WTB Magic Catalogs

[Oddly Bent]

I buy old catalogs. I have all of Tannen's and Abbott's. Looking for Hank Lee #11. Max Holden early 1 to 5. Interested in National, Supreme, Davenport's etc., big fat ones.
Not interested in early 1900s or before, or catalogs with Tiffany's prices. I buy lots of catalogs and i know what they are worth, for example you can get Tannens and Abbott's catalogs for as low as $5 up to $15. PM with price, catalog #, number of pages in catalog and condition. Thank you
The most I ever spent for a catalog was $25 for a rare 1947 Johnson Smith catalog.

[Tom Gilbert]

Best place I've found is the big auction site. On occasion, someone here posts some catalogs for sale. I've been fortunate to have found copies of my early favorites that I spent hours with.

[JP Jackson]

Post your email address , like you are supposed to, and I'll send you a
huge list. Thanks, J P Jackson

[Dustin Stinett]

Hey JP, for "Wanted to BUY," he doesn't have to post his email, but it certainly would help. However, he can use the "PM" system to send you his email. (Just don't try to reply to the PM; that doesn't work.)

Oddly B, JP is a good guy who has a lot of great stuff to offer!

Dustin

[Oddly Bent]

Hey JP, for "Wanted to BUY," he doesn't have to post his email, but it certainly would help. However, he can use the "PM" system
Dustin

Just for you
fotochispa at gmail.com

[JP Jackson]

Thanks Dustin; didn't want to clutter up this site with a long list of paper
stuff for a minimal number of potential buyers; so I'll do it by emails.

For Oddly Bent et. al. : Thanks for your email address; be patient, it's in the works.
They are all from the Al Sharpe estate - about 100; Abbott's thru Vampire.

For any other interested catalog collectors: send me an email and you will
get the list too, right after Oddly B.

J P Jackson, jipjacks@adnc.com - or call anytime, 858 569 0096
or callanytime 858 569 0096

[Oddly Bent]

Compared to regular magic books, apparatus and posters, catalogs are cheap and abundant, if you know where to look. I have all of the major dealers of the past with a few exceptions that I am currently working on.
In the next month or so, I am going to write a how-to for people who are interested in catalog collecting, with leads, besides auction houses.
For the past year I have been under the tutelage of four major sources, and I have a cupola new leads who I have not contacted yet. So I am pretty much up to speed on what is available and how much it costs to buy an old catalog.
Paper catalogs are a thing of the past in this country. Right now there are two companies that still stock their old catalogs, Owens and Hank Lee. The Owens catalog cost $32.00 and was last published in 1997, number 12. The Hank Lee catalog (soon to be a collectors item if they go out of business) was last published in 2006, and cost $19.95 for the #15 catalog.
Old Owens catalogs average $15 to $30 ( I just bought four recently for less than $5.00 ea.) If you wait and watch you can get good deals.
Old Hank Lee catalogs starting with #8 (catalogs before that were in three ring binders and folios) average $8.00 to $15.00, depending on the dealer.
These two catalogs, Owen and Hank Lee is a good place to start if your interested in collecting catalogs.
And yes, it is the hoarding instinct that drives people like me - to look for my daily fix of buying something that I really don't need.
So, if you are interested in collecting catalogs, watch tis space for further updates.

[Brad Jeffers]

OB, What value would you place on a Tannen's #1?

[Oddly Bent]

I bought one for $15.00 but the spine was bent, covers worn, considered a reading copy which I was happy with. A copy in good condition can go for $25. The #1 Tannen is dated 1949, not that far back considering the history of other big time dealers like Abbott's (1936). Prior to 1949, Tannen used UF Grant stock catalogs, like most of the big dealers. Kanters started in 1939 with his first catalog and then used UF Grant catalogs until 1949 when Kanter put out catalog #8.
As far as the Tannen #1, I would put it on Ebay starting at $20 and let people bid on it. #1 catalogs do not come up that often and you could get more tha $30 for it. Good luck.

