# "Collectibles" that are never going to be worth anything **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 5, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433 "2009-11-05T16:07:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/121 "2009-11-10T18:51:53Z")
> [@UncleRojelio](#): > > My bicentennial quarter collection. Ditto for the state quarters I’ve dutifully collected. Your state quarter collection isn’t worthless! It’s worth $12.50. Enough to get a burger, fries, and shake–for two! ---
**Author:** ![gang\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f07891/32.png) [@gang\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gang_green)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/122 "2009-11-10T19:03:42Z")
I worked at a movie poster/comic book shop in the 90s and experienced a lot of the “collector edition”, “first issue”, “sixteen different foil covers” crap. Everybody in the business knew they would be worthless, but nobody is going to say that to the naifs who lined up to buy the Superman issue where he died. (We got news coverage for that. Crazy.) I have some comics from childhood that I saved. I’ve made a grand total of about $6 from selling some old Little Dot issues, most of which were in dismal condition. I have some Harvey and Archie comics from the early to mid 70s, all of which are in good condition at best. I have a couple of boxes of comics I got when I worked at the store. I doubt any of them are worth much. I have a full run of Sandman, but since they’re all available in trade paper format now, the individual issues don’t seem to have appreciated. I didn’t buy them for their collectibility, thankfully, so I’m not really too bummed out by it all. I sold 15 folios of old 78 rpm records recently for $15. No idea if I let them go too cheaply, but I don’t really care. They had been sitting in my closet for years, and I have nothing on which to play them. I wish I’d thought to work out an arrangement to get digital versions from the buyer. There was some interesting stuff. As for movie posters, as stated earlier, it has to be the movie version, not the video version, and having them mounted on something is generally viewed as major damage. I have a few pieces, the nicest of which is the original US 1-sheet for A Hard Day’s Night. I think I paid $185 for it, and paid around $200 for a custom archival frame. I love it to pieces, and would never sell it. I would guess it would go for $350-$500 right now, because there’s been so much Beatles interest lately. I learned a lot about movie poster collecting while I worked there. Not as much about comics or trading cards, though we sold some. I think we were one of the few stores to carry the really odd cards, and the porn ones. Serial killers and Hustler cards sold quite well. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/123 "2009-11-10T19:05:14Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Anything at all produced for the expressed purpose of being a collectible. On the nosey. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/124 "2009-11-10T19:18:53Z")
This thread prompted me to check the going price for the [UHQR Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon.](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=190348059554&Category=306&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DI%26otn%3D2) I bought a copy during the initial release for about $30.00. I can’t remember my pressing number but I think its in the 3000 range. I might be able to get good money for it if I can convince a buyer that it’s only been under the needle three times (true). I have other UHQR and 1/2 speed masters that probably are worth about $5.00 more than I paid for them. Hardly worth the effort. But old Pinky paid off. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/125 "2009-11-10T19:25:46Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > I have been told that first editions of some of Stephen King’s books can be valuable. One of them that she mentioned was **The Stand**. > > First Editions of Louisa Mae Alcott’s books are valuable. > > In the Reader’s Digest article linked to in the OP, they showed a copy of **Ulysses** by James Joyce. I don’t think the one that they showed is the one that is most sought after: There was one edition that was very limited. An artist – Matisse, perhaps, – did the book jacket and signed all copies. Joyce signed maybe a third of the copies. > > I made it a point of buying a copy of this novel at Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore in Paris since that is where it was originally published. Unfortunately, all they had available was a paperback! Stephen King: His early firsts, up through, say, The Dead Zone have value. Books like The Shining, if you can believe it, were heavily remaindered, so you find a lot of firsts with a swipe of speckled paint on the bottom edge of the pages, which is how the publisher (Doubleday?) remaindered that book. The Stand is just a big, dumbly-made book - it was “perfect bound” (a technique where they glue, not sew, the page bundles to the hardback boards); the spine collapses if you look at it funny, so a tight-spined first edition can command more $$. Beyond his initial books, his firsts quickly become valueless (IMHO) “hyper moderns” unless you are talking about limited edition runs, etc. Back in the heart of my collecting days I could find firsts of the Stand for $100 no prob, but it has gone up and appears to be in the top tier of King books from a collectibility standpoint… Alcott - some are valuable, like Little Women. You need to check [Bookfinder.com](http://Bookfinder.com) - in my experience, other books written by authors known for 1 or 2 high spots can often be worth a LOT less vs. the actual titles they are best-known for. Ulysses - you are thinking of the Limited Editions Club version what was published well after the first edition. Yes, Matisse was signed on, but he thought the illustrations were meant to be for the original Greek Ulysses / Odysseus and when he realized it was for Joyce’s post-modern, experimental work, he balked or made comments about not liking it or something, which led Joyce to stop signing. In terms of the actual first edition - I believe there were 1,000 copies published in 3 tiers - the priciest was maybe 50 copies, then next at 200 and the true “first trade” edition was something like 750 copies. The most limited, as you might imagine, commands the highest prices these days…I have a first US (published 12 years later in 1934 after the Supreme Court ruled on the obscenity charges against it…) ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/126 "2009-11-10T20:12:54Z")
> [@gang green](#): > > As for movie posters, as stated earlier, it has to be the movie version, not the video version, and having them mounted on something is generally viewed as major damage. I have a few pieces, the nicest of which is the original US 1-sheet for A Hard Day’s Night. I think I paid $185 for it, and paid around $200 for a custom archival frame. I love it to pieces, and would never sell it. I would guess it would go for $350-$500 right now, because there’s been so much Beatles interest lately. I have an 8x11 poster from the 1925 silent film **The Lost World**. I don’t know what the poster should be called, a flyer, herald, handbill, lobby card? My grandfather who worked in a movie theater in the late 1920s just had it with some of his old papers. The poster is rubber stamped with: Admission 15 cents! I have searched for it from time to time on E-Bay or other movie sites but have never found it, I wonder if it would be worth anything? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/127 "2009-11-10T20:18:56Z")
> [@Icerigger](#): > > I have an 8x11 poster from the 1925 silent film **The Lost World**. I don’t know what the poster should be called, a flyer, herald, handbill, lobby card? That’s standard size for a lobby card of the period. Take it to Roadshow next time they’re in your area! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/128 "2009-11-10T20:31:41Z")
Reminds me of my grandmother always telling me, “don’t take them out of the box!” whenever she’d buy me a “collectible” Barbie doll. :rolleyes: It’s not like I want them for the value – just because I like Barbies. (I have Audrey Hepburn from _Breakfast at Tiffanys_, a ballerina from _Swan Lake_, Galadriel, etc) ---
**Author:** ![gang\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f07891/32.png) [@gang\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gang_green)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/129 "2009-11-10T20:49:24Z")
> [@Icerigger](#): > > I have an 8x11 poster from the 1925 silent film **The Lost World**. I don’t know what the poster should be called, a flyer, herald, handbill, lobby card? My grandfather who worked in a movie theater in the late 1920s just had it with some of his old papers. The poster is rubber stamped with: Admission 15 cents! I have searched for it from time to time on E-Bay or other movie sites but have never found it, I wonder if it would be worth anything? I’ve been out of the business for some time, and I don’t recall us getting any silent movie stuff. 8x11 is not a standard size for posters of a later date, and by later date, I mean in the 30’s and forward, which is all I’m familiar with. What kind of paper is it on? Most movie posters (except for the full sheets - 1, 3, 6, etc.) were printed on heavier stock, almost card stock. Lobby cards were also printed on an interesting woven linen stock - they don’t age well, and can crack if not handled carefully. There’s a pretty good guide about poster sizes and types [here](http://www.practical-home-theater-guide.com/poster-sizes.html). At any rate, I’m not really qualified to answer any questions about movie poster values. It’s been about 12 years since I left that job, and I haven’t kept up with it. I can usually tell if a poster is genuine, but my feel for prices is long gone. Just to prove it, I looked up my Hard Days Night 1-sheet. It’s worth more like $1200 now. Nice to know. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/130 "2009-11-10T21:12:34Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Hmmmm… > Adfter reading this, I’m curious about the value of two packs of **Magic, The Gathering** cards I have. I have two completely unopened packs from the first year. They’re in the original unbroken plastic wrappings (so obviously, I have no idea what’s inside). A friend gave them to me, and I was never even curious enough to open them. > What do you think they’d be worth? [Alpha Starter, with picture for comparison](http://www.trollandtoad.com/p79469.html) ~$2100 If the starter deck looks like this and doesn’t have a UPC code on the bottom, it’s alpha. [Beta Starter, with picture for comparison](http://www.trollandtoad.com/p80116.html) ~$1100. If the starter deck looks like this and does have a UPC code on the bottom, it’s beta. [Unlimited Starter, with pic, and “unlimited edition” printed on it](http://www.trollandtoad.com/p90085.html) ~$650 [Revised](http://www.trollandtoad.com/p87558.html) and later aren’t worth dealing with. The exception would be a “[Summer Magic](http://reviews.ebay.com/Magic-The-Gathering-Summer-Magic-Edgar_W0QQugidZ10000000001454825)” starter, but the general consensus is that they don’t exist(and they would be mid 94 instead of mid 93). If you could produce a starter deck or two of summer magic they would be worth tens of thousands each and turn the uber-collector’s worlds on their ears. