Antique Yearbooks - Collectable or Not?

Hello Folks,

I recently got a few antique yearbooks including one for the University of Cincinnati (1949), Miami University(of Ohio) (1916), and a few of local (Southern Ohio) high schools ranging from the early twenties to the late 1930's.

I was wondering if these were still collectable despite the fact that many of the people pictured in them are likely 6 feet under the ground. On the plus side some of the old photos of the sports teams and the school building are fairly cool.

Your Thoughts? What is the market like for antique and vintage school yearbooks?

 

If somebody famous is in one of the yearbooks ...might add to desirability, people are obsessed with the cult of personality these days.

 

I swear at once time I saw a website that sells yearbooks...but that was many years ago....

 

Is there some different rule about the term "antique" when it is applied to ephemera that I have never heard? The only 100 year old book in your OP is the 1916 Miami of Ohio.

 

I used to get $30 for a university yearbook from a popular college. I've grown older now, so have the people in the classes above mine who are in the remaining (few) yearbooks I still have somewhere. I doubt they will sell at all now, those people are DOUBTFULLY wanting to look at their old and possibly deceased classmates and teachers. I never had any as old as yours, only 50s through 70s, but I think I may have already missed my time to sell the rest...

Suggest you can do a search on ebay under "solds" and let us all know if there's any hope for yearbooks!

 

Classmates dot com ...i think they offer them digitally ......

 

You'd think they'd have some resale because the old ones are really a hoot to look at. But sadly 99.9% of them do not have much resale value. So many out there per year and people carefully held on to them for years so the market has plenty to chose from. Exception as mentioned is if some famous person, esp musician or actor was from the school, certain of those can be worth even $1K or better.

 

I collect yearbooks with famous people in them. Some of them can get pretty expensive.

 

A friend of mine who is a book dealer online always looks through the yearbooks he sees at estate sales. Has found some with people who were later well known, and sold them for a higher amount. So I know what you mean, @Jay Downs .
Oh, and welcome to Antiquers! You've made some interesting posts already.