[Oddly Bent]

You can go to Bradbury Books and get a fair assessment of prices for Tannens catalogs, he has quite a few listed, but like I said above the early issues like 1,2,3,4 are going to sell for a little bit more. If you are interested in collecting, Tannens is the easiest and the least expensive. Amazon has lots of old Tannen books and I've bought some for less than $5. Type in Tannen magic catalogs in the search. Here is Bradburys link
http://www.bradburybooks.com/misc2.htm

[Tom Ladshaw]

The early hardcover Tannen catalogs usually sell for considerably more money than the softcover editions. I've seen the Tannen #1 in softcover (VF condition) sell for as much as $50.00 - $60.00. I've seen the hardcover edition (also in VF condition) go in the $100.00 range.

Tom Ladshaw
Covington, KY

[Oddly Bent]

The early hardcover Tannen catalogs usually sell for considerably more money than the softcover editions. I've seen the Tannen #1 in softcover (VF condition) sell for as much as $50.00 - $60.00. I've seen the hardcover edition (also in VF condition) go in the $100.00 range.

Tom Ladshaw
Covington, KY

That may be so in some markets but if your paying that much for a catalog, you have paid too much. I bought my #1 from Potter. Other dealers I buy from, like Bradbury above, are not out to soak the buyer with high prices.
If you want to try and ebay it for a high price go ahead, you may get lucky, or you will list again at a more sensible price.
I know I wouldn't buy any catalog, no matter how rare for a high price. Because next week you will find it more affordable.

[Tom Ladshaw]

I didn't say I'd sold *or* bought catalogs for that much... I said I'd *seen* them sell for that much.

Magic catalogs are like any collectible...they're worth what someone is willing to pay for them. Some will no doubt pay more for a catalog than you would (thus, more than you think it's "worth"), some would no doubt want to pay less than you would. No one's right... no one's wrong. Everyone sets their own buying standard.

That said, the overall prices seem to have dropped precipitously over the 8-10 years. EBay and the economy both have no doubt played a huge part in that.

I know Dan has very good prices on his catalogs...as I recall, I suggested you contact him. I sold Dan hundreds and hundreds of vintage catalogs some 10-12 years ago at a price that he could obviously resell them at a price that's fair to you, yet still make a profit.

[Oddly Bent]

Thanks for your PMs. Please send along your email address because I just learned that there is no way to know if PMs I've answered have been sent or received.

Mr. Ladshaw, thanks for your reply. I completely agree that the catalog market is "what someone is willing to pay for the catalog" if they wanted it bad enough. I recently bought a Johnson Smith catalog for $25, the most I've ever paid for a catalog, because it was one of those I had as a kid and I wanted to see it again. Internet prices for this book was as high as $150, and I thought it was a steal at $25 because I had looked for a long time.
Owens catalogs seem to have a high price for some reason, $25 to $40. I just found four of them at Amazon for less than $10 ea.
I'll trade them for something I want with my usual catalog dealers, who also list them for $25 and up.
I'm at ebay and elsewhere everyday looking for good catalogs prices, and if it is something I want I'll jump on it.

[BERYLL]

If you are interested - go to my www.magiarkivet.se - look at the column to the right - "Magic catalogues for sale".
Yours sincerely christer@magiarkivet.se

[Oddly Bent]

If you are interested - go to my www.magiarkivet.se - look at the column to the right - "Magic catalogues for sale".
Yours sincerely christer@magiarkivet.se

Thanks, already ordered from you. Has the list been updated lately? Will go through it again.

Still waiting for the Jackson list.

[Oddly Bent]

Anyone have some catalogs for sale?

[Oddly Bent]

Anyone heard from Mr. Jackson lately?

Looking for some UF Grant and MAK catalogs to fill out my collection. If you have any you could retire comfortably to the Bahamas, or under a freeway bridge close by.
PM please. Thank you.

[Oddly Bent]

Bobtee, regarding the Supreme catalogs. I am interested but the PM reply at Genii is still not working.

Can you post email address?
Never mind I found your email.

[Matt R]

I have a few catalogs listed here:

http://magicgizmo.com/home/classified_a ... &userid=62

[Oddly Bent]

Thanks Matt. You have a PM over there.

[Oddly Bent]

For the ones sending me PMs, the PM reply does not work.
Rob I have all of the HL catalogs. Thanks
Mr. Ash, email sent.

[Oddly Bent]

Still in the market for your unused, unread catalogs.
If you don't like the PM thingy, you can send your inquires to:

fotochispa at gmail. com

also looking for the Hugards Magic Monthly DVD

[Oddly Bent]

Anyone know what happened to Jackson? His emails are bouncing