by Pamela Palmer

#133, 16 March 2009

Which fiction and non-fiction books are winners on eBay? Each month this series answers the question and, along the way, looks at the listing strategies sellers use to bring in big bucks. To learn more about what's in and what's out of the lists, read our Top 10 on eBay Parameters.

NOTE: Items numbers are now included in this article. They are in the individual auction comments section below the author and title. Click the links to see the listings.

The saga of Aegard makes clear that what you see on eBay isn't always what happened. After a long run in the Antiquarian Top 5, Aegard is now not a registered user and his auctions were pulled. In this column, we report what eBay shows in search results and in individual listings. What we don't - and can't - usually know is whether what we see there is true. So take a grain of salt along with Top 10, and we'll keep trying to get it as on target as the information allows.

eBay
Fiction Top 10
February 2009

#1 $2,500.00 HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE First Edition dj
#2 $2,030.00 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird 1st ED Harper Lee
#3 $1,800.00 "87 1ST SIGN-THE BROOM OF THE SYSTEM -D. FOSTER WALLACE
#4 $1,025.00 ROMANCERO GITANO*LORCA*RARE 1928 1ST*GYPSY BALLADS*SPAN
#5 $1,023.16 S. Sassoon-1ST-MEMOIRS OF A FOXHUNTING MAN-SIGNED-RARE
#6 $1,003.88 Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy 1st Ed. Random House
#7 $950.00 Stephen King Cycle of the Werewolf #169/350 signed
#8 $910.00 Twilight Stephenie Meyer 2005 SIGNED FULL SIGNATURE
#9 $889.89 No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (2005)
#10 $799.53 Ian Fleming-1st Ed-GOLDGINGER-First imp 1959 HB/DJ

#1
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
J.K. Rowling
170296401934

Sold as a BIN, the 1998 1st edition, 1st printing was described as fine in a fine dust jacket.

#2
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
220352610290

34 bids took the 1st edition from the starting bid of $14.99 to sell for $2,030. Flaws mentioned included "minor shelf wear" and a name inscribed inside.

#3
The Broom of the System
David Foster Wallace
350163275594

The signed 1st edition, 1st printing was described as in mint condition. It sold as a Best Offer.

#4
Romancero Gitano 1924-1927
Federico Garcia Lorca
270334222580

The leather-bound 1928 volume was described as a "rare first edition" and ex-library. After 18 bids, it sold for $1,025.

#5
Memoirs of a Foxhunting Man
Siegfried Sassoon
140300794674

Listed by a UK seller, the signed 1st edition was part of a limited edition of 300 that included signatures of both Sassoon and the artist. Described as "appears unread," both the cover and dust jacket are in very good condition. The auction attracted 18 bids.

#6
Blood Meridian
Cormac McCarthy
270335623832

A 1st edition described as an "excellent unmarked copy with unclipped dust jacket," the volume attracted 13 bids and sold for $1,003.88.

#7
Cycle of the Werewolf
Stephen King
220344377378

Described as a "fine copy in dustjacket and slipcase," the 1st edition is #169 of 350 published.

#8
Twilight
Stephenie Meyer
220355789297

The 1st edition, 1st printing was signed by the author. 20 bids took it from $.99 to $910.

#9
No Country for Old Men
Cormac McCarthy
260353827745

#79 of a limited edition of 300, the unread book in slipcase was signed by the author.

#10
Goldfinger
Ian Fleming
140301770376

Despite being called "Goldginger" in the auction title, the copy of Goldfinger sold for $799.53. It was listed by a UK seller and attracted 21 bids.

 

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