When Collectors' Books Become Collectible Themselves

I have been in the hobby long enough that I was able to buy early hobby books when they were first being published. I bought them at the time for the reference material they contained, but now I keep them for their value as a piece of hobby history.

One is the third edition of Nancy Atkinson Young's seminal work, Breyer Molds & Models. The earliest copies were not commercially bound but were in a binder.

The books were bought directly from Nancy, and she would sign them if you wished. I also exchanged information with her about what I had in my collection, and it was fun to see my pieces referenced in future editions of this book.

 I used this book heavily and made notes in it.

While those notes may make this edition less valuable, for me it adds to it as part of my own history within the hobby and where I was in my collecting at the time.

I also have a copy of Marney Walerius' book, Breyer Models Reference and Insurance Guide.

 Her book was pricey at $39 and had many errors, but it was still an interesting read.

The pages were glued to the binding and so now the book snaps and pops when I open it. It has become very fragile and I do not open it any more.

When I bought these two books, I never dreamed that they would become collectible themselves!