Hardy Boys FE $9100 and climbing on eBay!

On Jan 10, 8:03*pm, "Kris Baker" wrote:
"Jonathan Grobe" wrote in message

...

On 2008-01-10, RF wrote:
On Jan 9, 10:55 am, RF wrote:
A rare possible FE of the Hardy Bots "While The Clock Ticked" is
setting a record on
ebay:http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=220189682055

Up to (gasp) $10,000.00 with 4 days to go!

The opinion on the eBay Booksellers Board is this
could well be shill bidders.

The two fighting it out (the ones with 21 and 71 feedback) have
*eached* placed high percentages of their bids (34% and 43%)
on this seller's items.

All you have to do, is click on the clocked ID to see their bid
history:http://offer.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d...m=220189682055

Looks like a legitimate bidder has come along (feedback=459) with a
bid of $10,100.00!

On Jan 12, 2:35 pm, RF wrote:

Looks like a legitimate bidder has come along (feedback=459) with a
bid of $10,100.00!

Wouldn't the jacket being a 2nd print knock the value down
considerably?

What might a true 1st/1st book/jacket be worth in comparison? 20%
more? 100% more?


Carl

On Jan 14, 3:09*pm, wrote:
On Jan 12, 2:35 pm, RF wrote:

Looks like a legitimate bidder has come along (feedback=459) with a
bid of $10,100.00!

Wouldn't the jacket being a 2nd print knock the value down
considerably?

What might a true 1st/1st book/jacket be worth in comparison? 20%
more? 100% more?

Frankly I think the book sold wildly over its value and the auction
may have been tainted by possible shill bidding.
Since no publisher information exists as to what is actually a first
state DJ and we have only the speculation (no matter how well
informed) of a couple of researchers (Hefflefinger and Carpentieri/
Mular), it is difficult to make any accurate comparisons.
Ultimately I guess a book is worth what someone is willing to pay for
it.

On Jan 14, 5:26 pm, RF wrote:
On Jan 14, 3:09 pm, wrote:

On Jan 12, 2:35 pm, RF wrote:

Looks like a legitimate bidder has come along (feedback=459) with a
bid of $10,100.00!

Wouldn't the jacket being a 2nd print knock the value down
considerably?

What might a true 1st/1st book/jacket be worth in comparison? 20%
more? 100% more?

Frankly I think the book sold wildly over its value and the auction
may have been tainted by possible shill bidding.
Since no publisher information exists as to what is actually a first
state DJ and we have only the speculation (no matter how well
informed) of a couple of researchers (Hefflefinger and Carpentieri/
Mular), it is difficult to make any accurate comparisons.

Well, there exists jackets like this, with fewer X-Bar X Boys titles
on the back, and fewer Tom Swift titles on the reverse. That's fairly
demonstrative that this is not a 1st jacket, and the seller appears to
agree. That doesn't necessarily make a 2nd jacket worth more or less,
just newer.

Ultimately I guess a book is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

True, with books, cars, houses and pretty much everything else.

Carl

On Jan 14, 8:55*pm, wrote:

Well, there exists jackets like this, with fewer X-Bar X Boys titles
on the back, and fewer Tom Swift titles on the reverse. That's fairly
demonstrative that this is not a 1st jacket, and the seller appears to
agree. *That doesn't necessarily make a 2nd jacket worth more or less,
just newer.

The way that the books were assembled make it possible for a second
state DJ to be on a 1st state book.
If the bindery had some 1st state books left over after the initial
order was filled, they would have been saved.
When the next order came in they could be mated with 2nd state DJs and
used to fill the order.
Similarly a 2nd state book could easily have been mated with a 1st
state DJ.

RF wrote:
On Jan 14, 8:55 pm, wrote:

Well, there exists jackets like this, with fewer X-Bar X Boys titles
on the back, and fewer Tom Swift titles on the reverse. That's fairly
demonstrative that this is not a 1st jacket, and the seller appears to
agree. That doesn't necessarily make a 2nd jacket worth more or less,
just newer.

The way that the books were assembled make it possible for a second
state DJ to be on a 1st state book.
If the bindery had some 1st state books left over after the initial
order was filled, they would have been saved.
When the next order came in they could be mated with 2nd state DJs and
used to fill the order.
Similarly a 2nd state book could easily have been mated with a 1st
state DJ.

Obviously true on the muling. But let's face it. Looking at it from a
collector standpoint, it doesn't really matter if the book was produced
that way in 1932. A collector wanting the first printing in the first
dust jacket would certainly not want that particular copy.

As far as dropoff in value from the first/first, I believe at least
90% for that second of the jacket is reasonable. In addition to Carl's
notes, you'll note that the ink on the reverse / G&D series side is
black on the copy sold, while it's green on the earlier jacket. This is
a switch made in mid 1932.

I certainly believe that the seller made absolutely no attempt to
deceive, and that the buyer knew what he was getting. If so, I'll
probably have to raise the value of the 1st/1st to 100 large.

But that's not going to happen...

Tony

On Jan 15, 7:28*pm, Mary Carpentieri wrote:

* *Obviously true on the muling. But let's face it. Looking at it from a
collector standpoint, it doesn't really matter if the book was produced
that way in 1932. A collector wanting the first printing in the first
dust jacket would certainly not want that particular copy.

Well, with all due respect, somebody thought enough of that edition to
pony up over 10 grand for it.

* *As far as dropoff in value from the first/first, I believe at least
90% for that second of the jacket is reasonable. In addition to Carl's
notes, you'll note that the ink on the reverse / G&D series side is
black on the copy sold, while it's green on the earlier jacket. This is
a switch made in mid 1932.

Granting that what you say is true, I believe that you have
overestimated the dropoff.

* *I certainly *believe that the seller made absolutely no attempt to
deceive, and that the buyer knew what he was getting. If so, I'll
probably have to raise the value of the 1st/1st to 100 large.

I thought the marketplace set the value of the books.
As Fredworth pointed out many years ago, a problem with price guides
is that they become prescriptive rather than descriptive.