Book Collection Questions.

[Ruritania]

This old question again? I have a fairly large collection of railway books, mostly early 20th century, that I am trying to find a home for. The centrepiece is arguably a complete run of The Railway Magazine, from 1897 to present, then there are other various magazine collections and books.

I went into this fairly blind and had hoped there was some intrinsic value to these attractively arcane tomes in their large volume. Or let me put that another way, I believe that there is an intrinsic value to the collection, but I had hoped it was met by a financial one. You all already know the next part of the story; maudlin advice about the bottom falling out of the second hand book market, tales of overstock at specialist outlets.

Indeed, routes I have tried so far are to contact all the main specialist book shops I could find, from Robert Humm, on down. All the ones obviously presented by Google, on Facebook, or listed in the back of recent The Railway Magazine issues. Most are not interested and many flat-out presi on their sales contact pages a disinterest in taking on new collections or boycotting Ian Allen, etc. I've also contacted every Railwayana auction I could locate, and again most have a flat boycott on all books.

But here's my thing. I had a recent similar experience when selling my Star Wars toys. If I had listened then to the 'collector's market', the retro toy shops, the bulk buy-to-sell collectors, etc. then I would have accepted the low bids they were offering for what I had. But by reaching out on a person-to-person basis to the enthusiasts who place a romantic value on these things, I was able to make ten times that, all my buyers were very grateful and happy, and I knew these things were reaching a good home.

What I recognise, is that in the year of our Lord 2021 a number of 'large' book shops which are in fact two guys in a cottage, will be overun with similar collections through a confluence of circumstances; generational, political, health bound. But I don't accept that 'over subscribed during covid' suddenly means that a beautiful 120yr old tome is intrinsically valueless pulp. It only means that traditional channels in a limited hobby are presently overwhelmed. But it's also now that I have to re-house these books.

I also don't fully accept that 'mass produced at the time' equates to 'readily available now'. For example, most other instances of a The Railway Magazine collection i've been able to find start much later than mine do, in the 1930s or 1960s. Indeed one of the railwayana auction groups that presently blanket rejects all book collections, shows digital record of a similar collection to mine having gone for a reputably high price in recent memory. So I accept that it's a bad time, maybe the worst time, to be doing this. But I don't accept that means I'm holding bad stock.

SO.

I'm looking for advice on how to reach those enthusiastic individuals, who still place value on valuable things and maybe have shelf space in their own homes that the book shops just don't? Local clubs, frequented forums, etc? I'm based in Bedfordshire, so with a preference towards the south of England, else I'm not sure how I might transport the books at scale. It's very easy to find ones way to those retro-toy enthusiasts who are all in their 40s and very online, but I suspect most my respectful railway audience is older, and hidden in ways that are mysterious to the uninitiated? Which is me.

Any clever ideas?

Thanks.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Might the collection be of interest to the National Railway Museum in York?

 

[Ruritania]

Might the collection be of interest to the National Railway Museum in York?

I had thought of this, and was on my to-do list. But I'm also cautiously aware that if one works in these places, museums and such, one is subject to a litany of drop-off merchants who think they are 'helping' by treating the museum as a charity bin.

 

[plarailfan]

Perhaps you could have a stand or something, at one of the heritage railway gala events during the run up to Christmas ?
Maybe you could rent a small, (typically around £10 a week) booth / cabinet or similar, in a local antiques centre, like the ones on "Bargain hunt" or Antiques road trip" for example.
There are a few options and possibilities, open to you at this time of year. It's a good time to clear out surplus items, as the weekend, . indoor collectors fairs are starting up again. Good luck and all the best with them

 

[Ruritania]

Perhaps you could have a stand or something, at one of the heritage railway gala events during the run up to Christmas ?
Maybe you could rent a small, (typically around £10 a week) booth / cabinet or similar, in a local antiques centre, like the ones on "Bargain hunt" or Antiques road trip" for example.
There are a few options and possibilities, open to you at this time of year. It's a good time to clear out surplus items, as the weekend, . indoor collectors fairs are starting up again. Good luck and all the best with them

I've thought about this also, but the problem for me is that I don't drive, so would have to drag in some generous other. I've spent a whole year in a laborious house-clearance that might take somebody else one or two car-boot sales to manage.
With that said, I appreciate the suggestion. What would you suggest were the key events? Maybe around London as the biggest southern marketplace?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Get in touch with your local steam railway, do they organise fairs, sales and the like? Bet they have lots of members who might be glad to collect the books from your home.

 

[swanhill41]

You have listed the books you are talking about on Facebook Railway Books for Sale UK.if I may comment not your best location for selling that type of product.More downmarket and cheaper titles are
good sellers there.

Personally based on my knowledge of the marketplace,the day for selling long runs of the Railway Magazine have gone.One is space that they take up and secondly the RM back issues are available I believe
on disc or whatever. And another small point is that the bindings you have are of different colors..Yes I know the early ones were green.The very early ones do have a value,but the majority have very little value.

I have quite a few bound copies of rail mags,which although full of info and are as new, I know have no value.When RM's had a value I have bought complete runs of RM ,from 1897 to in one case 2003 for around
£400.And they were in uniform color bar early green ones .You mention Robt Humm in passing..If there was/is anyone who has bought and sold RM's over last 40 years it is this gentleman, and he has happily got his stock
down of the bound RMs to level related to sales. It was hard work according to him.

Oh by the way, I noticed your ads for rail books. As a rule of thumb, rail book titles pre 2000 are not the easiest to sell now,as the quality of rail books published since then, viz content,quality of paper etc, means a better quality product.

Star Wars I am surprised you did not go retail initially. There is a massive international market for particularly early Star Wars products .But with regards to RM and the books you are trying to sell ,you have a very
limited and knowledgeable market, whose average age is probably 70 plus. Enough said.

You will have to take note of what you have been told by the experts ,that you have cynically dismissed. Covid possibly. People who deal in pre owned rail books need stock to sell.If you have the right stock they will buy.
That's a fact.

Finally , I have to admit being a 76 year old male,who is quietly buying and selling rail books.

Stay Safe

 

[Ruritania]

You will have to take note of what you have been told by the experts ,that you have cynically dismissed.

It's not cynical dismissal, I think that's a misreading of my original post, wherein i'm pretty clear in drawing a distinction between market value, and value value. If these things all end up in the tip, because of transient quirks of fate in the 2021 moment, then I think we can agree that something valuable has been lost? And if we don't agree on that, then we have an insurmountable philosophical impasse.

I think you've misunderstood, and are wrong about, the Star Wars aside. The point of the anecdote was that the retro-toy market, by deign of trading in what were once ubiquities, is dominated by specialist retailers who sell high, but buy low. The traders I could have sold to, would have sold what I had for a grand, but were only buying at a tenth of that. By reaching out to actual human beings and their pursuant interests, I was able to sell at those prices my self.

Hence, I accept that the Robert Humm's of the world are all Railway Magazine'd to the hilt, but that doesn't (neccesarily) translate into a cornerstore availability of these things for everyone might be interested.

This, to answer your question, is why I'm also loitering around on lowly facebook groups. I am posting in much scurvier places than just the one you mention, believe me. Because ultimately, having someone (or someone's son) turn up locally with a car is the easiest outcome.

Thus, the point of the post was to seek advise about getting around these intrinsic hurdles?

Even if there's no monetary return to be made, I would still rather they find their way into hands which value them.