Help in the Chicago land area!

I have recently became in possession of a bunch of 1800’s/early 1900’s books. I can try and post a few pictures. But I’m thinking once I go threw them all and sort them out if there is someone I can truck them all to and have a glance at that would be a little easier. Looking to sell them. I will post a few pictures once I get the photos uploaded.

 

Welcome to Antiquers, @THEEZOG .

Have you tried a general google search? I tried: certified "book appraiser" Chicago -- and found some possibly helpful links that way.

Also, I'm originally from the Chicago area and I know the phrase "Chicagoland area" often means outside the city itself. The city of Chicago, I'm guessing, would have the greatest number of qualified appraisers. But if you are in some other part of the area you might want to do the search I did but mention perhaps your county or city where you live.

Just some thoughts.

 

Best way to determine value is to check abebooks.com and ebay completed prices.

I use abebooks (you must spell correctly) If 20 titles listed for the same year of publication. I go down to midpoint and price around there with the shipping added. Be sure to check that your book condition matches that price point.
If something is obviously super condition and unusual I will move up from mid point.

I do that for my retail store. Have done very well this way.

 

Should point out if you are looking to sell to a dealer, they are only going to give you 1/4-1/3 the value if that.

 

Agreed, this is a good point Cluttered made about the value of old books and especially antique books.

 

Here is a link to Chicago-area dealers who are members of the MidWest Antiquarian Bookseller's Association:
https://mwaba.com/directory/#!directory/map/rad=030/zip=Chicago IL

And the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America:
https://www.abaa.org/booksellers/re...me=&last_name=&state=IL&chapter=&specialties=

Most will be interested in specialty areas, e.g. American History or Photography. A general or miscellaneous collection is difficult to sell - age is of little import, until you get to the 1600s and earlier. Be prepared to discuss subject matter more than age. Condition matters - a lot. Most dealers, myself included, have much more backstock than time to deal with it, so unless your books fit someone's interests quite well, you may be offered very little. A look at 'completed' books on eBay is a fine way to judge general interest and value - lots of books go unsold, unless they are something unusual.

My recommendation is to call around, once you have an idea of what kind of books you have (my least favorite thing to hear is "oh, a little bit of everything" or possible "oh, you name it, I have it!" Really? Medieval Persian manuscripts? Signed Hemingways?) and see if you can set up appointments to show them to a few dealers, and get a few offers for the lot before you decide.

There's also the auction house of Leslie Hindman, which has been doing book auctions for some time now, if your books are high-end enough.

Appraisals are done by specialists who charge a lot, as IRS regulations have changed, though some dealers may still do them for legal or insurance purposes.

Post a few pictures and I can tell you more.

 

For searching books currently listed online for sale, I like to use vialibri.net, which aggregates books listed for sale from many sites, including abebooks.com.

For previously sold books of note, sometimes I find them on auction sites. You can either go to various auction sites and type in the book title in their search tool, or do a google search with the title and the word "auction" or even "sold".

I also find it helpful to see how many copies are held by libraries and other institutions by searching in worldcat.org.

Good luck!