Rare Book Hub has announced its annual list of the top 500 prices paid at auction for books and other paper collectibles in 2025. Prices at the top end backed off a bit in 2025, but not by much. The previous year's numbers had been record prices. The dollars of top collectors are still flowing freely as we enter a new year.
We measure the strength of high end prices by the price of lot #500. In other words, what is the minimum price at which at least 500 books and paper collectibles were sold at auction in 2025? The answer is $109,800. In 2024, that number was $119,700, almost $10,000 more, representing an 8.3% decline. But before you conclude the market was soft in 2025, in 2023, that number was only $81,250, so the two-year change was still an increase of 35%. Perhaps 2024 just got a little ahead of itself.
Similarly, 26 items sold for over $1 million in 2025. That was down from 29 in 2024. But, if you look back two years, we find that in 2023 only 12 items sold for over $1 million. The collectible book and paper market at auction remained quite strong in 2025 even if it did take a slight breather.
The main area we cover is the broad one of books, maps, manuscripts, posters, letters, documents and ephemera. Specific subsets include comic books and trading cards. We have not included paper currency in this list. We do include prints if they are of some historical or not strictly artistic purpose. Prints by great artists are not included, but by historic sources such as Currier and Ives are. Picasso and Warhol prints, which are quite numerous at higher prices, don't really fit in this type of 500 list. Illustrations are included only if used in books. Original artwork used for books is included. Artwork for comic book story lines is included, but not comic book cover art which gets a bit far afield of storytelling.
Now, here are the top 10 prices, and these items couldn't be much more different from each other. Following is the entire Top 500.
10. Songs of Experience by William Blake. One of four first issues known, with provenance from Blake patron Ozias Humphry all the way to Maurice Sendak. $1,865,000.
9. The Declaration of Independence. The Essex broadside, one of the very rare July 1776 printings. $2,400,000.
8. Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces by Utagawa Hiroshige. Complete set of 69 woodblock prints and a contents page. Edo period (19th century). $2,436,777.
7. The Declaration of Independence. Manuscript in the hand of Samuel Jones, who is credited with securing New York's passage of the U.S. Constitution. $2,470,000.
6. An Epic Based on the Shahnama including the Garshaspnama and Samnama. Likely 18th century illustrated Persian manuscript. $2,789,163.
5. 1914 Baltimore News Babe Ruth rookie Baseball Card. $4,026,000.
4. Emancipation Proclamation. “Authorized edition,” signed by President Lincoln and Secretary of State Seward. $4,442,000.
3. Superman #1. First Superman comic from 1939, rated 9.0. $9,120,000.
2. 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs Michael Jordan & Kobe Bryant. A very expensive basketball card. $12,932,000.
1. Manuscript copy of the 13th Amendment outlawing slavery in the United States. Signed by President Lincoln, Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin, 378 senators and 114 congressmen. It took the signatures of 494 government officials to beat out two basketball players for #1, but they did it! $13,697,500.
What have we learned? Comic books and sports cards are no longer for kids. Your parents have taken over. But, in the end, above Michael Jordan, Superman, and all the others, Abe Lincoln is still #1!
To see the entire Top 500 list, click here now.
