Making Money on Hot Collectibles: Vintage Paperback Books

Here's a great collectibles area for those who love to go treasure hunting at yard sales, swap meets and rummage sales. The key to making some money by spending very little on vintage paperbacks is to look for books from the 1940-70s. You can usually pick up a good paperback for $1 or  less, and turn that $1 into $10 or much more if you know what to look for. Especially popular, and selling well currently, are books in the following categories:

Science Fiction

Sleazy Romance

Famous authors

Westerns

Military and War

Unusual miniature paper backs or series books (early vintage Anne of Green Gables, for example).

Science Fiction: While out at swap meets, flea markets, garage sales,  look for vintage Sci-Fi paperbacks, pre-1970s, with great graphics on the cover (usually colorful illustrations of Aliens or Rocket Ships, see photo at top). You may also want to look for first editions and early printings of famous Sci Fi authors like Isaac Asimov or Ray Bradbury (Farenheit 451). The larger the number of copies printed, and the later the printing date, the less value the book has, even if written by one of the Sci-Fi masters. Another way to tell if you have found an early paperback is to look at the price on the cover. $1 or under is a great clue you're in original vintage territory.

Sleazy Romance: Here, you'll want to avoid the 1960-70s Harlequin and Avon romance books. When we talk about paperbacks in this category that sell well, we are talking about 1940s and 1950s romance books with wild graphics on the cover - either couples embracing or sexy bombshells. Unlike science fiction or famous authors paperbacks, sleazy romance books are generally not read for content, but collected for display, because the covers are so wildly garish and kitschy. This is a growing collectibles genre.

Famous Authors: A good example, here, would be Ken Kesey's One Few Over the Cukoo's Nest (first edition or 2nd printing) or Joseph Heller's Catch-22, again in early printing state. (Generally, a first edition or early printing is found on the copyright page). Recently, a 1942 copy of Orlando by Virginia Woolf sold for about $20 on internet auction. Pass by paperbacks by authors like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, because usually paperbacks by these authors were published later and in huge printing numbers. You will want to grab any early J.D. Salinger paperbacks you find (Catcher in the Rye $200-$300 in first edition or early printing). First editions or early printings like this one, can bring you a great deal of money, but they are very difficult to find, especially in very good condition (little wear and tear to book and cover).

I recently sold a Hunter S. Thompson (1971) paperback on an internet auction site. This book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,  sold for $18  because the author Hunter S. Thompson is famous and widely collected (a recent movie about him starred Johnny Depp), and also because the book was a 2nd printing of the First edition. Big-time collectors largely desire first editions or 2nd or 3rd printings only (there may be exceptions, but these are rare).

Westerns: 1940-1960s Westerns featuring gunslingers, cowboys and rodeos have a pretty good market, these days. These old Western pulps were collected and read over and over, so condition is important in this category. Do not pick up any torn, tattered or stained paperbacks or those whose pages are yellowed enough to make the text hard to read. (My Great Uncle Sam, whose father was a cowboy and Sheriff of Cody, Wyoming, used to read me portions of his favorite western paperbacks.) Unfortunately, many of these well-read paperbacks were thrown away or tossed out over the past 50 years. So if you find a western paperback from the Mid-Century, in good condition, buy it (especially for $1 or less).

Military and War: During WWII, classic novels were made available to soldiers overseas. These series of paperbacks, (most by famous writers) are valued, not for the content, but because they are WWII related. Paperbacks from the 1940s and 50s about the war, in good condition, are a hot category at auction now. They are fairly difficult to find  - but maybe some of them were saved by an elderly relative, who no longer wants them.

Other popular vintage paperbacks include early cartoon characters, like Dennis the Menace or the Peanuts Gang (Charlie Brown, Snoopy), but again, to reap a reward, the books must be very early (a first edition) and in excellent condition.

Some times an early vintage paperback has more value than a later published hardcover. Just because the book is made of paper does not mean it isn't a worthy collectible. As eBooks become more popular, and well-known book publishers go out of business, Mid-Century paperbacks in very good condition, increase in value. Consult a recent price guide if you'd like recent prices. Remember, if you are only spending $1 or less, you can't lose much on a vintage paperback. If it turns out to have less value than you hoped, you can always recycle by donating to a charity thrift or a senior citizen's center.

Happy Hunting!