We consider books, maps and prints, both for purchase by us and for those who wish to know if something has value, or for insurance. An insurance rate is the amount you would have to pay to buy back an equivalent item. The sales rate is what you would get if you sold the item.
Books can have great value, but many are worthless, money wise.
Every antiquarian bookshop gets contacted daily by people who want to know the value of their books, often in connection with inheritance, insurance or a potential sale. Many are disappointed, but some are happily surprised!
We will give an estimated price over the phone, but because a lot of appraisals are about the condition of the book, these will often be vague. Books and works without large economic value are easy to predict, but it gets harder when condition, binding, edition and other factors weigh in. In any case, we need to see the books in person before making any final offers.
Our charges
You will always get a signed document when we have done our valuation.
The price is NOK 1.225,-/hour (NOK 980,- ex. VAT).
You will always get an estimate of costs before we start the valuation.
Old books
What is an old book? Some think a book published just before the second world war is old, while others think it should be at least a hundred years old before earning that term.
Both of these are technically correct. Age in itself is not as interesting as the importance and marketability of an item. A book is not immediately considered marketable just because it is old. There are countless books published in the 19th and early 20th century that are today impossible to sell and largely without interest.
We tend to say that books within certain topics are of interest regardless of their age. This covers local history, folklore, travel books, etc. When it comes to fiction there has always been ample publications, but only a few authors are lucky enough to become collectible.
Vi hører også ofte når vi sier at boken er for slitt til at vi kan kjøpe den, “… men det er jo en gammel bok”. En gammel bok trenger ikke nødvendigvis være slitt. Det er blitt slik i dag at boksamlere vil ha sine bøker i god teknisk stand. Det er ikke slik lenger at hovedsaken er å ha den betsemte tittelen – uansett tilstand. Nå skal boken også være i god kvalitet. På en måte er dette bra, fordi prisene mellom gode og mindre gode eksemplarer må differensieres mer. Patina er ikke det samme som løse permer, bleket rygg, reparasjoner med tape eller løse sider !!!
