piper

Hi.

My husband and I are retired. We live in New Hampshire during the summer half year, and the other half of the year, we're in New York City.

We're pretty low-tech, and have no blog address, website, etc. - only the e-mail! We may catch up with the rest of the world later.

Besides having grown up on Nancy Drew books, I saw them again (and again) in one of my jobs, as a public librarian in a New Hampshire town.

We also have quite a bit of Quimper French pottery/dishware, various antiques and artwork, and a coin collection that may be Bonanza'ed if/when I have time to get it all ready.

Thanks for visiting my moss-covered booth.

SPECIAL NOTE TO NANCY DREW ANTIQUE BOOK COLLECTORS: You do not have enough facts about a book to make an informed purchase decision IF ALL YOU ARE GIVEN BY THE SELLER IS THE COPYRIGHT DATE - and some sellers do not even give you that. The copyright date tells you when the original text of the book (which may be revised and rerevised in later years) was first published, printed, and placed on the market. YOU MUST HAVE THE PRINT YEAR AS WELL. For one thing, the value of children's series books generally goes downhill with the passing years and later print runs, the one exception in the case of Nancy Drews, Bobbsey Twins and Hardy Boys being a slight price spike upward for the print run year in which a book that had a dust jacket was replaced by a picture cover text having no dust jacket when issued (the first Nancy picture covers hit the market around 1962, and are currently worth about $10 - $20, depending on condition and scarcity).

The copyright date of The Secret of the Old Clock, as an example, is 1930. However, it was condensed and rewritten in 1959, with modernized language, and the text was streamlined to be more in harmony with mid-century and late-century cultural changes in values. In short, it is not the same book after 1959. It is not the world of Nancy that you may have been charmed by before 1959. Many Nancy Drew Mystery Story and Hardy Boys rewrites are so drastic as to gut the entire plot of the original texts and are different books altogether from the originals.

The collectible first-print Old Clock is valued at $11,000.00 when it and the dust jacket are in very good condition. A print run 13 years later, 1943, is valued at $90.00 when both the book and the dust jacket are in vg condition. A 1957 print run, just before the rewrite, is valued at $36.00 when both the book and dj are in vg condition. Some sellers will give you only the original copyright or none at all. Please do not be deceived. ASK YOUR SELLER TO IDENTIFY THE PRINT RUN FOR YOU. All values quoted are per Farah s Guide, 12th printing.

Best wishes for happy shopping and window shopping,

Piper
Moss-Covered Booth