vintae Children's books

[Former_Member]

I looked through the forums and didn't see this.

I have a pile of beautiful vintage children's books from the 40's and 50's.

What are book sellers doing with them?

Is there a way to label them for collectors?

Thanks for any input.

[bittersweetpunkin]

Yes, make sure you label them not for children....for collectible use only.

[Former_Member]

sorry about my typo;0!

[Former_Member]

I believe that I saw that because of their value they are exempt as they are a collectible and not actually intended for everyday use by children. I'm putting a set up soon that I will be noting them as a collectible.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the info.

[Former_Member]

Can't wait to see them! Sure do like your shop.

[Former_Member]

They're only exempt if they are valuable as a antique or collectable. If they are a more common type of book that parents would still buy for their children the age of the book alone does not exempt them. DO a little rescearch on the titles to see if there is a demand for these books among adults, or check auction sites to see what is being paid out for them or for other titles by the same author, if their selling at or below the publisher's price they may not be collectables.
Think of the like collector's of say a Barbie would. There were billions of Barbies produced since they came out in the 1950's but only certain ones are worth collecting once they are out of the box. The Malibu Barbie that is found in granny's attic from 1972 maybe worthless to a collector since the box and original accessories are gone, while one produced during the 25th Anniversery oyear still in the box never opened would demand a decent price at auction.
So try this rule of thumb if poeple are unwilling to pay a decent premium (say at least 2x the original publisher's price) for the titles or if two antiquarian book or antique stores say the books belong at a regular used book store then just keep them as family heirlooms until they are valuable.

[HBpaints]

Hooray! I collect vintage childrens books and love looking around for them on Etsy, so I'm very very happy this won't affect them! Yay!

Another tip would be to research the illustrator. I will buy books by certain illustrators that I like. Tagging with the name of the illustrator would be mighty helpful, too!

[bittersweetpunkin]

I have done quite a bit of research on this topic. They don't have to be deemed collectibles only if there is a big demand for them...there's a lot more to it than that...as with all vintage and antique items. And also...please do not rely on an auction site to EVER determine the value of your item. There are so many other credible resources that you can use to research your item.

[Former_Member]

I used to sell a fair amount of books here, most being children's. I loved what jewelerydesigns said as well as bittersweetpunkin. I want to add that adults have often purchased a book that they lost as a child, or to give to a grown friend on a birthday for what ever reason. Also, I think many of my books were valued by buyers becuase of the 'artfullness' of the illustrations. I loved selling them, but found the task of scanning and writing up the description very lengthy for the value. Still, I have 100s to list, and hope I can get some more up after the holiday.
Best of luck!

[BetsysVintageBooks]

I agree with everyones posts...I really enjoy selling vintage books on etsy (childrens, classics,foreign language,etc..) there is a very appreciative audience here on etsy- so don't hesitate to give it a try!