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/131 "2009-11-10T21:44:43Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > I’m stunned to read they’re even worth that much. I usually see those albums in the dollar bins at the flea market. Turn them into [bowls](http://www.etsy.com/search_results.php?search_type=handmade&search_query=record+bowls&order=date_desc&ship_to=), and they’ll be worth more! Some of these are actually pretty awesome. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2009, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/132 "2009-11-10T22:26:04Z")
My grandfather subscribed to **Astounding Magazine** from the late 20’s/early 30’s up through the 80’s (at some point it changed its name to something else… maybe **Analog**?) At some point I will inherit the entire collection. Anyone have any idea what it would be worth? ---
**Author:** ![gang\_green](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f07891/32.png) [@gang\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gang_green)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/133 "2009-11-11T00:26:16Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > My grandfather subscribed to **Astounding Magazine** from the late 20’s/early 30’s up through the 80’s (at some point it changed its name to something else… maybe **Analog**?) > > At some point I will inherit the entire collection. Anyone have any idea what it would be worth? As a rule of thumb, anything like magazines, movie posters, comics, etc. that is pre-WWII will be worth significantly more than stuff that’s postwar. One of the reasons for this is during the war, there were many patriotic recycling drives, and paper was one of them. Lots of disposable types of paper, i.e. stuff with no real monetary value, was destroyed at this time. This is why Golden Age comics, especially in great condition, command such high prices. Rarity is kind of built in. As with any paper collectible, but especially in the magazine/comic market, condition is a big factor. I have no knowledge of Astounding Magazine, but apparently it was a pretty well-known rag with some big names contributing. I’d say keep it dry, cool, and in the dark, and take a few of them to a reputable dealer and see if he thinks the collection has value. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/134 "2009-11-14T18:03:20Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Completely untrue. Go to [http://www.beckett.com](http://www.beckett.com) and start looking up some recent cards, while they won’t match the $25,000 someone could pull down for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, to say they’re worth nothing is ridiculous. Sure the card is listed in a magazine for that. Just try SELLLING it for that. The sports card business is one way. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/135 "2009-11-14T18:11:08Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I don’t know about that…allegedly, they stopped making them because they were popularly used for snorting cocaine. No idea if that’s true. Heroin, actually. And the mcdonalds spoon was so popular for that purpose that black market smugglers would sell heroin in units of “Mcspoonfuls”. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/136 "2009-11-14T18:37:39Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > Heroin, actually. And the mcdonalds spoon was so popular for that purpose that black market smugglers would sell heroin in units of “Mcspoonfuls”. Definitely cocaine too. Why can’t it be both? I was a young teen then but I knew older kids and in Los Angeles it was commonly used for coke. ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/137 "2009-11-14T19:39:59Z")
Speaking of **Star Wars** , one of my college roomates had a _REVENGE of the Jedi_ movie poster. Always wondered what that might have been worth. After the use of many pushpins and scotch tape on the corners, probably not as much as it could have been… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/138 "2009-11-15T00:16:59Z")
Isn’t the most valuable baseball card Honus Wagner’s? Because at the time they were sold as tobacco ads and Wagner was against the idea of tobacco use being promoted among children. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/139 "2009-11-15T00:50:34Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Isn’t the most valuable baseball card Honus Wagner’s? Right. > [@](#): > > - Because at the time they were sold as tobacco ads and Wagner was against the idea of tobacco use being promoted among children.\* Close. They were sold with tobacco products, similar to cards later being sold with bubblegum, and his granddaughter did say he didn’t want young fans buying tobacco products to get the card. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433/140 "2009-11-15T01:27:44Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > Sure the card is listed in a magazine for that. Just try SELLLING it for that. The sports card business is one way. True. But that doesn’t change the fact that a lot of sports cards are worth money. If you’re smart about it (and a little bit lucky), you can make a killing buying and selling sports cards. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collectibles-that-are-never-going-to-be-worth-anything/516433.md?page=8)