Rare Book Monthly
Exit Strategies - Getting Out (A Bad News - Good News Story)
His sentiments were echoed by an equally respected West Coast dealer who with his partner recently sold over 15,000 volumes. They shopped the auction houses carefully and were able to negotiate a favorable contract because of the reputation and value of their inventory. Their holdings brought top dollar from buyers around the world. They donated their reference collection consisting of another 10,000 books and catalogs to a major university which resulted in a significant personal tax treatment as well.
But their experience is not typical. When it comes to giving books away, or donating them as a collection, unless they are exceptional and arrangements for the gift have been made well in advance, the would-be donor may find that libraries and special collections are not interested, or only interested if the gift comes with funds to care for them.
Consignment can be Win/Win
Perhaps the only win/win ending we found that might work for the average collector or dealer is some form of consignment arrangement. When the fit is good, consignment can have advantages for both sides.
Typically the person going out consigns some or all of the stock to someone continuing in the business. There is a written contract that spells out the terms. The consignee takes physical possession of the books, and the consignor sets the selling price and receives a stipulated percentage as the books sell.
This kind of an arrangement can be a good fit for both sides. Since the books are typically sold individually at retail, the consignor gets a much larger percentage of the selling price than might be the case if sold as a lot or at wholesale. The consignor is also relieved of chores like listing, shelving, packing, insuring, advertising and other costs. In exchange the consignee gets good quality inventory that is paid for only when it sells.
This was the one situation where AE found two parties who were willing to discuss how the process worked and allow their names to be used.
David Strang of Dimension Books was an Arizona based collector and dealer of first edition literary fiction as well as mystery, crime and suspense. He also had substantial retail bookstore experience. When the time came to sell he sent a letter of inquiry to many of the advertisers in Firsts Magazine. The most appealing response he received came from Joachim Koch of Books Tell You Why. The company, an ABAA member based in South Carolina, is an aggressive and technology savvy marketer.
The two discussed the books, the time frame and agreed on an open ended plan that was beneficial to both. After about eight months Strang said he is pleased with the results. He has received a monthly income from his books at very close to the prices he would have gotten if he'd sold them himself at retail without any of the associated costs.
Koch is also happy with the arrangement as the books he took on consignment enhance his inventory and his ability to offer his customers good value without having to purchase the books until they sell.
In generic terms Koch said that these are some of the key points that their consignment agreement includes:
"We offer a 'full service' package for selling books, i.e., we catalog, take images, store, market online and offline, list on 10+ platforms, sell, complete transaction with customers, ship, worry about returns, etc.
While we suggest a price, the seller can adjust the price, he/she 'owns' the price and, as long as it is within ethical reason, we comply with the request.
Our consignment fee is based on list price (on our site), i.e., We swallow any discounts by dealers and provide clear pricing/payment terms.
A consignor can end the agreement at any time, no questions asked. Only in the first three years we charge a termination fee to avoid that we go through all the listing effort and the consignor wants their books back the day after. While we'd be returning the books, we're charging a modest fee to at least cover some of the cataloging/listing efforts."
Though this kind of an arrangement may not work in every situation, it is definitely worth considering when high value individual items are involved and a suitable match can be found.
Rare Book Monthly
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Sotheby’s
Shelf Life: Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper from the Library of Stanley J. Seeger and Christopher Cone
25 June – July 7Sotheby’s, July 7: Ludwig van Beethoven. Autograph sketches for the overture "Die Weihe des Hauses", op.124, [1822], UNPUBLISHED. £150,000 to £200,000.Sotheby’s, July 7: Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice, 1813, first edition, 3 volumes, contemporary half calf. £50,000 to £70,000.Sotheby’s, July 7: Walt Whitman. Leaves of Grass, Brooklyn, 1855, first edition, first issue, original green cloth, the Doheny copy. £50,000 to £70,000.Sotheby’s, July 7: Binding—Sangorski & Sutcliffe—Omar Khayyam. Rubaiyat, London, 1872, third edition, in a magnificent jewelled Peacock binding. £15,000 to £20,000.Sotheby’s, July 7: George Eliot. Middlemarch, Edinburgh and London, 1871, first edition in the original parts. £20,000 to £30,000. -
