New Naturalists / General Questions / General questions and discussion / Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13. / Latest Posts

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

RogerBlake — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:48:24 GMT

Thanks for that - I have all these except Moths, and duplicate copies of a few
- including Pollination so I was interested to see the relatively high price for that one.
It is a superb book though - one of the better ones in recent years.

And Happy Christmas to everybody on these forums - I think that's five of us in the last month :-(
Hoping for a bit more activity in the New Year !

Roger

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Jackbus — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:14:32 GMT

Just out of interest, I have been following prices on EBay. This is purely unscientific and is with ebay where there is always a risk on the condition, but If I was to give current values for clearing prices for mint condition 1st edition, 1st impression books after the Golden 13, it would look something like this. I do notice the odd absolute bargain going through Ebay every so often, as well as some eyebrow raising high prices for earlier fine books.
I have added comments on whether I see prices going up or down over the last couple of years. And also how commonly seen they are. There will be people much better qualified than me to comment on this, so hopefully will invite debate. I have only listed the next 14 as after that I think titles are fairly common at around the £40 mark. But on the titles below, just to be clear I would pay more if I knew the title was truly mint.

83 Pollination £190 (up a lot relative to other titles) (not seen much)
84 Ireland £90 (down a fair bit) (seen a lot)
85 Plant Disease £90 (down)
86 Lichens £100 (steady) (not seen much at all)
87 Amphibians £85 (not seen much)
88 Lomondside £90
89 Broads £90
90 Moths £90
91 Nature Conservation £90 (not seen much)
92 Lakeland £80 (steady) (commonly seen)
93 Bats £190 (steady) (not seen much)
94 Seashore £80 (not seen much)
95 Northumberland £75 (seen more)
96 Fungi £70 (seen a lot)

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

PaulMead — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 23:31:55 GMT

i bought the ladybirds @ dominc winter auctions for £520 inc 17.5% buyers fee, the book was in 'new' condition.

i also bid £500 for a copy of Orkney @ Capes Dunn auctions, it went for £900, seems that the 2 rarest NNs are still holding their own in sale terms

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Hengus — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:20:52 GMT

[quote][b]grandslam (27/07/2010)[/b][hr]At auction recently a 2nd state Warblers in fine condition signed by the author fetched £1200(etimate 50-80) and a signed Orkney in similar condition fetched £2200 (similar estimate). Obviously the signatures added to the value but prices seem to be healthy still for the scarce titles in fine condition.[/quote]

I trust the estimator has now sought alternative employment!

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

grandslam — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:59:00 GMT

At auction recently a 2nd state Warblers in fine condition signed by the author fetched £1200(etimate 50-80) and a signed Orkney in similar condition fetched £2200 (similar estimate). Obviously the signatures added to the value but prices seem to be healthy still for the scarce titles in fine condition.

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Lee3764 — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:29:14 GMT

Thanks Dave,

Thanks for the posting. It seems that virtually no N/N's are fetching anywhere near top book price at present! Maybe those with money would see this particular time as a great opportunity to invest in the rare ones at these sort of prices subject to fine condition?

Lee.

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

DavidGarnett — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:49:32 GMT

Just to do my duty as a non-posting forum member!

Dominic Winter had some more NNs at last weeks sale ( http://www.dominic-winter.co.uk/ :

British Larks... Sold for £260 +17.5%

Caves........ 270 +

Ladybirds 420 +

Wild and Garden Plants 320 +

The New Naturalists (1st) 170 +

No indication of condition.

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Hengus — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:41:12 GMT

[quote][b]Hairstreak (28/01/2010)[/b][hr]I was put off by my last experience, when they had similar books with equally attractive estimates. I entered bids by e-mail only to see the books I bid onsell for significantly less than my maximum bid. It was explained to me why this had happened - one reason I recallwas thatbidders in the room take preference but I still found it hard to understand and disappointing. You obviously have to know what you are doing, and I didn't!

[/quote]

That sounds to me much more like the auction house didn't know what[b] it[/b] was doing, not you. If they have a bid (by whatever means) and they ignore it they are doing themselves out of money. That's not your fault. I'd have expected (at least) an apology and a commission free bid by means of one at the next auction by means of one.........

