Jo's Help Line: Put a price on the trade rag trade
<i>Jo Francis</i> tracks down the solutions to your technical troubles
I have a collection of old trade printing magazines dating from around the end of the 19th century. Do you think they might be worth something? This is what I have:
The British Printer
January - February 1893 Vol VI - No 31 (rear cover missing); March - April 1893 Vol VI - No 32; May - June 1893 Vol VI - No 33; July - August 1893 Vol VI - No 34; September - October 1893 Vol VI - No 35; November - December 1893 Vol VI - No 36; January - February 1894 Vol VII - No 37; March - April 1894 Vol VII - No 38; May - June 1894 Vol VII - No 39; July - August 1894 Vol VII - No 40; September - October 1894 Vol VII - No 41; November - December 1894 Vol VII - No 42; January - February 1895 Vol VIII - No 43; May - June 1895 Vol VIII - No 45 (rear cover missing); July - August 1895 Vol VIII - No 46; September - October 1895 Vol VIII - No 47; November - December 1895 Vol VIII - No 48
The British Lithographer
December - January 1891-2 Vol 1 - No 2; February - March 1892 Vol 1 - No 3; June - July 1892 Vol 1 - No 5; October - November 1892 Vol 2 - No 7 (rear cover missing); February - March 1893 Vol 2 - No 9; April - May 1893 Vol 2 - No 10; June - July 1893 Vol 2 - No 11; December - January 1893-4 Vol 3 - No 14; February - March 1894 Vol 3 - No 15; April - May 1894 Vol 3 - No 16; June - July 1894 Vol 3 - No 17.
As a qualified printer myself (although no longer an active part of the industry) I find them objects of real beauty. Are they worth anything and should I sell them or should I just keep them for my own pleasure?
Tim Bott, via the community forum on printweek.com
Your collection sounds fab, Tim, and I’m sure the magazines are a fascinating read. If space isn’t an issue then I’d say hang on to them. I checked out past sales on eBay and couldn’t find any featuring these specific titles so it’s hard to know how much they might be worth. For an expert view contact Nigel Roche, chief librarian at St Bride Printing Library (020 7353 4660). You could also try a specialist in all sorts of vintage magazines, such as Tilleys of Chesterfield to see what they think too.
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