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BookThink's Top 10 on eBay
November 2008

by Pamela Palmer

#130, 22 December 2008

 
NOTE: Items numbers are now included in this article. They are in the individual auction comments section below the author and title. Click the links to see the listings.

Barack Obama vied with Audubon, Helmut Newton, and Alcoholics Anonymous in the non-fiction category and came in at #4, #5, #6 and #7 for Dreams from My Father and #4 for a signed ARC of The Audacity of Hope. Some were signed; others were mint. But even an unsigned good condition Dreams .... fetched $3,200.00. The fiction list was mainly populated by the usual suspects. There were 2 Flemings, 3 Tolkiens, 1 King and 1 Meyer listings.

The usual super seller from Hamburg, Germany took positions 2, 3, and 4 on the Antiquarian and Collectible list, losing out to an 1830 copy of The Book of Mormon in 1st place and Barack Obama's signed Dreams From My Father accompanied by his sophomore high school yearbooks in 5th position. The latter attracted 64 bids

eBay
Fiction Top 10
November 2008

#1 $3,679.67 Live and Let Die Ian Fleming FIRST Edition Orig DJ
#2 $3,651.49 Ian Fleming James Bond RARE First edition CASINO ROYALE
#3 $3,650.00 Entire Twilight Saga Series 1st/1st Signed by Stephenie Meyer!
#4 $1,599.99 True 1st 1963 Deluxe Edition UK Lord of the Rings 3 Vol
#5 $1,506.35 J R R Tolkien-1st Ed-LORD OF THE RINGS-First ed Tolkien
#6 $1,456.00 NEW! The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
#7 $1,300.00 stephen king's from a buick 8 lettered limited edition.
#8 $1,047.00 vintage BEOWULF hardcover Signed by J.R.R. Tolkien
#9 $912.88 THE FLOATING ADMIRAL - H & D /WRAPPERS - DETECTION CLUB
#10 $899.00 Stephen King signed/limited Dark Tower VII #649

#1
Live and Let Die
Ian Fleming
320315801961

After 31 bids, the UK seller saw the bids reach $3,769.67 for this UK 1st edition/1st impression. The book is described as "clean and fresh with virtually no signs of age" and "internally ... in very nice condition." The dust jacket is a later one in very good condition.

#2
Casino Royale
Ian Fleming
270304945524

Denmark is home base for the seller of Casino Royale. The 1st edition/2nd impression "is beautiful" and was signed by Kenneth Lewis, dust jacket artist. The dust jacket is described as in "near fine condition."

#3
Twilight Saga
Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
Breaking Dawn

Stephenie Meyer
160300204464

The 4 volumes in the Twilight Saga sold as a best offer. Each is a 1st edition/1st printing and in "very good to excellent condition." Two "have full author's signature."

#4
Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
110319624296

Sold as a BIN by a UK seller, the 1964 3-volume 1st deluxe edition is "in a reproduction slipcase."

#5
Lord of the Rings
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
Return of the King

J.R.R. Tolkien
140283349346

The Fellowship of the Ring is a 1st edition, 2nd impression and the other two volumes are 1st edition, 1st impression. The set sold after 22 bids.

#6
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
David Wroblewski
230309620150

A brand new copy of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle caught the attention of 17 bidders

#7
From a Buick 8
Stephen King
250333487877

The signed 1st lettered limited edition "has not been read .... its in pristine condition."

#8
Beowulf
J.R.R. Tolkien
250316506063

A "near mint" 1950 Tolkien title was signed by the author and attracted 18 bids.

#9
The Floating Admiral
Agatha Christie
270294379580

Sold by a seller in the Netherlands, the auction of the 1931 1st edition ended with 16 bids.

#10
Dark Tower VII
Stephen King
140282551976

Ending with a BIN, the signed limited edition is #649 of 1500 copies.

 

eBay
Non-Fiction Top 10
November 2008

#1 $6,600.00 Vg 1st ed1851-51-54 Audubon Quadrupeds of North America
#2 $5,800.00 Dreams from My Father by President-Elect Obama (1995)
#3 $5,595.00 Helmut Newton's Sumo (2000) PRISTINE CONDITION, AS NEW
#4 $3,995.00 SIGNED ARC - AUDACITY OF HOPE - BARACK OBAMA - JSA
#5 $3,750.00 DREAMS FROM MY FATHER BY BARACK OBAMA - NEW HARDCOVER
#6 $3,605.88 Dreams From My Father Barack Obama (1995) Hardcover
#7 $3,200.00 Dreams from My Father Barack Obama (1995)
#8 $2,800.00 Songs by George Harrison Volume One and Volume Two
#9 $2,147.00 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS 1st edition FOURTH PRINTING 1943
#10 $2,025.00 Peter Beard Photography Scrapbook 505/2500 Taschen

#1
Quadrupeds of North America
John James Audubon
220308511677

"...a beautiful and complete 3 volume first octavo edition ... in very good condition, bound in gilt decorated leather and having all 155 lithographed and richly handcolored plates" is the US seller's description of the 1851, 1851, and 1854 set. They were rebacked with the original spine. After 25 bids, they sold for $6,600.