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Hairstreak — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 22:02:20 GMT

I was put off by my last experience, when they had similar books with equally attractive estimates. I entered bids by e-mail only to see the books I bid on sell for significantly less than my maximum bid. It was explained to me why this had happened - one reason I recall was that bidders in the room take preference but I still found it hard to understand and disappointing. You obviously have to know what you are doing, and I didn't!

I keep seeing people say that if you are prepared to look hard, be patient, do the leg work etc you can get good copies of the golden 13 for so much less than e.g. on e-bay - but I could not find these wonder deals after looking pretty hard and ended up paying higher prices than those mentioned above to get them (not only on e-bay). Some of the bargains mentioned on these threads are truly exceptional and you could wait for ever for a deal like that.

Richard

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Bill — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:48:03 GMT

I'm actually surprised how high some of these prices are. OK, they're no where need some of the extreme prices on eBay about 18-24 months ago, but I seem to recall that there were two buyers at that time (where IDs were still visible) that seemed to have unlimited sums of money to spend! The more frugal buyer, even then, was still able to buy these titles at sensible prices if they were prepared to do the leg work, check auction catalogues and second-hand book stalls rather than just relying on one point of purchase, eBay. Some of the stories on this Forum about NN bargains reinforces that point ... and a first edition copy of Heathlands was advertised in the last week or so in NN Collectors Club newsletter for just £130!

Adding the premium to the final bid price, Ladybirds sold for £480, Caves & Cave Life at £435, Larks, Pipits and Wagtails at £390, The Soil at £295. With the exception of Ladybirds, all above prices that have been paid recently (in the last 6 months) on eBay.

I also find the price paid for lot 125 incredible - £660 including premium - as only 14 of them were 1st editions and only a couple of them being more difficult to find. Perhaps they were in remarkable condition, although the brief description I read on the website doesn't suggest that. It will be interesting to see how many of these now turn up on eBay, especially lots 122 and 123.

Shame I wasn't there to bid on Ladybirds, but I'm certainly delighted to see that most of these books are still selling for more than I paid for my copies.

It'll also be interesting to see what happens to NN prices at Dominic Winter in the next sale - I suspect that will be a few more people bidding next time, after this publicity ;-)

Bill

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

DavidGarnett — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:04:21 GMT

Maybe I am being too cynical but in general Dominic Winter's always estimate low as it attracts bidders: don't forget that the realised prices need to have 17.5% commission added.

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Hengus — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:12:17 GMT

Very interesting - thanks for posting that.

Here's the relevant section (estimate - then realised price afterwards). Personally, it's not so much the realised prices that suprise me, as the low estimates (although in reality, it's uncanny how accurate some of the estimates are!!)

113
New Naturalist Series. The New Forest, by Colin R. Tubbs, (vol. 73), 1st ed., 1986, coloured and b & w illustrations, original cloth, d.j., 8vo
(1) Illustrations Available £100-150 - £180.00

114
New Naturalist Series. Ferns. Their Habitats in the British and Irish Landscape, by Christopher N. Page, (vol. 74), 1st ed., 1988, coloured and b & w illustrations, original cloth, d.j., spine slightly faded, 8vo
(1) Illustrations Available £200-300 - £340.00

115
New Naturalist Series. Freshwater Fishes of the British Isles, by Peter S. Maitland and R. Niall Campbell, (vol. 75), 1st ed., 1992, coloured and b & w illustrations, original cloth, d.j., spine a little faded, 8vo
(1) Illustrations Available £200-300 - £320.00

116
New Naturalist Series. The Soil, by B.N.K. Davis, N. Walker, D.F. Ball and A.H. Fitter, (vol. 77), 1st ed., 1992, coloured and b & w illustrations, original cloth, d.j., 8vo
(1) Illustrations Available £150-200 - £250.00

117
New Naturalist Series. British Larks, Pipits and Wagtails, by Eric Simms, (vol. 78), 1st ed., 1992, coloured and b & w illustrations, original cloth, d.j., 8vo
(1) Illustrations Available £200-300 - £330.00

118
New Naturalist Series. Caves and Cave Life, by Philip Chapman, (vol. 79), 1st ed., 1993, b & w illustrations, original cloth, d.j., 8vo
(1) Illustrations Available £150-200 - £370.00

