Jules Verne Forum

<jvf@Gilead.org.il>

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 19961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009

Re: Sumner and Stillman Catalog

From: Bernhard Krauth <BGYKrauth~at~t-online.de>
Date: Thu, 27 Oct 2005 09:40:30 +0200
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~gilead.org.il>
Cc: <Briantaves1879~at~cs.com>

It is known that especially US - american pay every unreasonable price for
things they like to have.
Value of a thing is determined first by the value given from someone to
something (a slice of bread can have under certain circumstances a higher
value than Fort Knox), then by the quality and quantity, and by the offer
and demand. The price is determined by these facts as well, but determined
by the wanted amount of the seller and the offered amount by the buyer.
Best example was a couple of months ago: in this forum was offered an
original letter from Jules Verne by an argentinian family. I got a scan from
the seller and asked one of our well known specialist what value he think
this letter might have. My personal thinking was some 150 Euros or Dollars,
he said 6-800 Dollars could be paid, but not more than 1200 Dollars, as the
letter was without interesting content and in a kind Verne wrote plenty to
fans at the last period of his life. I was asking the seller about the best
offer he got, and he told me that he got an offer of 28 000 US-Dollars
(probably from the states...). I guess nobody in Europe would even had
thought about paying such an amount for a old peace of paper...
Even when I am going to use my definition in the beginning the range of
money concerning the value for this letter starts with 100 $ and going up to
a few thousend Dollar - the VALUE is never 28 000 $ of this letter. And the
PRICE paid by somebody of this amount will maybe never be paid back,
exceptionally if there are some other folish to pay it....
American Verne- editions get high prices because there is a market for
them - offer and demand in a certain number. Same in France for Hetzel
editions. In Germany is almost no market for Hartleben -editions, so there
is allways a big difference between what the sellers hope to get and
potenial buyers (like me) accept to pay.
A problem is: every newcomer in such a thing try to orientate by what he
find or get as informations about the value or market price. And in the
beginning he believes the prices told by professional sellers (myself I
bought a Hetzel -edition about one year ago in a condition and for an amount
I never would pay again with todays knowledge). If he is more interested and
get an idea about the "value" of these things it will be the question if he
continues to buy by accepting the prices or if he is only going to buy in
the range of value. I am trying to do it by value, and ebay or personal
contacts are a good help to be succesfull.

If the S&S - Catalog is nice by its pictures and descriptions: enjoy it and
be happy to have it in your collection, but it is your decission in what way
you look at the amounts given in there...

Brgds

Bernhard

PS: Brian, you can arrange this catalog for me?

mail from:

Bernhard Krauth

have a look at:

www.jules-verne-club.de

www.bernhard-krauth.de

www.bremerhavenpilot.de

----- Original Message -----
From: "James Keeline" <keeline~at~yahoo.com>
To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
Sent: Thursday, October 27, 2005 7:42 AM
Subject: Re: Sumner and Stillman Catalog


> --- Salvatore Muoio <smuoio~at~ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
>> As I am somewhat new to this forum and don't have the long perspective
>> (and
>> I wouldn't call myself a Verne scholar - just a reader and collector) I
>> am
>> curious why you would hold this opinion. I have studied financial
>> markets,
>> however, and have always experienced "price" to be set at the margin by a
>> willing buyer and seller.
>>
>> Sal Muoio
>
>
> A friend of mine sent me the catalog in question. I watch American Verne
> editions on eBay from time to time and the prices in this catalog are
> several
> times what people pay in that forum.
>
> High end dealers like S&S don't expect to sell their books to ordinary
> people,
> even enthusiastic Verne collectors. Instead, they hope to sell books to a
> clientelle of lawyers and physicians and people who have more money than
> sense
> to take the time to see what things really sell for.
>
> Some of the books were very nice. However, it seems like they paid double
> the
> rate of eBay prices and then tried to double that again for their markup.
> I'm
> sure they'll sell some books but not to people on any sort of a book
> buying
> budget.
>
> James
> _____
>
>
> James D. Keeline
> http://www.Keeline.com http://www.Keeline.com/articles
> http://Stratemeyer.org http://www.Keeline.com/TSCollection
>
> http://www.ITeachPHP.com -- Free Computer Classes: Linux, PHP, etc.
> Fall Semester Begins Sep 7 -- New Classes Start Every Few Weeks.
Received on Thu 27 Oct 2005 - 10:15:12 IST

JV.Gilead.org.il
Copyright © Zvi Har’El
$Date: 2009/02/01 22:36:11 $$