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Instructions
Look for your book through an online book value search engine to determine its worth based on comparable prices -- use a free search engine, such as Faded Giant or Bookfinder. Factors that will boost the value of your leather books include engravings, autographs and annotations written by a prominent previous owner. The edition of the book will also help determine its value as first editions are valued over reprints of the book. Genealogical records can also boost the value of your leather books. Family Bibles often include pages for tracking the births and deaths of the family that owned them.
Assess the book's leather binding. Leather-bound books keep well in ventilated areas, but overly humid conditions can cause them to warp or mold. Check for deep cracks, splits and mold in the leather. Check the binding for decay. The leather and its binding can be restored, but refurbishing the worn leather could be costly -- consider restoring the book after you've received a professional estimate or appraisal. Check for dulling or flaking as well if your leather book has gold-leafed edges.
Inspect the condition of the book's pages. Ripped, marked and dog-eared pages will decrease the value of your leather book but not to the degree of missing pages and chapters. Check the frontispiece, the illustration to the left of the title page, for an existing onion skin cover, which will increase the book's value. Silverfish and book lice are a threat to any book that has been stored away for a long time. These tiny insects thrive in dark places and will feed on the starchy pages. Check the pages for eggs, molted skin and the insects themselves. Handle the pages with care as you skim them.
Take books that have historical significance to a museum, university or historical society. Although these institutions are typically nonprofit organizations, the organization will offer you a value on the book for tax purposes.