119
New Naturalist Series. Wild & Garden Plants, by Max Walters, (vol. 80), 1st ed., 1993, coloured and b & w illustrations, original cloth, d.j., spine slightly faded, 8vo
(1) Illustrations Available £150-200 - £340.00

120
New Naturalist Series. Ladybirds, by Michael E.N. Majerus, (vol. 81), 1st ed., 1994, coloured and b & w illustrations, original cloth, d.j., 8vo
(1) Illustrations Available £200-300 - £410.00

121
New Naturalist Series. The New Naturalists, by Peter Marren, (vol. 82), 1st ed., 1995, coloured and b & w illustrations, original cloth, d.j., 8vo
Signed by the author.
(1) Illustrations Available £150-200 - £270.00

122
New Naturalist Series, vols. 82-90, 1st eds. except vol. 82, pub. 1996-2005, coloured and b & w illustrations, original cloth d.j.s, vol. 83 spine slightly faded, 8vo
As new condition.
(9) Illustrations Available £200-300 - £620.00

123
New Naturalist Series, vols. 91-100, all but vols. 99 & 100 1st eds., pub. 2002-2006, coloured and b & w illustrations, original cloth, d.j.s, 8vo
As new condition.
(10) Illustrations Available £200-300 - £420.00

124
New Naturalist Series, vols. 101-110, all 1st eds., pub. 2007-2009, coloured and b & w illustrations, original cloth, d.j.s, 8vo
As new condition.
(10) Illustrations Available £200-300 - £290.00

125
New Naturalist Series. 40 vols., 1945-82, comprising vols. 3-8, 10-13, 15-22, 24-25, 27, 29-30, 33, 35, 37, 42, 44, 49, 51, 53-54, 58-60, 62-65, 68, (14 1st eds. vols. 3, 6, 12-13, 19, 22, 51, 53-54, 59, 62-63, 65, 68), plates and illustrations, a couple ex-libris and with previous owner inscriptions, original cloth, d.j.s, a few minor chips and creases, 8vo
(40) Illustrations Available £400-600 - £560.00

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

DavidGarnett — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 22:33:07 GMT

For a feel for latest prices have a look at today's Dominic Winter auction sale prices ( http://www.dominic-winter.co.uk/ . Lots 113 to 125 are all high value NNs going for reasonable prices: plus 17.5% buyers commission of course (being mean I failed to get any of them!).

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Lee3764 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:02:20 GMT

25% now for the whole set I believe according to an email I received from Collins today.

Print on Demand (All volumes from 1 - 98)
Buy 5 or more volumes Save 5%
Buy 10 or more volumes Save 10%
Buy 20 or more volumes Save 15%

Order Every Print on Demand Volume
Save 25%!
email: newnaturalists@harpercollins.co.uk

Facsimile Editions (Volumes 1 - 10)
Save 30%!

Christmas Delivery
In order to ensure delivery before Christmas, please
place orders before the following dates:

Print on Demand Volumes
6th December

All Other Editions
21st December

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Jackbus — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:11:32 GMT

Ah ok, I had no idea about discounts.

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Hengus — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:18:19 GMT

[quote][b]Jackbus (17/11/2009)[/b][hr]Out of interest, Which two? I guess you mean Orkney and Warblers? Are they really still going for those pre-recession high prices? I'm surprised. To surpass the cost of a whole set of PODs, they would have to amount to more than £5,550.[/quote]

I suggest you give Collins a bell! The POD's (remember it's only the first 98) theoretically cost £4900 but Collins were doing 20% discounts (ie £3920) and are I believe discounting even further now...so you can probably get the whole set for £3.5k ish.

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Bill — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:58:08 GMT

I don't follow the prices at private booksellers or auctions, but a copy of British Warblers with a badly faded spine was sold on eBay last week for a cool £1,755.55, so the prices are not that far below their highs. There's another copy on eBay at the moment with unfaded dustwrapper at £2,500 and an unfaded copy of Orkney at £2,750 ... now don't all rush now ;-)

I accept neither has been sold and they've both been relisted at least once, so perhaps it's not a true guide but some copies are still selling at silly prices. Seems like the availability of POD copies hasn't daunted the serious collector after all.

Bill

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Jackbus — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:26:01 GMT

Out of interest, Which two? I guess you mean Orkney and Warblers? Are they really still going for those pre-recession high prices? I'm surprised. To surpass the cost of a whole set of PODs, they would have to amount to more than £5,550.

