What to include when listing Book on eBay

I started on eBay buying books -- you know, those "oh, I remember those from childhood" favorites. Then I started selling. I still shop for vintage books on eBay, but a lot of auctions are missing vital information for a collector. Here's the information I like to see in a book auction:

Title - full title

Author or authors

Illustrator - this is KEY with children's books, as I often am looking for an illustrator (i.e. Eloise Wilkin, Corinne Malvern) more than an author

Publisher - be sure to also see the dustjacket and back of book, since Book Club Editions (i.e. Weekly Reader, Book of the Month Club, etc.) are frequently listed in these locations

Publication date - look at the copyright page and list the MOST RECENT date. I've made several purchases and been disappointed because auction seller listed the EARLIEST date instead of MOST RECENT, and I ended up with a reprint.

Type of book - Hardcover (with or without dustjacket?), trade paperback (larger paperback, i.e. same size as a hardcover book), mass market paperback (the smallest of the paperback sizes)

Edition - look at the copyright page again for the words FIRST EDITION or string of numbers, i.e. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. I always include this with listings.

Description of book - What is this book about? This is also the place to interest illustrations that may be of interest to a collector - i.e. "lots of vintage illustrations featuring a cute Scottish Terrier" or "illustrations show travel on a Delta Airlines jet."

Condition - Be as specific as possible! Creases? Writing in book? Any dog-eared (turned down) pages? Spots or stains on pages? Foxing (tan coloration) on front or back endpapers? Wear at edges of dustjacket? Library markings? You can't list too much about condition!

I hope this is helpful ... I know this information helps me as a buyer, and I hope it helps my own buyers too!

Vintage Brochures from Old Tourist Attractions

A few years ago, I read a wonderful book called DIXIE BEFORE DISNEY by Tim Hollis. It is about old fashioned tourist attractions in the southern United States. Lots of great memories in that book! So when I found a shoebox full of old travel brochures, I bought them all. They have done really well on eBay, selling from $5.00 to $46.00. The star was a front and back brochure from Florida's Rainforest in Wildwood, Florida. But I've also had Weeki Wachee, Silver Springs (Ocala, Florida), Potter's Wax Museum (St. Augustine, Florida), and more. So don't pass up those vintage travel brochures! Besides -- they're fun to read and travel back in time.

Here are some great vintage travel brochures, if you'd like to take a look:

http://search.stores.ebay.com/Birdhouse-Books_vintage-brochure_W0QQfciZQ2d1QQfclZ3QQfsnZBirdhouseQ20BooksQQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsaselZ81052548QQsatitleZvintageQ20brochureQ2aQQsofpZ0

Never throw away an empty vintage box!

I learned a while back -- never throw away an empty vintage box. List it on eBay!

I listed these boxes on eBay and they sold for over $30. They are Christmas gift boxes from Rich's Department Store -- an old fashioned (now long gone) store chain from Atlanta. Rich's had fun Christmas festivities, including the lighting of the Great Tree downtown and the Pink Pig (a cute little monorail for children):

You'll find more information about Rich's on Wikipedia:  Rich's Department Store.

I have a history with empty boxes on eBay. One of my favorite sales was a toy box lid (not the complete box). I bought a big bunch of cute vintage Marx dollhouse furniture at a local yardsale. The seller put it in a box lid. I brought it home and found the box lid was from a toy similar to Mr. Potato Head -- but featuring other fruit and vegetables (I remember a green pepper and an orange). The box lid went for $107!

I love those empty boxes.

Floating Island, or Why I Love Vintage Cookbooks

I absolutely adore vintage cookbooks. They are one of my personal favorite things to collect. I actually enjoy trying the old recipes, and I love the food history aspect of the cookbooks too. (Old cookbooks are fun to read!) I have a small wall of cookbooks in my dining room and I am always trying to cull my personal collection to make room for a few "new" old additions.

I wanted to share a recipe that you don't hear mentioned often. It's from Favorite Hungarian Pastries and Desserts compiled by The Women's Guild of the First Hungarian United Church of Christ -- Bridgeport, Connecticut. The book dates to 1963 and has a wonderful retro illustration on cover. This vintage cookbook sold over $20 on eBay. I do really well with vintage cookbooks, especially vintage ethnic foods.

And here it is -- Floating Island!

Madar Tej (Floating Island)

1 quart milk

4 eggs, separated

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat the yolks of the eggs with the sugar and flour. Stir into a quart of milk, scalded, and cool until it thickens. When cool, pour into a bowl and flavor. Whip egg whites stiff and add the 6 tablespoons of sugar. Pour this froth over a shallow dish of boiling water. The steam passing through cooks it. Tablespoon over the top of the custard. Islands can also be made by spooning the beaten egg whites into the scalded milk. Turn on other side after a few seconds. Remove and place on platter till all egg whites are used. Float on top of thickened custard.

How to spot an "A" First Edition Little Golden Book

I love Little Golden Books, Wonder Books, Junior Elf Books, etc. If I could make a living selling nothing but these books I would! They were little thin hardcovers that were very popular during the baby boomer years. During my childhood I remember buying these as Woolworth and McCrory's -- how are those for store names from the past?

LGBs from the 1940's through early 1960's had an edition letter at the gutter of the last page of the book. If you have an LGB published in the 1940's, 1950's, or early 1960's, open the book to the last page. Look down at the very bottom of the page. (You may have to lift the binding at bottom of page very slightly to see this.) With older LGBs you will see a letter there. "A" signifies a First Edition, "B" is a Second Edition, "C" is a Third Edition, etc.

I collect LGBs and am attaching pictures of a couple of books from my personal collection. Cleo is the story of a very cute Basset Hound dog who is a television star. Christmas Manger is a LGB activity book -- you can construct a Christmas Manager by cutting and assembling the pages of this book. I am also including a photo of the last page of these books. You'll see the tiny letter "A" at the very bottom of the page. (You may need to zoom in to see it.)