Vintage Little Golden Books

There are few vintage collectibles that capture the joy of a baby boomer era childhood better than Little Golden Books. Whether the books explore magic and imagination, holidays, pets, toys, or everyday life, the words and images are nostalgic and charming.

Little Golden Books are one of my favorite things to collect - and to sell - on eBay. I personally collect Little Golden Books about dogs and Christmas, as well as Eloise Wilkin illustrations. Two of my books are in the photo above. I have a special fondness for activity books, like Trim the Christmas Tree, which has little paper ornaments to cut out and assemble. I had a copy of this book in my childhood - which of course I used to make ornaments. I am delighted to have another copy now that is complete.

As a seller, there are several things a buyer will look for with Little Golden Books. These include:

* Title
* Author of Book (some authors are collectible)
* Illustrator of Book (there are some treasures here – i.e. Corinne Malvern, Eloise Wilkin, Richard Scarry, Garth Williams, etc.)
* Book Number (top right corner of front cover). It is important to note that numbers featuring a hyphen, i.e. 254-12, are newer editions, and not as collectible.
* Original Price of Book (top right corner of front cover). 25¢ and 29¢ books are the best sellers in the vintage market.
* Date of book publication - On copyright page, make sure you have included the last date of publication included. For instance, if you see 1950, 1962, 1976, then the date to include is 1976.
* Edition - For older books (i.e. 25¢ - 29¢ books) you will also find the book’s edition inside the back cover. Open the back cover and look at the bottom of last page of book in the book gutter at binding. With oldest editions, you will see a letter, i.e. A, B, C, etc. A is a First Edition, B is a Second Edition, etc.
* Condition, including any writing or marks in book, child’s name, gift inscription, etc.

Little Golden Books are a uniquely charming baby boomer vintage collectible, and great fun for buyers and sellers alike!

Trish
eBay name: birdhouse-in-your-soul
eBay Store: Birdhouse Books
Fan page for updates and vintage chat: Facebook.com/birdhousebooks
Trish's blog: Adventures on eBay


(Many thanks to Trish, proprietress of Birdhouse Books, for today's guest post.)