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Hengus — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:47:20 GMT

[quote][b]Paul1960 (16/11/2009)[/b][hr]it really all depends if you want to have a collection of original 1st edtions on your shelf.

a whole set of PODs would be quite an astronomical sum of money & given that I need only the following to complete the set, it would be better spending the money on the originals.
[/quote]

A whole set of PODs? Less than the cost of two of the books on that list in Fine / Fine condition.... Horses for courses and all that...

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Paul1960 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:50:36 GMT

it really all depends if you want to have a collection of original 1st edtions on your shelf.

a whole set of PODs would be quite an astronomical sum of money & given that I need only the following to complete the set, it would be better spending the money on the originals.

1	Butterflies	E. B. Ford	1945
2	British Game	Vesey-Fitzgerald, B.	1946
4	Britain's Structure and Scenery	Dudley Stamp, L.	1946
25	The Sea Coast	Steers, J.A.	1953
26	The Weald	Wooldridge, S.W. & Goldring, F.	1953
27	Dartmoor	Harvey, L.A. & St Leger Gordon, D.	1953
28	Sea-Birds	Fisher, James & Lockley, R.M.	1954
29	The World of the Honeybee	Butler, C.G.	1954
32	Trees, Woods and Man	Edlin, H.L.	1956
35	The World of the Soil	Russell, E.J.	1957
38	The World of Spiders	W.S. Bristowe	1958
42	Fossils	Swinnerton, H.H.	1960
44	The Peak District	Edwards, K.C.	1962
45	The Common Lands of England and Wales	Hoskins, W.G. & Dudley Stamp, L.	1963
46	The Broads	Ellis, A.E.	1965
65	Waders	Hale, W.G.	1980
69	Reptiles and Amphibians in Britain	Frazer, D.	1983
70	The Natural History of Orkney	R. J. Berry	1985
71	British Warblers	Simms, E.	1985
78	British Larks, Pipits and Wagtails	Simms, E.	1992
80	Wild and Garden Plants	Walters, M.	1993
81	Ladybirds	Mike Majerus	1994

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Jackbus — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:35:52 GMT

Yes, there is that earlier sequence of rarer books as well. And the earlier bumblebees seems to go for a lot less than dragonflies or Folklore. Although still v expensive.

There seems to be a raft of faded spine Golden 13s going for a lot less than usual on ebay. This raises an interesting question. While I would always try to eventually have an unfaded Golden 13 book in my collection, I wonder if I would rather have a POD than a faded original.

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Paul1960 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:51:57 GMT

The Folklore of Birds 39

Bumblebees 40

Dragonflies 41

seem to be the silver 3 before the golden 13

also seems to a lot of interest in

Bumblebees 98

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Hengus — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:17:59 GMT

One (supposedly 'as new') copy of British Bats went on eBay for £132 recently, but I'm not sure that makes a pattern does it...it still sells fairly well elsewhere for £200-£280. I think the NN market is still finding its feet again after the POD launch. Perhaps more importantly for the market in decent Firsts is that the recession has meant many collectors have wanted to get access to cash so there is more in the market place. Good old supply and demand.....

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Hengus — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:17:46 GMT

RE: Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Jackbus — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:43:55 GMT

Ireland is 84 sorry. No editing function.

Value of New Naturalists after the Golden 13.

Jackbus — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:40:20 GMT

I see recently that there have been quite a few sales of New Naturalists in that 83-98 range on auction sites.. Books that are no longer for sale from shops new. I haven't seen all. but it is interesting to see the fluctuation in prices.

Bats seem to have come down a bit to around £130, I have seen a lot of these books on sale and it looks like the value has come down from recent highs but has stayed noticably higher than any of its neighbours. Similarly Ireland (85) seems to have plateaued around the £120 mark. Reptiles & Amphibians has crept up in value, and similarly Moths (90) has made a recent charge and is now at the £100 mark.

Of the more recent volumes,Bumblebees seems to stand out as becoming more pricey. I have no idea why. Perhaps a similar reason to that often given to explain Bats' high price. ie. interest as the leading book on the subject. but this is pure guesswork. Perhaps it has spiked because it is no longer available. Can anyone shed light on this?