Holy Smoke--am I sitting on a gold mine?

[RNfanDan]

Just started searching for some volumes of either Man O'war or Ensign that I would like to add to my collection. Never mind eBay--Amazon has some of these titles listed anywhere from $40 to $100 (US) each, and very few volumes to be had.

Makes me wonder what MY collection would fetch:

*Man o'war Volumes 1, 3, 4, and 5
*Ensign 8
*Profile Warship--DeRuyter

When I bought these almost a quarter-century ago, I can't remember paying more than $10-15 apiece at most, including shipping!

In any case, I'd be interested in #2 (Dido class cruisers). Anyone want to buy/sell/trade?

[JWintjes]

Just started searching for some volumes of either Man O'war or Ensign that I would like to add to my collection. Never mind eBay--Amazon has some of these titles listed anywhere from $40 to $100 (US) each, and very few volumes to be had.

Makes me wonder what MY collection would fetch:

*Man o'war Volumes 1, 3, 4, and 5
*Ensign 8
*Profile Warship--DeRuyter

When I bought these almost a quarter-century ago, I can't remember paying more than $10-15 apiece at most, including shipping!

In any case, I'd be interested in #2 (Dido class cruisers). Anyone want to buy/sell/trade?

Traditionally certain Ensigns fetch insane amounts of money. I have seen a Renown/Repulse going over the counter on ebay for 60 Euros excl. shipping, also the QE one. Others seem to be a little less rare, while again others seem to be ultra-rare (haven't seen a V/W destroyers appear on ebay for some time). The profiles should be more available, but at a price.

Jorit

[Cheesecake-Class Cruiser]

I would put more faith in average Ebay final values than the Amazon marketplace prices for some books. It seems that some dealers put books on there with outrageous prices, maybe in the hope that somebody will actually pay it, or maybe so that they can put on their stock/tax returns that they have x thousand dollars worth of books for sale.

It certainly looks silly when you see three or four sellers with prices around 20-30 then you see a couple of dealers at 130-150. Just shows they aren't keeping an eye on their market.

Edit: Just browsing Amazon.com, perfect example of my point above...Anatomy of the ship: Warspite. Amazon price $25.17. Best used price on Amazon Marketplace? $152.55!!!

[bengtsson]

I think alot of the really crazy prices are posted in hopes someone has more money than brains! Dealers go fishing for just such people. I have collected out of print books for a long time and shop long and hard for a good price. Typical to see a 1930s naval history book listed at maybe $95 dollars in good condition but careful shopping can bring a better copy for half the price. But reading about these Profile/Ensign/Man of War prices makes me think I am rich! I don't dare ask what the" Japanese Naval Vessels Illustrated" go for. But I can understand people's desire to get some of the Ensign/Man of War books. I looked through mine the other day and their quality in photos and text is really second to none. The Nelson/Rodney volume for example has some of the best illustrations I've ever seen on a British BB. The same could be said for Hunt Class DEs and V&W destroyers. They often have alot of British MoD photos which you don't often see in other books. I gather MoD does not let photo collecters access their archives either.

Bob B.

[Werner]

I have the Dido book.

PM me.

W