Book Club

[Tinkrbl44]

My neighbor is clearing out her mother's home and came across a box of all her old Nancy Drew books.  They are prime condition hard cover and she seems to have most if not all of the series.

Checking completed sales on Ebay is my first thought .... but for checking value, have you any other suggestions?  

Yes, there were probably a gazillion books printed, and they are not uncommon, but a set might be worth something to someone .... 

She doesn't want to donate the set and later find out it was actually worth something.

All suggestions welcome.  TIA   

[Love my grandkids]

@Tinkrbl44 How old is she and exactly how long does she plan to wait to find out if they are worth something? LOL.

I personally would just donate them and let it go.

And an incomplete set wouldn't be as valuable as she might think.

[Somertime]

What are the rarest Nancy Drew books?

The most collectible and desirable, hence valuable, of all Nancy Drew books are the regular Grosset & Dunlap “Classic” books, Volumes 1 to 56 from 1930 to 1979. These are the ones that collectors desire the most.

If there are any first editions, they have a high value depending on the year published.

[kaydee50]

Our local library was "selling" many of the Nancy Drew books--about 25--and thinking I would enjoy them again, I bought them for a pittance.  Reread a few and wound up donating them back to the library.  Doubt that they're worth a lot of money but maybe someday in the future???  Who knows.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@Somertime wrote:

What are the rarest Nancy Drew books?

The most collectible and desirable, hence valuable, of all Nancy Drew books are the regular Grosset & Dunlap “Classic” books, Volumes 1 to 56 from 1930 to 1979. These are the ones that collectors desire the most.

If there are any first editions, they have a high value depending on the year published.

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@Somertime 

Yes, if a book is a first edition, it will say that on the Copyright page, just before the first chapter begins.

[Judaline]

My GF, who moved away but who still keeps in touch, told me she has all her Nancy Drew books in her attic. She recently passed and I wonder what her daughter is going to do with them. Probably just leave them in the attic. I don't want to tell her to sell them, or all of her record albums . But they're up in that attic if she ever needs money, lol. She'll find them if/when she sells the house I guess.

[nyc1]

I have about 4 Nancy Drew books and 2 Bobbsey Twin books.  I LOVED reading them as a kid.   Having them makes me smile and brings back wonderful memories.

[Group 5 minus 1]

A few years back we sold all (except 2 that were gifts from the boys)  of our Hummels. Got a bit of $$ for them. That market has plummeted. We took the Hummels to an E-Bay seller.That is one idea. We see so many of the "collectibles" at Good Will for a very low price. Cherished teddies for $2.99. First she should verify the price and then proceed.

[AuntG]

As long as the paper book jackets are in prime condition they should have some value.

[Etoile308]

Do you have a Half Price Books stores in your area? Or some other used bookstore that will buy books? Or a consignment store?

Even though they have been massed produced there is still an appeal but I don't think they would fetch much money, possibly a couple dollars each. The real value is the fact that it is a complete or near complete collection. 

I think selling a large amount through Ebay might be more trouble than it's worth. If they can't be resold locally I would donate to a library, elementary school, or children's hospital.