There is a difference though if you want to make money buying and selling antique acim. In this case you need to buy under market value in order to sell at market value and make money. So if you are just starting and don’t know much about antique book prices, you will make some mistakes, however if you pay attention you will learn.
You can also learn through articles like this some of the keys to buy at a good price.
One more thing is the true value a book has, and the price a person wants to sell that same book for are quite often very different. An example might be if someone has a family bible passed on through generations of the family it can have tremendous value for the holder however it may actually be very common and of normal quality.
Therefore the fact is the price your highly treasured family bible might really sell for could be very small should you want to put it on the market.
So if your book is one of thousands printed and still available during the 1800’s, then it is probably not worth much. Interestingly enough a Sears catalog would probably demand a greater price than a Bible printed in the same year. Why? Simply the Sears catalog is much rarer because they were not saved very often.
There are actual three factors that determine price condition, scarcity, and demand. Age really doesn’t have a lot to do with an antique books price. A first edition book published in the 1900’s may in fact demand a lot more money than an ordinary book a few centuries old. Book dealers don’t really see a book from the 1800’s as old.
Another factor is an old Sears catalog can be very attractive. Many of the old books that are out there just aren’t that attractive and one of the things people are looking for is books that look good on their shelves. Therefore an attractive book is more sellable and often demands a greater price then one that isn’t.