Forum Auctions
The Private Library:
Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers
July 9, 2026Forum, July 9: Hassall (Joan) A large collection of over 300 original woodblocks of engravings for various books, v.d., with Hassall's engraver's glass water-globe (Qty) - Est. £10,000-15,000Forum, July 9: Eragny Press.- [Bradley (Katherine Harris) & Edith Emma Cooper], "Michael Field." Whym Chow, Flame of Love, one of only 27 copies, inscribed by Bradley, the rarest book from the press, 1914. - Est. £3,000-4,000Forum, July 9: [Moore (Thomas Sturge)] [Wood Engravings], 71 wood-engravings printed by David Chambers from the original blocks, the only set on Japanese Hosho paper, from an edition of 5 sets, [1970]. - Est. £3,000-4,000Forum Auctions
The Private Library:
Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers
July 9, 2026Forum, July 9: La Fontaine (Jean de) Contes et Nouvelles en vers, 2 vol., engraved plates after Eisen, fine early 19th century blue morocco, gilt, by Bradel l'ainé, Amsterdam [Paris], 1762. - Est. £2,000-3,000Forum, July 9: Erotica.- Prostitution.- Pretty Women of Paris (The); Their Names and Addresses, Qualities and Faults..., [Paris], privately printed at the Press of the Prefecture de Police, 1883. - Est. £3,000-4,000Forum, July 9: Vale Press.- Ricketts (Charles) & Lucien Pissarro. De la Typographie et de l'Harmonie de la Page Imprimée…, [one of 216 copies], bound in dark blue morocco tooled in gilt, by Sarah T.Prideaux, 1898. - Est. £1,000-1,500Forum Auctions
The Private Library:
Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers
July 9, 2026Forum, July 9: Martin (John) Illustrations of the Bible, complete set of 20 mezzotints, good impressions, rarely found in early states, [c.1831-1835]. - Est. £1,000-1,500Forum, July 9: Golden Cockerel Press.- Four Gospels of the Lord Jesus Christ (The), one of 500 copies, Mary Gill's copy, Waltham St. Lawrence, 1931 with a signed proof of engraving on japon numbered 10/10 (2) - Est. £5,000-7,000Forum, July 9: Boccaccio (Giovanni) The Decameron, 3 vol., vol.1 extra-illustrated by John Buckland Wright with c.150 erotic original drawings in pen & ink and pencil, 1886 [extra-illustrated c.1940]. - Est. £10,000-15,000Forum Auctions
The Private Library:
Fine Printing & Private Press books, the collection of the late David Chambers
July 9, 2026Forum, July 9: Cox (Morris) Collection of Gogmagog Press Books, 35 vol., rare complete collection of printed books issued by the press, limited editions, most signed by Cox, 1957-83. - Est. £10,000-15,000Forum, July 9: Wynkyn de Worde.- [Terentius Afer (Publius)] [Comedie...], [Paris, Josse Badius: sold in London by Wynkyn de Worde, & others], [15 July 1504]. - Est. £4,000-6,000Forum, July 9: Mosley (James) Ornamented Types. Twenty-Three Alphabets from the Foundry of Louis John Pouchée, 2 vol., one of 10 copies for presentation, from an edition of 210, 1992-93. - Est. £1,000-2,000 -
Freeman’s, June 30. Thomas Jefferson’s “Birth of the New Nation” letter, carried to Paris with the Treaty of Peace, by a Jewish patriot. $100,000-200,000.Freeman’s, June 30. “The rockets’ red glare.” A British midshipman’s log recording the bombardment of Fort McHenry. $60,000-80,000.Freeman’s, June 30. The Critical Promotion of a Naval Hero, Oliver Hazard Perry Commission signed by James Madison, 1812. $40,000-60,000.Freeman’s, June 30. Born in the USA: First Day of Printing in the United States, July 4, 1776. $15,000-25,000.Freeman’s, June 30. One of the Earliest Printed Announcements of American Independence, in the Exceedingly Rare Original Wrappers, 1776. $10,000-15,000.Freeman’s, June 30. "The Two Big Guns of the N.Y. Yanks": A Striking Type 1 Press Photograph of Lou Gehrig's Hands. $8,000-12,000.Freeman’s, June 30. A Unique Contemporary Manuscript Account of Joseph Smith's Final Words to His Followers, the Day Before his Violent Death. $8,000-12,000.Freeman’s, June 30. The State of Minnesota Officially Certifies the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution Of the United States. $8,000-12,000.Freeman’s, June 30. Extraordinarily Large Manuscript Petition Signed by a Who's Who of Colonial New York to Queen Anne from the Colony of New York. $8,000-12,000.Freeman’s, June 30. Mickey Mantle's First Cover: The Earliest Front-Page Newspaper Image of Mickey Mantle, "Something Good from Joplin". $8,000-12,000.Freeman’s, June 30. A Call to Arms in the Months Following the Declaration of Independence: An Early Continental Army Recruitment Poster. $6,000-9,000.Freeman’s, June 30. Samuel Jones, the Statesman Behind the Newly Discovered "Jones Declaration": His Annotated Set Used in His Working Law Library. $6,000-9,000.