#2
Dreams From My Father
Barack Obama
270298170216

The 1st of 5 Obama titles on the November Top 10, this one was signed in NV "just three days before he is elected President ..." and is in like new condition. The US seller provides ample evidence of its authenticity including photos of the event and the seller there. In addition, the seller's video camera recorded the signing and an Obama volunteer returning the book to the seller; this video is on YouTube at the given URL. Not stopping there, the seller refers potential buyers to Huffington Post images of that gathering to compare to the seller's own images. And in addition, it was described as in mint condition. Listed in a 1-day auction, it garnered 4 bids to sell for $5,800.

#3
Sumo
Helmut Newton
120335643817

Sumo, a regular in the Top 10, sold as a best offer.

#4
The Audacity of Hope
ARC
Barack Obama
260317259487

A signed ARC of The Audacity of Hope sold as a BIN.

#5
Dreams From My Father
Barack Obama
110312841351

25 bids took this 1st edition in mint condition to #5 on the list.

#6
Dreams From My Father
Barack Obama
190268720390

A like new 1st edition attracted 18 bids.

#7
Dreams From My Father
Barack Obama
330284719054

Sold as a best offer, this 1st edition is described as in good condition.

#8
Songs
George Harrison
140280629552

20 bids took this Genesis publication to $2,800. Both volumes in the set were signed by George Harrison and Keith West and are #385 of 2500 in the limited edition.

#9
Alcoholics Anonymous
220307847977

A 1st edition 4th printing (1943) in very good condition sold after 10 bids.

#10
Peter Beard
250325897211

The 2006 Taschen publication is #505 of a limited edition of 2500.

By the Numbers

16 sellers were from the USA
2 sellers were from the UK
1 seller was from Denmark
1 seller was from the Netherlands
17 books were published during or after 1950
3 were published before 1950
4 sold as BIN
3 2 sold as BO 2 to 41 was the range of bids
Seller feedback ranged from 1 to 115127 *
16 books were sold by sellers with 100% positive feedback
Feedback percentage ranged from 99.6% to 100% for sellers who had feedback
The oldest book was published in 1851-54 [multivolume] .

*feedback is noted at the time the auction is viewed by BookThink.

 

eBay
Antiquarian & Collectible Top 5
November 2008

#1 $35,000.00 Original 1830 THE BOOK OF MORMON
#2 $31,100.00 RARE Handwritten german Book of Hours
#3 $30,099.00 RARE Incunable by Schoffer (1471)! Constit. Clementinae
#4 $25,600.00 Vita Christi - Rare Incunable from 1484 - 138 Woodcuts
#5 $19,036.00 Barack Obama Dreams From My Father High School Yearbook

#1
The Book of Mormon
Joseph Smith, Junior

130271592157

An original 1830 copy of The Book of Mormon sold as a BIN within 12 hours of being listed

#2
Book of Hours (1480)
160298527085

The 15th century handwritten German illuminated manuscript in "an elegant 18th century calf binding" attracted 55 bids for the German seller.

#3
Constitutiones Clementinae
3d ed., 1471
160298450953

The German seller of #2 also sold #3 and #4. This time it was an illuminated copy of "the early incunable edition of the famous constitutiones !! printed by Peter Schoffer. It sold after 35 bids.

#4
Vita Christi (1482)
160298508008

The German seller of #2 and #3 comes in at #4 as well with yet another 15th century item. In this case, it is an "extremely rare and early double edition of the Vita Christi and a Treatise on the Seven Sacraments in Dutch !!! Contains 138 (!) grand woodcut illustrations, all in old coloration ...." It sold after 49 bids.

#5
Dreams From My Father
Barack Obama
170275257981

The 2 items in this auction are a signed near mint condition copy of Dreams From My Father, and a yearbook showing Obama as as sophomore in high school. The duo sold after 64 bids.

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