`Finished Mystery' 1918 edition sells for $61 on Ebay

by Room 215 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  Room 215

  This recently concluded sale on Ebay prompted a question on nature of the secondary or ``collectors'" market for old and out-of-print WT literature. Apparently, it's become a fairly well-established collecting speciality. As do collectors in the more established collectible sectors of, say, coins and postage stamps, one would imagine that in time the players would sort out issues relating to ``fair market values" of the various old books and other material, their relative rarity, etc., and that collectors guides, reference sources or price lists would begin to turn up.

  Are any of you collectors of this stuff? If so, are there reference sources available?
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  NeonMadman

  I used to be a collector of WT publications. I think I had every book they ever published (at least their public releases) except for Comfort for the Jews and The Way to Paradise. But my JW ex-wife took most of them when we divorced. I still have quite a bit of stuff, but she got most of anything that might have been worth any real money.

  I started collecting them as a teenager in the 1960's; back then the going rate for old JW books in a used bookstore was a dime. How times have changed!

  I do have a booklet called The Watchtower Publications Price Guide by Stan Milosevic (who I believe is an active JW). It was published in 1999; I don't know whether there is a newer edition. I never found it very useful, since the prices listed appear to be very inflated - items sell on eBay, for example, at much lower prices than what he lists in most cases. However, it does provide a listing of some lesser-known publications (on the other hand, an even more extensive listing can be found under "Watch Tower Publications" in the Society's printed Indexes). I'm not sure whether the booklet can still be purchased. The only contact information given is an email address, [email protected] . Good luck getting a 5-year-old email address to work.
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  AlanF

  Right, Milosevic publishes a price guide for eBay, which he regularly lists for sale for about $30. The prices tend to be much higher than average selling prices on eBay, but it's probably useful as a relative guide. The spread in prices can vary tremendously.

  AlanF
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  Mary

  I've got 3 of the Studies in the Scriptures by Brother Russell; copywrite says 1897 or earlier, can't remember off hand........wonder how much they're worth? I'm not really interested in selling them. I want to keep them simply because they're old..........
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  DIM

  too bad, my wife and I burned our old books in a campfire in Myrtle Beach, SC a few years ago when we were really angry and getting out. Damn.
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  Cicatrix

  I have one old book I found at a yard sale and bought for a dollar, I think. It's the one with the pyramid overlay in the front. Can't remember the title. I burned all my other books in a nice big bonfire, while I sipped a glass of blackberry wine, but kept that one.When I checked Ebay, it was only selling for $6.00.I hung onto it as a reminder of a part of my history.

  I have another non-JW book that I found out would be worth about $5,000, if I hadn't worn it out and damaged it by reading it so much when I was a kid. I wouldn't part with it, anyway, though. My grandfather gave it to me.
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  galaxy7

  I have a booklet by rutherford called prohibition

  Its all about how god wants you to drink and people who ban the sale of liquor are unscriptual
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  Mulan

  I've got 3 of the Studies in the Scriptures by Brother Russell; copywrite says 1897 or earlier, can't remember off hand........wonder how much they're worth? I'm not really interested in selling them. I want to keep them simply because they're old..........

  I've got all of them bound in old black leather, like the old KJ Bibles. I won't sell them either. They were given to us by my stepfather, and have sentimental value. I wouldn't have ever read them anyway, so they are just neat old books to me.

  I have wondered how much they are worth though. Some books I've sold on ebay have really surprised me. Bidding wars get started at the end and they sell for big bucks.
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  RR

  What's interesting is that THE FINISHED MYSTERY use to sell over over $300.00 by collectors before ebay came along. Now that everyone and their mother has the internet certain items are readily more available on ebay and other auctions.

  I myself ... and I think its disgusting have over 300 copies of the Studies in the Scriptures volumes, in every format and printing by the Society. Not to mention the various other editions published in the 1920s and 1930s by other Bible Student groups.

  I have sold some on ebay, mostly the ones that were in poor condition. It surprises me how much people will pay for a book with a beatup cover, or a missing page, or no cover at all.

  RR
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  minimus

  I have all the bound volumes from the 1870's on. Plus, I have nearly every book ever written by the Society......Do you think if I sold this I could get a good chunk of money???