This set of Sword Reference books sold for $650.00 on eBay!
There are plenty of sword collectors and enthusiasts in the world, as proven by our recent sword sales! But how do those experts find the value of an antique? Certainly, they can tell by the mei or signature on the tang, but to confirm a sword maker’s identity, they look at books with pages upon pages of signatures. Just like these which we just sold.
Nihon To Koza or Japanese Sword Lectures combines a valuable reference with the rarity of its low production from the first printing, and this set even boasted the signature of the author. That’s three elements which are just what you want when selling a book.
Here’s an eBay Hint for all you home eBayers out there:
A rule of thumb regarding general reference books: The key is to find books which contain what we call ‘timeless information’. Anything with patterns or schematics which can be used to make or repair items has a good chance to sell. Instructional books or ones which can be used to identify artworks or collectibles can sometimes sell, depending on the subject matter. You can sell sets of encyclopedias dating to within the last 3 or 4 years, but beyond this point the material is so outdated that it loses its value as a citable reference. A set of World Book Encyclopedias from the year 2005 can fetch $150-300 (a fraction of their original price), but a set from 2003 will only garner $70-120. Beyond this point, it’s a crap shoot, but decades-old sets will hardly sell at all. It’s timeless data which can bring greater values. Informative books about collectible items or works of art like this set, wherein the information won’t change (the great swordsmiths’ names are forever).
Books which provide valuable information about items, especially hard-to-find ones, can reach great prices like this.
