The initial price of The Stand Limited was $325 (or was it $350? I can't remember) back in 1990. Copies were almost impossible to get at that price, though. I paid $750 for mine in 1992.
John
The initial price of The Stand Limited was $325 (or was it $350? I can't remember) back in 1990. Copies were almost impossible to get at that price, though. I paid $750 for mine in 1992.
John
Duh...you're right...I don't know what I was thinking of.
I paid $1000 for my (since sold) copy of the Stand, that's what it was...
Last edited by Rahfa; 10-02-2008 at 12:34 PM. Reason: edited
I was just wondering how much that $325 would be in today's inflated dollars. I'm sure it doesn't approach $1000, though. Which makes the price of the Tom Gordon limited STILL ridiculous!
John
it's like comparing apples to oranges. The Stand is perhaps the best looking of all the Stephen King signed limited editions. While the Tom Gordon is may be one of the worst looking. However, it's a pop-up book...not a novel. One point that seems to missing from the conversation is that there were only 125 copies of the S/L pop-up book made. One tenth of the quantity of the S/L Stand. I don't think anyone expected anything spectacular from the pop-up book.
My recollection of the series of events goes something like this:
When I first got wind of the S/L Tom Gordon it was news to me. I contacted Marsha at King's office to confirm it was a legitimate project. She said she'd check into it. When she got back to me her reply was that while Stephen did indeed agree to the S/L edition, he had totally forgotten about it. And thanked me me reminding them. At the time Stephen had many projects he was working on and reduced the quantity he would sign.
I believe Scribner thought there were originally going to print 500 copies at about a $350 price per copy. Then the number was reduced to approximately 350 copies at about $500 each. Then finally the number was 125 copies at about $700 .... only later Scribner raised the price to $1000. My Scribner rep at the time told me they fought hard in the meeting to keep the price at the $700 level ... but lost the argument to others who thought 125 copies would easily sell out at the inflated $1000 price.
That extra $300 added at the end had me angry and I was hoping for something more spectacular. I understand the creative process involved artists instead of printers and the cost of manufacture would have been higher than a printed book. But those costs should have been covered by the trade edition which had the same interior. The exterior was different from the trade edition in that it was fully cloth bound and the limitation pop-up was embedded into the front cover.
The bottom line is that there were only 125 copies, it's unique as a King collectible and it did sell out from the publisher at it's $1000 price. When the S/L pop-up first came out many collectors were whining about how there orders with Amazon and the like weren't filled and were scrambling to find a copy.
I think all the bad public response has kept the price artificially low. Time will either prove or disprove the point.
So Hutch, if I'm reading you correctly, my DTbay asking price of $700 is fair for #112?
or I'll take $500 and something else in trade to make the difference (ok, a shameless plug for DTbay)
Mulleins
Cumberland VA
I think TGWLTG is a great little artistic book. I'm quite happy with my signed trade edition.
I also think the price on the S/L was ridiculous and that the book was nowhere near worthy of the $1000 price tag.
"...that Siren which called and sang and promised so much and gave, after all, so little." ~ Ray Bradbury
Thoughts on the current value of DTV S/L and DTVI S/L, both sealed?
Also, anyone interested in acquiring these?
What #s?
FOR SALE OR TRADE
Dark Tower 7 Artist Edition n/a
The Waste Lands 1st Edition in Shrinkwrap $200
1984 Grant Gift Edition of The Talisman $400
Lisey's Story ARC $50
.
.
WANTED
Signed 1st Edition of Storm of The Century (Paperback)
I see you have them on ebay now.
I think your opening bid is possible, but I feel your BIN price is a hair on the high side.
I like your strategy of selling 5 & 6, and then mentioning you have 4 & 7 as well.
Good luck to you...hope they sell.
FOR SALE OR TRADE
Dark Tower 7 Artist Edition n/a
The Waste Lands 1st Edition in Shrinkwrap $200
1984 Grant Gift Edition of The Talisman $400
Lisey's Story ARC $50
.
.
WANTED
Signed 1st Edition of Storm of The Century (Paperback)
hey hutch... i won't argue your sequence of events for the popup... sounds about right.
but... my beef is, S&S should have done whatever round table of discussion they needed to do to set the number of the edition and the price... before taking (and confirming) orders for the books. making a decision on printing less (less overhead for them) and charging more for each (higher profit) based on the amount of interest shown by customer orders coming in is very very slimy and unprofessional of any publisher.... especially when the price difference is changed so many times and so drastically.
BTW.... i'm not sure i knew the print number when i ordered off amazon at the under 400.00 price... but i'm pretty sure i knew it was 125 copies when i reordered it at the 500.00 price....and when i cancelled at the 750.00 price.
i agree that the low print number tends to justify a higher price - it was the manner that S&S went about getting that price that pissed me off so bad. had they originally come out the gate with a 1000.00 price for a 125 copy limited edition - me, being the semi-compleatist collector i am, would have bought it with no gripes. However, S&S's "test the market to see what it will bear" method is better suited for ebay... not a professional publisher's strategic business marketing agendum.
and thus... i'll never be a total compleatist collector.... because this one will always be missing from my collection... even if bob dies and wills me all his books...i'll burn this one.
i thought that a while back there was discussion on the value of the DT IV UK signed limited. I can't seem to find it anywhere.
what is the current market price for that ? I have one, considering selling it, dependig on what the market is doing.
thanks as always for the opinions !!
Rusty.
Hutch recently sold on on ebay with a ding for $200.
Click here for the auction.
FOR SALE OR TRADE
Dark Tower 7 Artist Edition n/a
The Waste Lands 1st Edition in Shrinkwrap $200
1984 Grant Gift Edition of The Talisman $400
Lisey's Story ARC $50
.
.
WANTED
Signed 1st Edition of Storm of The Century (Paperback)
At half-price books today...saw a copy of DTVII Trade HC signed by Michael Whelan. It was not in great condition...loose spine (looked well-read), wavy pages. They were asking $25. Your thoughts?
Oh...and 1st Ed. The Stand T39 for $200...good spine...chipped DJ. Thoughts?
Too much in both cases.
Margaret Emmie Mackey Catoe, you are, have been, and always will be my soulmate, and I love you.
Con todo mi corazon, por todo de mis dias. And I always will, in this life and into the next.
August 2, 1947 - September 24, 2010
Okay here is a question/debate.
With the introduction of the new LSOE AE with possible remarques, will this incress the value of the book or it's selling power? Last time is was almost a year before a small portion of the collectors even new of the random drawing in the books. This time around they are going to be full remarques. Thoughts?
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Not just King collectibles but I am hoping I can use this thread (and the help of our amazing group) to evaluate starting prices for books we plan to auction for the Fund Raiser.
I'll start putting up a few at a time soon. Just suggestions on where the bidding should start.
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Wonderful!
Thanks David--I'm hoping for a start price suggestion and also BIN
Let's start with these. I am going to update our project with the suggestions so we'll have them
- Treachery # 2 of 6--Signed by Jae Lee
- DT III--Advanced Review Copy Ned Damerons Waste Lands portfolio--includes signed end paper
- SK Library Desk Calendar--08,07,06
- Locke and Key--Graphic Novel
- The Green Mile--Complete Novel in slipcase
- Terminal Frights--Hard back edition
- Café Purgatorium--Hard back edition
- Thrillers 2--Hard back edition
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
EEEK!! Crap!
Thanks David
Bad start.
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket