Expert: Frank E. Holder - 7/26/2005

Question
Hello Frank,
I have a question concerning the value of some book jackets I purchased from the Donald M. Grant Publishing Co. I own a number Fantasy Press first edition books without dust jackets.  The Grant Publishers advertised they had the original jackets for 11 of the books I own.  I purchased the book jackets and now I am considering selling the books.  I would like to know what effect these dust jackets would have on the value of the books.  I am wondering if these were actually the original jackets that were never used at the time of the initial publishing and can be treated as  first edition jackets.  Thank you for your help.
Brent

Answer
Brent -

Great question (really!).  The first question to ask is were the original books supposed to have dust jackets or did you buy them second hand without them?  

With a publisher like Grant (love 'em by the way) the point can be moot.  True Grant buffs will want their books topped out with everything they're supposed to have.  Even if your clientele is not in the sci-fi / horror genre, a dust jacket can mean a difference in up to twice the price realized vs. sold for a book.  Here's an example (and I'll use a Grant book just for you):

Almuric, published in 1975 without a dust jacket sells for about $16 or so.  However, with the dust jacket it may sell for up to $90-100.  It's a big difference - and for those who are buying these types of books the dust jacket REALLY matters.

Another question to ask (and you already have) is are these the ORIGINAL dust jackets or are they reprints (e.g. for the aforementioned Almuic is it the original dust jacket printed in 1975 or a reprint done in the likeness of the 1975 version?)  

Facsimile dust jackets are becoming more and more an issue for high value books - there are some people that make their living recreating rare dust jackets for sale.  The above-board guys specifically state on the jacket (usually on the front flap) that it is a facsimile.  Less than honest people will recreate and age the jackets to sell as if original (it can be quite profitable if you can pass a book with a fake to an unsuspecting client - the profit realized from such deception can be hundreds or thousands of dollars).

If you're selling to a serious collector you'll want to know what type of wrapper you have and so will your buyer - if they're reprints you will absolutely want to state it is or it is not a "facsimile dust wrapper" to stay out of trouble in that "fair representation" area.  Call Grant and ask - they should be able to handily answer your question.  If you're selling a book with a facsimile dust jacket, the general rule is to expect less (sometimes substantially less) than if it were the original and just a little more than if it were without.

Hope I've helped a bit - let me know what you find out (and yes, I'm still looking for my Grant first/first Dark Tower Volume I with the ORIGINAL dust wrapper!)

Good luck and good reading -

Frank