Ham On Rye Signed and Inscribed - Real? (1 Viewer)

Hey, I was wondering if someone could verify if this signature and inscription are real. From what I can tell, and I don't know fucking anything besides the hours I've put into casually browsing the manuscripts section here, it seems to be real. I just figured it would ease my mind a bit to reassure myself on the opinion of people who know what they're talking about. Or to tell me otherwise, just so I know in the end.

For background, I picked up the book on a crapshoot Ebay posting for $50 - no pictures provided or anything - on the word of the seller saying it was signed. Either way, it's a first edition of Ham On Rye, and it's in decent enough shape, so I wouldn't feel too cheated out of my money if the signature were fake - maybe just cheated out of a few bottles of port, which isn't altogether the worst thing. Still, nothing I'd be too happy about either.

Thanks.

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... $50 eh, hmm. Well er, looks like you were scammed - don't worry, I'll pay you $40 for it to lessen the pain. :DD Ho ho.

No, seriously, that looks very genuine, so well done. And its much more interesting than say a standard 1st signed and numbered edition.
 
All right, perfect - that's exactly what I was hoping to hear. And I agree, this thing was a nice surprise for being a shot in the dark. I didn't even know it'd be a first edition. The posting was honestly fucking barren besides it saying that it was signed in the description.

Also, if you've got any idea, how'd I do for $50? I'm not terribly aware of how much something like this would normally go for.

... $50 eh, hmm. Well er, looks like you were scammed - don't worry, I'll pay you $40 for it to lessen the pain. :DD Ho ho.
Ha, a little late to the game Hank. If you had been here first, well, maybe I would have considered it. Heh.

And I'm with you on that, the signed and numbered editions always seemed a bit sterile to me - plus I could probably sell an organ and still not have the money to pay what half of the people ask for them.
 
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Ah, right, I meant to mention that. It's a softcover. All things considered though, it's in good shape, everything is tight and there's only a few scuffs on the cover. Sort of strange, because the old Black Sparrow books always just seem to attract shit to them, at least in my experiences.
 
Currently I would suspect that it may be worth $200 to $400 with that inscription.

Although I have just picked that price out of thin air. But that's the sort of price I'd expect it to realise if it was properly described on eBay on a good day in the present climate. Others may have a different opinion - and it could easily make double that who knows. I'm sure a dealer would place it at $1,200+ on Abe.

I don't know who David Maxwell is. His identity could obviously effect the value too.

Hope you'll hang onto it. (But if you decide to sell it, remember - I have $40 for you here :cool:)
 
It's a good inscription on one of the more well-known titles.

If you were a dealer listing on Abe, it'd probably be priced around $750. Realistically, if you were to put it on eBay, my guess is you'd get about $250-$300.
 
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If you were a dealer listing on Abe, it'd probably be priced around $750. Realistically, if you were to put it on eBay, my guess is you'd get about $250-$300.
Yeah, I was wondering if it'd be up in that range. I certainly don't intend on selling it - this is my first real collectors piece besides some old issues of Open City that I've got framed on my walls - I was just curious how I made out. Seems I did pretty damn good on buying it. I mean, I thought it'd certainly be worth more than I got it for, but I was thinking maybe between $100 and $150 - again, I don't know the market.

I don't know who David Maxwell is. His identity could obviously effect the value too.

Hope you'll hang onto it. (But if you decide to sell it, remember - I have $40 for you here :cool:)
After a quick google search, David Maxwell doesn't seem to be important. I can't pinpoint anyone under that name who seems like they would have had any connection at all honestly - it all seems to be professors and bureaucrats.

And I'll keep it in mind. Don't get too expectant though, I like it. Ha.
 
It's always satisfying to get more than you bargained for on eBay. Enjoy the feeling, it doesn't happen very often.
 
I got a signed trade PB 1st of this title on ebay for about $130-$150 perhaps two years ago. The inscription on yours is nice; however, inscriptions can sometimes limit buyers because the book was personalized to someone else (and that someone else doesn't have an association with Buk). But realistically, you could probably sell it for $250 without much trouble.
 
It's always satisfying to get more than you bargained for on eBay. Enjoy the feeling, it doesn't happen very often.

Yeah, I'm feeling pretty god damned fortunate right about now. I'd never seen anything exactly in this vein - personal inscriptions that is - so I wasn't really sure what I should have expected to pay. I'm glad I managed to come by a good deal for it, especially since the money required me skimping on some meals and booze for the week.

I got a signed trade PB 1st of this title on ebay for about $130-$150 perhaps two years ago. The inscription on yours is nice; however, inscriptions can sometimes limit buyers because the book was personalized to someone else (and that someone else doesn't have an association with Buk). But realistically, you could probably sell it for $250 without much trouble.

I don't think, considering that the inscription isn't so much directed at the individual as much as it is just one of Buk's thoughts, that the inscription would make it any harder to sell - though I can definitely see where it could make it awkward. Yknow, "David, Thanks for the interest, Buk" would just be plain fucking uninteresting and be ultimately worse than a flat signature, but this is unique enough to warrant detachment from the individual himself.

Beautiful score...not as miraculous as Kilgore's $400.00 War w/painting but for $50.00 hard to beat.

Ha, yeah, that's an insane deal, but, relative to what I can spare, this is just as miraculous for me.

Anyway, thanks everyone for the input - it's great to hear that I wasn't just deluding myself into thinking it'd be worth the (relatively) small risk.
 
I don't think, considering that the inscription isn't so much directed at the individual as much as it is just one of Buk's thoughts, that the inscription would make it any harder to sell - though I can definitely see where it could make it awkward. Yknow, "David, Thanks for the interest, Buk" would just be plain fucking uninteresting and be ultimately worse than a flat signature, but this is unique enough to warrant detachment from the individual himself.
Well, as I see it, you got an excellent deal. But at some point after purchase, the concept of value only really comes into play when you sell it, if you ever decide to do so. In a sales scenario, your position on the inscription is irrelevant. It is the buyer's position on the inscription that really establishes value. But for now, you got a book worth some 4-6x it's market price. So, enjoy it for what it is. You could have paid more for it, so that's great.
 
Don't listen to these people, they just want you to feel good. It's a sure forgery. But since I am a collector of forgeries, I'd buy it and I'd even top hanksolos offer by adding half of the shipping-cost to the 40.- !

[...] I could probably sell an organ [...]
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?

I'll buy this one too.
 
Don't listen to these people, they just want you to feel good. It's a sure forgery. But since I am a collector of forgeries, I'd buy it and I'd even top hanksolos offer by adding half of the shipping-cost to the 40.- !
Oh, well fuck, now that you've exposed it for what it is, and since you're willing to pay partial shipping for my hardships, I guess you've got a deal.

And if you grab that, I'll throw this in too, it's fucked anyway - I don't think it has much market value.

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Well, as I see it, you got an excellent deal. But at some point after purchase, the concept of value only really comes into play when you sell it, if you ever decide to do so. In a sales scenario, your position on the inscription is irrelevant. It is the buyer's position on the inscription that really establishes value. But for now, you got a book worth some 4-6x it's market price. So, enjoy it for what it is. You could have paid more for it, so that's great.
Yeah, I understand, thanks for the heads up. I pretty much meant that the inscription is less directed than some, not that it'd necessarily add any inherent appeal to it. It is a buyer's market after all, they get to pick and choose, not me. But, regardless, I intend on keeping it, at least until I get really strapped for cash. Even then, I've got a few others things that I'm sure would go first.
 

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