is mint, it grows there every year, and under it, there's a seashell garden: life in the countryside on our back porch...

Books, people dislike throwing them away... I guess those books in the shed, in which is taking up a lot of space, can "now" be held in a hand full of thumb drives... And I doubt books will ever be shipped to Mars... PCs, are they making us smarter/wiser or something else?

[2013grotz]

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@mobley120 wrote:

Probably so... I don't know about others, but I have never had much luck with selling books...

Kinda same.  Sales percentage on them are pretty low.  But I do it because it's something I know and happen to have a bunch of.   Really a lot of demand is contingent on title when it comes to ebay, so all you can do is pick out the ones that seem to have an enduring degree of fame that might not have a ton of copies out there, roll the dice, and hope for the best.

As far as books go, they're kind of like late 80's baseball cards.  A lot of people keep them and there's so many of them out there that you really don't have much of anything even worth trying to sell.  I ended up shredding a ton of those baseball cards just for fun one night when I figured that out (basically to answer the question how many could fit into my wastebasket).  Most books, outside of a simple few, are mostly only fit for the paper recycler.  Either too many of them or not enough interest in the specific title at hand.

[dbfolks166mt]

Now if only the college book store prices were in the $3-4 range. 

[pikabo-icu]

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@mobley120 wrote:

 just a follow up, the picture is of the most recent books and other stuff brought to our back door, it's from a clean out. It was a week before last week. There are about 100 or so books, and about 700 lps, and an old electro stereo systems, ugh... none of it has any true value, ah, into the shed it will be stored, ugh.

Oh, the tall green plants in the picture, is mint, it grows there every year, and under it, there's a seashell garden: life in the countryside on our back porch...

Books, people dislike throwing them away... I guess those books in the shed, in which is taking up a lot of space, can "now" be held in a hand full of thumb drives... And I doubt books will ever be shipped to Mars... PCs, are they making us smarter/wiser or something else?

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You would probably make more selling the fresh mint LOL

It grows here too not that prolifically, now ask me about foxgloves & assorted berries.. UGH

[kensgiftshop]

I have a lot of old library books and none of them have a discard stamp and I've had them for years.