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Permalink Reply by Jason H on November 20, 2022 at 10:11pm

These are for sure a collectible item.. maybe not to an autograph collector but what exactly makes a trading card a collectible? they can produce as many cards as they want but choose to keep some limited.. I do not play that game any more but there are many that do.. this item is limited. you can not deny that fact.. a regular book collector who doesnt care about autographs at all will see value in this

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on November 20, 2022 at 10:17pm

I suppose that is possible. I would not want to be in a position to sell one of fourteen variations is it? It would be hard to come across with any degree of sincerity. It would involve explaining full disclosure which most dealers won't buy or even listen too. Unfortunately, within a little time, this will be forgotten,

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Permalink Reply by Stepeanut on November 20, 2022 at 10:17pm

A few extra pounds/dollars maybe, to Dylan fans, but purely as a novelty.  No more than that, IMO.

Serious book collectors would turn their nose up at it.

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Permalink Reply by Jason H on November 20, 2022 at 10:18pm

Oh for sure.. I did not mean for $750 like the one seller is hoping for on ebay

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on November 20, 2022 at 10:24pm

+100 to Stepeanut.

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Permalink Reply by Jason H on November 20, 2022 at 10:25pm

I wouldn't think a book collector would turn their nose at this completely but you definitely know more about that area than I do so Ill take your word for it.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on November 20, 2022 at 10:40pm

I picture my book dealer- I don't think he would even carry it, He is far too  interested in getting 1946/49 book club editions of Animal Farm and 1984 to the right people, and other titles as well...

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Permalink Reply by Jason H on November 20, 2022 at 10:58pm

Ah, I understand.. Makes a lot of sense when you put it that way

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on November 20, 2022 at 11:05pm

Exactly. It could come up, but that would be unusual, and thus overpriced.

Permalink Reply by ae728934 on November 21, 2022 at 4:38am

I generally agree -- and I do worry that, yes, most booksellers wouldn't really be aware of the story so if one came across their desk, they might think it legit. That said, the first places they'll look for info (Abebooks, Vialibri, Ebay, etc) will show them somethings amiss pretty quickly I would bet as time goes on. And a google search is going to bring that Variety piece up pretty swiftly. I will say but as a book collector primarily, and an editor in publishing myself, there's now a (sad) story around this book that has to do with publishing more generally, and while it doesn't mean tons of value in my mind, I think some collectors/dealers will find that the story that goes with this edition is pretty unique. Like for me, it's almost less the autopen book, but it's that letter that came with it, so confidently stating authenticity, how it's not even printed on regular paper but a kind of shiny cardstock. Those two pieces combined are pretty compelling package to me as a collector. Maybe only like $100 compelling haha, but I suppose that's where numbers come in in terms of how many actually got out into the world. 750? 200? Given that it was US only, single copies only, and a ton of rightful skepticism from buyers holding back, I'd be curious.

All that said, I'd rather the thing just be signed. :( And failing that, not exist at all!

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Permalink Reply by crazyrabbits23 on November 20, 2022 at 11:14pm

I've had this conversation over autopen books being "valuable" after a collecting friend and I found one of the signed autopen Gretzky books a few years back.

I had to qualify to him that the book he was holding in his hand (which had the orange-and-blue "signed by Wayne" sticker, the tipped-in page with the autopen and was clearly part of the Indigo fiasco) was fake and should not be considered in the same vein (or value) as the legitimately-signed Gretzky's, which were all done in blue ink at a handful of public signings and were very clearly documented (not the least of which because they were all signed to the title page, not tipped-in).

He told me that he didn't care if it was autopen or not, because it would still "sell all day, every day" for $100.

Point is, even if the book value goes to 0, there will always be a segment of collectors that will continue to disregard logic if it means there's the slightest chance of something they have being potentially-valuable down the line, even when all the evidence is out in the open.

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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on November 20, 2022 at 11:25pm

Yes, I agree, people accepting a modern preprint or Autopen as anything valuable is very alarming. Just giving them the status of other works is abhorrent. I have to wonder what folks have been buying and from who?.

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