Explore and Learn
Guides for collecting, valuing and selling specialized antiques
The Art of Fore-Edge Painting: A Guide to This Rare Form of Book Art
Fore-edge painting is a unique form of book art that involves painting intricate designs on the fore-edge (the edge opposite the spine) of a book. This form of art is centuries old and has its roots in medieval times. It involves painting images or designs on the edges of the pages of a book, creating a stunning visual effect when the book is fanned out.
What is the “Stranger Things” Grandfather Clock?
The ominous, echoing toll of an antique grandfather clock is the theme of the newest installment of Netflix’s megahit...
Research Prices & History with WorthPoint’s Price Guide
Knowledge is power when it comes to collecting or selling online. Most antique aficionados and resellers start their...
Guide to Book Condition: How Condition Affects a Book’s Value
It's (almost) all about condition. Collecting rare and antique books can be a fulfilling hobby for many, but it is...
Best Way to Effortlessly Auction Rare Books in Phoenix? Try Our Virtual Auction House
As a family-run small business, we love being able to help our community deal with items that they’re ready to sell for one reason or another. Our family has had experience in the local Phoenix antique business for over 40 years.
How to Consolidate a Book Collection: Spring Cleaning Tips
Some of the most common items discovered in home-bound treasure hunts tend to be books. Some may be valuable books, most probably are not.
Lost on Titanic: The Legendary Jeweled Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Somewhere, on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, lies one of the most desirable rare books in the world.
Antique Gambling Books & Card Cheating
Gambling has been part of America's history from the nation’s infancy, going all the way back to colonial times. Even...
Bound to Please: Book Collecting and Fine Bindings
People collect books for so many different reasons; some focus on a particular subject, others...
The #1 Reason Why Many Antique Book Collectors Sell Their Libraries, and How to Sell Yours
"My wife wants her living room back." It might sound funny, but you’d laugh at the overwhelming number of clients...
How to Identify a First Edition Book – It’s Not So Easy!
Why are first edition books valuable? Often, determining the value of antique books or modern collectible books...
Is My Old Bible Worth Money? A Guide to Antique Bibles (Updated 2020)
Tips on finding the value of antique Bibles "How much is my old Bible worth?" We get this question a lot about antique...
Estate Liquidation & Downsizing: The 2020 Guide for Evaluating Books or Home Libraries
How to Handle Book Collections or Home Libraries Say you’ve walked into an estate liquidation situation, ready to...
Miniature Antique Books: A Quick Introduction to a Tiny Subject
Novelty Items are Collector's Items Today At first glance, you might think an antique miniature book is something made...
Susanna Rowson, Early American Literature’s Forgotten Female Author
Read between the lines to discover feminism in its infancy Once upon a time, a character named Charlotte Temple was...
Zelda Fitzgerald’s Gal-Pal Meets an 18th Century Dutch Atlas
"Though the Jazz Age continued it became less and less an affair of youth. The sequel was like a children's party...
Harry Houdini’s Massive Magic and Spiritualism Library Lives On Today
Houdini’s personal collection of rare antique books on magic, witchcraft, psychic phenomena and spiritualism still exists in the U.S. Library of Congress.
“Tamerlane”, the World’s Rarest (and Most Valuable) Edgar Allan Poe Book
Just 50 copies of Poe’s “Tamerlane and Other Poems” were self-published by the author in 1827. Only 12 are known to exist today, one selling for over $600k.
How to Find the Value of Antique Books: Why Online Prices Are Misleading
The Internet's Stumbling Block: Using AbeBooks and Amazon for Pricing One big stumbling block in buying and selling...
Thomas Jefferson: America’s Most Extraordinary Antique Book Collector
Facts About Thomas Jefferson's Books Did you know that one of America's most influential founding fathers was also one...
Antique Cookbook Discovery: How a Kid Turned £1 into £50
I'll never forget my first antique book discovery. I was nine years old. It was at a car boot sale in London - a flea...
5 Tips on How to Sell Old Books that Aren’t Collectible
Quick Guide: Selling (or disposing of) old books So you've got a pile of old books you'd like to get rid of, but have...
Yo, Rocky! Sylvester Stallone’s Collection of Rare Antique Boxing Books
Selling antique books can be really fun, especially when you love what you're doing like I do. In my business, I...
Old Books Re-Imagined as New Artwork
An artist creates his works from the ruins of old, unwanted books like dictionaries, encyclopedias and textbooks, taking an exacto knife to the old pages and carving away.
What is vellum binding on an antique book?
What's the definition of "vellum"? Vellum is essentially a fine skin binding, very popular in centuries past for its...