Is there any downside to getting a 40 year old first edition signed?
January 30, 2019 6:48 AM Subscribe
I am fortunate enough to have a first edition of "First Love, Last Rites", the first published book by Ian McEwan. It's a nice enough thing to have, but there's no real emotional attachment. I see that Mr McEwan will have a new book out in 2019 and it occurred to me I could go to a signing and get my first edition signed, which will increase the value 10-fold. Yes I am just in this for the money, but I have some questions below :
1) Is it even possible? Will McEwan only sign copies of his current book?
2) Will an "old" book with a "new" signature be seen as somehow inauthentic, and hence not result in the increase in value I hope for?
3) Assuming it's a sensible plan, should I just ask him to sign his name? Or some sort of message e..g "Best wishes el_presidente!"
4) Anything else I should consider?
many thanks
1) Is it even possible? Will McEwan only sign copies of his current book?
2) Will an "old" book with a "new" signature be seen as somehow inauthentic, and hence not result in the increase in value I hope for?
3) Assuming it's a sensible plan, should I just ask him to sign his name? Or some sort of message e..g "Best wishes el_presidente!"
4) Anything else I should consider?
many thanks
Without a forensic analysis, who's to say how old a signature is, unless it's dated?
posted by pipeski at 7:01 AM on January 30, 2019
posted by pipeski at 7:01 AM on January 30, 2019
Assuming you're polite about it (e.g., don't monopolize their time, don't ask them to sign a huge mountain of books, don't be creepy), I've never seen an author refuse to sign anything.
My understanding, and I could be wrong about this, is that non-personalized autographs are more desirable and worth more money than personalized autographs. If you ask for a non-personalized autograph, the author might suspect you plan to resell the item, and might give you some side-eye, but probably won't refuse to sign.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:05 AM on January 30, 2019 [3 favorites]
My understanding, and I could be wrong about this, is that non-personalized autographs are more desirable and worth more money than personalized autographs. If you ask for a non-personalized autograph, the author might suspect you plan to resell the item, and might give you some side-eye, but probably won't refuse to sign.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:05 AM on January 30, 2019 [3 favorites]
For authors of this caliber, at most signings the venue will announce how many outside items (meaning, books you already own) you can bring in to have signed. I've usually seen the max as 3.
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:11 AM on January 30, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by BlahLaLa at 7:11 AM on January 30, 2019 [5 favorites]
Famous Author signed an old book of mine, but he was kind of obnoxious about it and I ended up feeling like I should have bought his new book too.
posted by FencingGal at 7:29 AM on January 30, 2019
posted by FencingGal at 7:29 AM on January 30, 2019
I don't think age is a factor here at all, who cares how old a signature is?
posted by vanbrokos at 7:51 AM on January 30, 2019
posted by vanbrokos at 7:51 AM on January 30, 2019
Antiquarian Bookseller spouse says:
Sure, go ahead. It won't lower the value and will increase it.
Increase in value is marginal (10-fold really?) unless its an author whose signature is rare.
Nobody cares when it was signed as long as the signature is authentic.
Personal message won't add to value unless you are someone famous too.
posted by vacapinta at 7:54 AM on January 30, 2019 [15 favorites]
Sure, go ahead. It won't lower the value and will increase it.
Increase in value is marginal (10-fold really?) unless its an author whose signature is rare.
Nobody cares when it was signed as long as the signature is authentic.
Personal message won't add to value unless you are someone famous too.
posted by vacapinta at 7:54 AM on January 30, 2019 [15 favorites]
I mean, if you're descent about it and buy the new book too, he should be happy enough to sign them both.
To maximize value, do not have them personalized.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:55 AM on January 30, 2019
To maximize value, do not have them personalized.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:55 AM on January 30, 2019
I deal in rare records and, to be honest, I find that signed items are a pain in the ass and I do not generally assign much more value to a signed item--and absolutely not 10-fold.
Essentially the problem is provenance. How do I know he or she signed this? Every famous person's signature is on the internet and can be faked and with the sheer number of signings people do these days, are any contemporary artists' signatures difficult to come across?* It's not like the old-days where a signature generally meant you'd been in the person's company for some non-promotional reason.
If you do go ahead and do this, do yourself a favor and get a selfie with him so you can actually prove you met him and that therefore the sig is legit.
The biggest issue you'll probably have is getting him to not personalize it as authors are aware people seek signatures to resell. He'll ask your name for this reason.
*The one exception I gave regarding a signature was when a Warners record exec sold me a Zappa album that had been signed. I googled his signature and it was not a match -- not even close. The exec insisted he'd watched Zappa sign it, but I declined to up my offer. The exec then accepted my original "non signed" offer. Months later, my employee was determined to get to the bottom of it and wound up finding a copy of Zappa's passport online and that signature did in fact match perfectly. Presumably he had a "autograph" and a "signature" and, when dealing with the exec, who he had a professional relationship, he signed his legit sig. I then paid the exec the difference and sold the item.
posted by dobbs at 8:14 AM on January 30, 2019 [42 favorites]
Essentially the problem is provenance. How do I know he or she signed this? Every famous person's signature is on the internet and can be faked and with the sheer number of signings people do these days, are any contemporary artists' signatures difficult to come across?* It's not like the old-days where a signature generally meant you'd been in the person's company for some non-promotional reason.
If you do go ahead and do this, do yourself a favor and get a selfie with him so you can actually prove you met him and that therefore the sig is legit.
The biggest issue you'll probably have is getting him to not personalize it as authors are aware people seek signatures to resell. He'll ask your name for this reason.
*The one exception I gave regarding a signature was when a Warners record exec sold me a Zappa album that had been signed. I googled his signature and it was not a match -- not even close. The exec insisted he'd watched Zappa sign it, but I declined to up my offer. The exec then accepted my original "non signed" offer. Months later, my employee was determined to get to the bottom of it and wound up finding a copy of Zappa's passport online and that signature did in fact match perfectly. Presumably he had a "autograph" and a "signature" and, when dealing with the exec, who he had a professional relationship, he signed his legit sig. I then paid the exec the difference and sold the item.
posted by dobbs at 8:14 AM on January 30, 2019 [42 favorites]
Increase in value is marginal (10-fold really?) unless its an author whose signature is rare
100% agreed on this. Check out Abebooks to see if you can find some copies and what they've sold for - but be aware that people put stupid prices on signed books that will never sell, so look for the lowest prices, they are the actual real ones.
I've bought and sold quite a few signed books from authors quite similar to McEwan. You will be lucky to get 100 bucks for that, signed, I would say. More like $50.
He will sign it, unless he's a towering asshole, esp if you buy the current book. It won't be seen as inauthentic, don't get it personalised.
posted by smoke at 1:09 PM on January 30, 2019
100% agreed on this. Check out Abebooks to see if you can find some copies and what they've sold for - but be aware that people put stupid prices on signed books that will never sell, so look for the lowest prices, they are the actual real ones.
I've bought and sold quite a few signed books from authors quite similar to McEwan. You will be lucky to get 100 bucks for that, signed, I would say. More like $50.
He will sign it, unless he's a towering asshole, esp if you buy the current book. It won't be seen as inauthentic, don't get it personalised.
posted by smoke at 1:09 PM on January 30, 2019
In my experience as a book buyer, authors love it when you don’t want the signature personalized because it is faster and easier for them. But I’ve only been to book signings four or five times so it’s not a huge sample.
posted by Bella Donna at 1:55 PM on January 30, 2019
posted by Bella Donna at 1:55 PM on January 30, 2019
Response by poster: Thanks all, this is very helpful. Unsigned the cheapest on Abebooks is £40, then the cheapest signed is £225, then a few at £400 upwards, so a reasonable uplift.
posted by el_presidente at 2:05 PM on January 30, 2019
posted by el_presidente at 2:05 PM on January 30, 2019
I'm an author. Book signings, even for bigger authors, are designed to increase book sales (often at specific stores which report the sales to the NY Times list, if in the US). It's fine to ask for an older book signed, so long as the venue allows it (most will). However, you should also buy a new book to be signed. It's why they're doing signings at all.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:34 PM on January 30, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 2:34 PM on January 30, 2019 [7 favorites]
The prices people list may not indicate what books will sell for. On eBay, people are listing the signed book for $250 and $690, but if you look for books sold, there’s just one, and it’s $7.99. It’s not a first edition, so it’s not completely comparable, but that does suggest the signature isn't worth much.
posted by FencingGal at 3:08 PM on January 30, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by FencingGal at 3:08 PM on January 30, 2019 [4 favorites]
What FencingGal says is correct. Again, my experience is with vinyl records, but what someone is selling something for is absolutely irrelevant. What something has sold for is sometimes relevant. What something has sold for consistently is relevant.
Many people in my world, who have a particularly rare item in their collection, list at an exorbitant amount with the thinking, "I don't really want to sell it but if some idiot wants to pay me XXX, I will!"
The problem with this is that people without experience dealing in such things then approach people like me with web sites in hand and dollar signs in their eyes who are next to impossible to talk down to reality, which is why my first sentence is about autographed items being a pain in the ass to deal with.
posted by dobbs at 6:16 AM on January 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
Many people in my world, who have a particularly rare item in their collection, list at an exorbitant amount with the thinking, "I don't really want to sell it but if some idiot wants to pay me XXX, I will!"
The problem with this is that people without experience dealing in such things then approach people like me with web sites in hand and dollar signs in their eyes who are next to impossible to talk down to reality, which is why my first sentence is about autographed items being a pain in the ass to deal with.
posted by dobbs at 6:16 AM on January 31, 2019 [1 favorite]
How do I know he or she signed this?
Weird quoting myself, but I thought this needed some clarification: the problem, as a buyer, is not that I don't believe the seller got the item signed him or herself; the problem is convincing the person I'm selling to that some third party got it signed in person. Now imagine an item with some age -- how many hands has it passed through and who ever knew the original owner?
posted by dobbs at 6:19 AM on January 31, 2019
Weird quoting myself, but I thought this needed some clarification: the problem, as a buyer, is not that I don't believe the seller got the item signed him or herself; the problem is convincing the person I'm selling to that some third party got it signed in person. Now imagine an item with some age -- how many hands has it passed through and who ever knew the original owner?
posted by dobbs at 6:19 AM on January 31, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by k8t at 6:56 AM on January 30, 2019 [5 favorites]