Book Valuations & Appraisals

Collectable and Rare Book Valuations

Get a rare book valuation of your collectable tomes with Value My Stuff Now. Books needn’t be antiques to be collectable. So whether the rare book you want valued is a folio of Shakespeare's plays that you found in a bookshop or a first edition of The Da Vinci Code that you found at a charity shop, our specialist will provide an online book appraisal of any book, letting you know just how much it’s worth. Our online rare book valuations can also be used to check an item's value before buying a book at an auction or from a dealer, thus giving you an extra expert opinion before deciding on whether to buy the item or not.

Our Books Expert

Our book expert has a life long interest in this fascinating area of expertise, starting at a young age with her father being an Antiquarian book and print dealer. With items ranging from 17th century leather bound books, to modern day publications such as Harry Potter first editions soft covers selling for over $19.000, this specialist field has evolved and seen an advent of new avid and powerful collectors, on the look out for these rare publications. Our specialist has unrivalled experience in providing valuations of rare books and has a wide knowledge of collectable books, including antique and contemporary works, fiction and non-fiction, children’s books and illustrated books.

Get a valuation

It's quick and easy to get an expert valuation report.
Upload a photo of your item to get started

Determining the value of Old Books

The condition is very important to consider when getting a rare book valuation. There should be no foxing or staining inside, the spine should not be broken and the pages should not be torn or damaged. Signatures and dedications inside the book, either from authors or from the book’s previous owners can also increase the value of the old book.

The Market for Books

Book collecting is quite a niche market but with the introduction of popular books such as the Harry Potter series, a new generation has started collecting books. The collecting of these more contemporary books also demonstrates that sometimes even a soft cover book can be extremely valuable: in 2009, a soft cover copy of the first Harry Potter book was sold in Texas for over $19,000. Other modern books that can be collectable are those by authors such as Ian Fleming and J.R.R. Tolkien. First editions of these are highly sought after by both fans and collectors. The most commonly printed book is the Bible. It is estimated that over six billion copies have been printed since Johannes Gutenberg printed the first 200 copies in 1455. Of these, there are fewer than 50 copies left in the world and only about 20 of them are complete. The last time one of these was sold was in 1987 for $5.4 million (£3.5).

Even though modern books are in favour, classical items still appeal to buyers. A copy of A Christmas Carol printed in 1843 sold at Christie's New York for $240,000 in December 2009. It was part of the William E. Self library of English and American literature and formerly owned by Alain de Suzannet, whom magnificent Dickens collection was sold in 1971. This very rare copy was one of a group of eight copies that Dickens is known to have signed on December, 17, 1843. Whether your books are worth £50 or £10.000, there always seems to be a good selling market for them.

Find out the Value of your Old Books Today

By getting a rare book valuation from Value My Stuff Now, you will receive an independent opinion before buying or selling an item at auction, to a dealer or privately. The online rare book valuation may also be used for insurance purposes (subject to your insurance company accepting such certificates) or to simply satisfy your curiosity! It’s easy to get an online rare book valuation from Value My Stuff Now. Simply upload a photograph of the binding and title page, give us any additional details about the book and send it to us. In less than 48 hours, our collectable book specialist will consider the item's age, condition, printing technique and author.

We will then send you any observations about the item, along with a rare book valuation and a printable certificate. We will also provide a unique web certificate that can be used in an eBay listing or on other internet selling platforms.