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A King collection for sale...

Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 6:32 pm
by Carter
Looking for opinions...

Just at a glance, not seeing the copyright pages, etc. Just based on this picture, what would you pay for this collection?

I have a friend at work that knows I'm a big King fan. He has an older relative that is selling, and I quote, 'a bunch of crap that he's been accumulating for decades'.

As for his King books, he'll box it, I just have to pay the shipping.

Based on what I just described, how much would you risk to get? What would you offer for this collection? I have no idea whether they are firsts, etc. I'm taking a little risk here.

Re: A King collection for sale...

Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 7:32 pm
by Carter
He asked for 100.00.

What are the odds that either the Nightshift, Carrie, Salem's lot, or Shinning, are firsts? Is it worth the risk in your opinions?

The hundred isn't going to break me, but I'm wondering what you guys think...

Re: A King collection for sale...

Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:39 pm
by racerx45
It’s a tough call without know if any of them are first. I am guessing the odds are low on Carrie, Nightshift, Salem’s Lot, and the Shinning being 1st/1st. I say that because the jackets look too nice compared to what I usually see on those editions. Oh and as I type this I noticed one other thing, all of those are the wrong size for 1st., none of them should be as tall as ‘It’ for example.

Re: A King collection for sale...

Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:10 am
by Carter
racerx45 wrote:It’s a tough call without know if any of them are first. I am guessing the odds are low on Carrie, Nightshift, Salem’s Lot, and the Shinning being 1st/1st. I say that because the jackets look too nice compared to what I usually see on those editions. Oh and as I type this I noticed one other thing, all of those are the wrong size for 1st., none of them should be as tall as ‘It’ for example.
This is what I need to know (detective work) thanks. :)

As for condition, It's possible to find books from 30 years ago in Fine/Fine. I recently made a private purchase of a 1st edition of 'Carrie' that the seller purchased at an estate sale on Long Island in NY a few weeks earlier. When he showed up at my home, upon inspection, this book is as close to 'As New' as any other in my collections. It's really a stunning copy. All sharp edges on jacket, no bumping, clean as can be. I didn't expect to see it in that condition; I was stunned. So they're out there.

So your saying that based on what your seeing in the size, it's not probable that these are 1st editions? The spine of 'The Shining', as I see in this picture, does not have the illustration I see on my 1st edition in my collection. That could be the angle/light in the photograph, but to me that is a red flag. Did later or book club editions of The Shining lack the spine illustration?

I think the height of these books will tell the tale to a seasoned King affectionado. I'm just looking for a very experienced collector to say, in their opinion, whether this is a good roll of the dice or not. Of course, needless to say, there will be no finger pointing if the books end up being a flop (edition wise).

The treasure hunter within, usually gets the better of me. :D

Can someone else weigh in? The seller wants to start boxing these, and send out today, or sometime this weekend.

Any thoughts/opinions are greatly appreciated- Thanks.

Re: A King collection for sale...

Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 7:51 am
by TheCollector
Here's what I think, offer $75 and see if he takes it. The way I see it, Racerx is right, your chances of having one of the valuable rares be 1st/1st are low...

BUT absolute worst case scenario there are enough books there (25 of them) that if you were to take the lot to your local used bookstore and get even $1-2 per book you're looking at $25-$50. Chances are a few of the ones after 1985 are probably 1sts and you may get $5-6 for a few, I think you'll come pretty close to breaking even if you can pick up for $75.

At $100, sure it's a bit of a gamble, but like they say, no risk, no reward.

P.S. I see the night shift DJ is nice and faded, meaning it's been exposed to UV rays for a long time, meaning it's likely an early edition which could be worth a few bucks more than the rest even if it's not a 1st/1st, as long as it's not a BC

Re: A King collection for sale...

Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 1:32 pm
by OneFathom
Look at the copy of The Shining, for starters. It has the green spine on the dust jacket indicating it's a book club edition. Chances are they all are and this person would be lucky if they got $50 for it. Those are a dime a dozen.

Re: A King collection for sale...

Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:15 pm
by RIC
What are the odds that either the Nightshift, Carrie, Salem's lot, or Shinning, are firsts? Is it worth the risk in your opinions?

Zero... the size is not correct for first editions

Re: A King collection for sale...

Posted: Sat Feb 01, 2014 6:14 pm
by Carter
Yep. I took a pass on these.

Thanks for everyone's input.

Re: A King collection for sale...

Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 10:11 am
by TheCollector
RIC wrote:What are the odds that either the Nightshift, Carrie, Salem's lot, or Shinning, are firsts? Is it worth the risk in your opinions?

Zero... the size is not correct for first editions
Damn, nice catch Ric! I totally spaced off the fact they were the larger sized ones. Yeah zero chance