SCARCE The Observers Book of Heraldry !
Martin Goldstraw
I noticed on ebay this morning that someone in the USA is attempting
to sell The Observers Book of Heraldry by Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin
for the princely sum of $22.00 (approximately £11.27) on a Buy It Now
option. The seller appears to be specifically targeting UK buyers and
is offering shipping to the UK at an additional $10.30. So, if you
live in the UK and you are daft enough to buy this book from this
seller it will cost you a total of $32.30 (approximately £16.54).
The ebay entry is headed " SCARCE The Observers Book of Heraldry UK
Coat of Arms 1966".
Scarce!!??? It may be scarce in the USA but trying to sell one to the
UK market is like taking coal to Newcastle. Every antiques fair I've
ever visited has been awash with these little books and most are
offered for sale at 99p!
If you live in the UK and you're prepared to pay sixteen quid for one
of these books drop me a line - I'll sell you one for fifteen quid
including post and packing and donate my profit to charity.
Joseph McMillan
> This one made me really smile!
>
> I noticed on ebay this morning that someone in the USA is attempting
> to sell The Observers Book of Heraldry by Charles MacKinnon of Dunakin
> for the princely sum of $22.00 (approximately £11.27) on a Buy It Now
> option. The seller appears to be specifically targeting UK buyers and
> is offering shipping to the UK at an additional $10.30. So, if you
> live in the UK and you are daft enough to buy this book from this
> seller it will cost you a total of $32.30 (approximately £16.54).
>
> The ebay entry is headed " SCARCE The Observers Book of Heraldry UK
> Coat of Arms 1966".
>
> Scarce!!??? It may be scarce in the USA but trying to sell one to the
> UK market is like taking coal to Newcastle. Every antiques fair I've
> ever visited has been awash with these little books and most are
> offered for sale at 99p!
>
copies available from vendors in the US at prices ranging from $2.95
up to $26.14. Six of the ten are priced at $10 or less.
The real high end price is a bookseller in Wales, asking $170.98,
although apparently there is something particularly rare about that
particular edition from a book collector's point of view.
Greg
The book that you refer to on ebay is a 1961or2 hard bound (leather? )
copy. I don't know when the first printing was, but I'll be that
particular printing is rather rare. Although the price in Wales has
them all beat I'll bet.
What does the volume feature?
Greg
>
> - Show quoted text -
Quick clarification:
> What does the volume feature?
I'm referring to the book itself. Perhaps someone can tell us what
this book's focus is and why so many were printed in the UK - the
Welsh sale must have something to offer at that price. It must have
once been very popular.
Madalch
> I'm referring to the book itself. Perhaps someone can tell us what
> this book's focus is and why so many were printed in the UK - the
> Welsh sale must have something to offer at that price. It must have
> once been very popular.
It's a nice little introduction to heraldry. A bit more in-depth than
"Simple Heraldry, Cheerfully Illustrated", while still remaining
friendlier than Fox-Davies.
It's fairly common in Canada as well.
Greg
Thank you
Some time ago, I bought a first printing of Scottish Heraldry Made
Easy: G. Harvey Johnstone (sencond edtition) 1912. It's a canvas
jacket with metalic paint used in the tincture pages - nice book.
It's also easy to see where some reference books got their graphics
for charges etc... (They're duplicate pages). I have many antique
books. I'll ask the seller of the ebay book some questions about what
he's offering.