Hobbies And Interests
Instructions
Investigating the Market
Study the origin and nature of the book you wish to sell. The Lutheran Bible is a German translation of the Old and New Testaments supervised by Martin Luther and first printed in 1534. The Bible was so widely distributed that it is credited with advancing the codification of the modern German language. By the time of Luther's death in 1546, it is estimated that some half a million copies were in circulation. By the 19th century, Lutheran Bibles would have been in the hands of almost all literate Protestant families of the German confederation. In this case, then, age does not necessarily indicate rarity. Editions from specific printers with attractive binding featuring additional ornamentation such as metal clasps may be rare. Research your volume to find out where and when it was printed as well as the name of the printer.
Research the condition of the book. If it is incomplete because pages are missing, its value will be significantly downgraded. Pages should be clean and free of spotting and the binding as little damaged as possible, although leather binding will show some natural distress due to aging. Hopefully the binding remains tight, with pages securely held in place. If the volume fails to meet these standards, you should be prepared to accept a lower price.
Search online to identify likely purchasers. It is much easier to sell to a book dealer than to find an individual, although the dealer's need to make a profit on resale will somewhat depress the purchase price. Since a dealer needs to examine the book itself, it is best to a find a dealer in your neighborhood. For a specialized sale such as this, that may not be possible, in which case you will need to send the book to the dealer, well packaged and by a mail service which can be tracked. Do not forget to insure the book before mailing.
Check the dealers in your neighborhood, and note any who have a specialty in old and rare books. You can approach nearby dealers to get an estimate of the book's value before committing to a sale. If you are prepared to send the book to remote dealers for examination, enter any of the information you have about the volume, its provenance and date into online searchers to identify similar works for sale and the dealers offering them. Get offers from several dealers before deciding to sell.
Review the market price for books of this kind. Using searches to find similar volumes for sale will give you some idea of the prices offered. Use a general book search website such as Abe Books to enhance your knowledge of the market. Search engines on such sites usually allow you to search a publication date range, giving you a good idea of how much you might expect to be paid if your copy is in good condition.