Hi Tom -

A bit off topic for this thread, however . . .

Re the game that you noted in a previous post, you might find it here:

http://www.freewebs.com/tolkienboardgamecollecting/index.htm

As far as I know, this is the Compleat Gyde to Tolkien Games!

Away from The Green Hill Country,

Parmastahir

tom bombadilo said:

I happen to love your website, one thing I am disappointed about is that there isn't really a rarity estimate on the books. Obviously everything is worth different price depending on the buyer, but it would be nice to have a ballpark rarity range to know if you are being scammed. Aside from that I was the most informative site I have seen so far.

As originally planned, the site was going to be a price guide, but when you get down to it, price guides are just too subjective to be meaningful - what sort of price? what I would pay, what is paid on eBay or abe.com, what are dealers asking, etc. Rarity scales have similar problems. In addition, it does not necessarily follow that just because a book is rare that it is worth a great deal. The approach I have taken is to give details of print run size where known. I am slowly extracting additional imformation from Allen & Unwin's records and adding it to the site as it becomes available.

If you want to evaluate a book's 'rareness' I would suggest going to Bookfinder or ABEbooks. The copies offered there, or the lack of them will give you a fair idea of prices.

Hi Tom -

Deagol is correct. Once a price guide is published it is almost immediately out of date. In the end, an item is worth what a buyer and seller agree upon. In the end, you may be willing to pay more than someone else and think it a bargain because you wanted it so much.

I am not trying to rub salt in your wound, but I noted that you bid on an unopened boxed set of paperbacks today and lost out in the end. That happened because (1) you set a limit (decided beforehand what it was worth at a maximum to you) and (2) exhibited some patience. You can ALWAYS get caught up in an auction and overpay. I know this from costly experience!

My advice would be to keep a log of items that you have bid on and lost. It will give you an idea of what it took to win it last time when it comes up again. Make a list of items that you would like to collect and monitor eBay auctions (even if you don't bid on them), check out Amazon.com and other on-line booksellers, and ask the experts here. Soon you will have a good idea of what is rare and what is not, what is a fair price (and what you may wish to bid) and how much is too much (especially for minimum bids or Buy It Now prices). Believe me, many items are described by sellers as rare (and priced accordingly!) when they are not.

Good luck and good hunting!

Away from The Green Hill Country,

Parmastahir

I noted that you bid on an unopened boxed set of paperbacks today and lost out in the end. That happened because (1) you set a limit (decided beforehand what it was worth at a maximum to you) and (2) exhibited some patience. You can ALWAYS get caught up in an auction and overpay. I know this from costly experience!

Did you also bid on that item?

Yes I did bid, I was very unhappy I lost that, I didn't determine its worth by my bids, my bid was based on what I could afford, I believe most of the items I bid on worth a good deal more than I could buy them for! (THATS WHY I LOSE, I CANT AFFORD ANYTHING) but it was only a gold foil box set, so its still sealed condition increased the value incredibly. A decent quality set is 1/3 the price or less. (I quickly got over my loss on that other item earlier) I found one in just the same condition for much less.

My biggest disappointment this week, is the loss of this auction http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... T&ih=022#ebayphotohosting
I have been beating myself up over this all week.

And this particular ebayer has been giving me loads of trouble on the bidding field, I am scared to go up against him/her, as he seems to have limitless resources and has already spent 100s of dollars in the last 2 months.

I bet he is a member on this website.
eBay item j2112tbooks

I have been saving data on auctions I have come across that my small budget wouldn't dream of being able to match, I just hope when I am older and have a profession and more to spend on lotr, the same products will still be available.

Thanks for the advice.
-Tom

Hulloo Tom -

No, I did not bid on that mint boxed set. (My eBay username is "flyhopper" so you will recognize me!) I dabble a bit in the earliest Ballantine boxed sets. So I bid on a lot of four of those last week: a 1st/2nd/1st/1st of The Hobbit, FotR, TT, RotK. Apparently no one else was interested as I got it for their minimum which was not cheap but still reasonable for 1st printings and condition.

Please don't agonize over losing an auction. I can afford to pay whatever I wish for an item (within reason; I'm not Bill Gates!) I still set a maximum for items that I intend to bid on and still lose out on some. And you will come up against others that (apparently) have an unlimited budget (certainly greater than one's own). Sorry, that's a given on eBay. But they seem to come and go.

Re an item being available once your income matches your want list: I have been able to find and can still find mint copies of the 1973 Ballantine calendar (first in the series) and those are now 35 years old. Others who post here collect the books that are over 50 years old. And others that I know collect proof copies (extremely rare printings sent out to editors and such). Even they are able to find, albeit with some luck and perhaps more persistence and a great deal of networking, items for their collections. So, don't worry too much about that, either!

I'm not familiar with those who purchase the books. I check out the buyers of calendars and now know many of them.

I think finding another set that you can actually "see" (open up and examine) for 1/3 the price is much more satisfying. Mint items are for OCD personalities . . . which I, unfortunately, am. I have collected almost all of the commercial calendars in mint state (either in original shrinkwrap or unopened mailers). But I have a second "reading" copy to examine and enjoy. I think that at this stage of your collecting life, you are (and should be!)in the latter category.

Away from The Green Hill Country,

Parmastahir

Hi Tom,

My biggest disappointment this week, is the loss of this auction

I have three sets of of this boxed set for sale at http://www.rowns.com - put in "lord rings special" into the keyword search box on the left and they will all pop up. The descriptions all say they are fourth printings, but that doesn't sound right to me so I need to go check them out when I am home again this afternoon to confirm.

These sets show up fairly regularly on eBay, so don't feel too bad, you will have another shot at one soon enough.