The Antiquarian Bookseller’s Association of America defines as first edition as all “ of the copies printed from the first setting of type can include multiple printings if all are from the same setting of type. This means those books that were published in or before 1998 are vintage.”įirst Editions The inside cover of a first edition Mark Twain book. However, the most universal number I have found is 20 years. “I have heard specific collectors require books to be anywhere from 15 to 50 years old to qualify as vintage. “ The term vintage can have different qualifying ages depending on the source and the item,” she says. A 1989 edition of “My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan.” Because this book is more than 20 years old, but less than 100, it is considered vintage-not antique.Īvid book collector Adrienne Lorton admits there is some discrepancy among collectors about what qualifies as vintage. This means, as of 2018, a book published in or before the year 1998 could be considered vintage. “ Vintage books require at least 20 years to have passed since publication,” she says. Sutton agrees that a book must be at least 100 years old to be classified as antique, but her definition of vintage has more to do with age than the 1980-mark. This 1880 first edition of “The Works of Charles Dickens” is decidedly antique at more than 130 years old. At VintageBooksToRead, Grybos focuses mainly on selling vintage books, which he classifies as published before 1980. “ I classify an antiquarian or antique book as one that is at least 100 years old and collectible-in good enough condition to be read or resold,” says Grybos. Most rare book collectors agree that antique books are far older than vintage books, an important distinction for the purpose of collection and resale. “ Estate sales are a wonderful place to source highly collectible books and is an excellent resource that I utilize daily,” she says. In her tireless search for antique books, Sutton has become an avid user of.

“I often stop in on the last day of an estate sale as books are rather bulky and often the owners are happy to sell off the book inventory at more reasonable prices.” “ “Estate sales are a fantastic place to find some amazing books if the homeowners were old enough,” says Grybos. For example, Edgar Allen Poe reminds Sutton of late college nights.īoth accomplished antique book collectors, Grybos and Sutton identify estate sales as one of their most successful spots for hunting down rare books. “From quiet picnics with Laura Ingalls Wilder to late college nights with Edgar Allan Poe, my recollections are all based on my favorite author of the time.” Many bibliophiles find that books spur happy memories. “ My favorite memories all involve books,” she says. The same is true for Jennifer Sutton, owner of the VintageBookworms Etsy shop. “The librarians kept a historical section under glass near the counter and gazing through to the antiquarian maps and history books intrigued me.” Carmel, Pennsylvania, on daily reading trips in the summer,” he says. “ I have fond memories of going with my grandmother to the local library in Mt. This is true for Sean Grybos, owner of the VintageBooksToRead Etsy shop. Most bibliophiles and rare book enthusiasts associate books with a positive memory from their childhood. A vintage Stoeger Sportsman’s library set. This is great news for the antique and rare book collector. Books are one of those items that tend to accumulate in our lives because it feels like sacrilege to throw one away.

A shelf collection of vintage and antique books.Īnyone who has been to an estate sale, garage sale or thrift store has seen the pile of old, tattered books tucked away in a corner, mostly ignored.

Antique book collector