Rare Book Hub, né Americana Exchange twenty-five years ago, was intended to build a bridge to the future of collecting. Whatever that meant, I didn’t really know. But now I have a clearer idea born of building the Rare Book Transaction History database, that has become something that is greater than the sum of its parts. What does that mean?
We have long had enough information to credibly calculate rarity and value for hundreds of thousands of items and those valuations are useful to the field worldwide.
Now we’re adding an easier way to capture an instant impression of how a printed item would fit into the world of collectibles.
To do this we’ve been running a thought experiment about how we can support libraries worldwide that receive hundreds of thousands of books every day because no one wants to throw them away. Are they valuable, are they rare, or very simply is there any market for them? Tens of thousands of library staff and volunteers handle close to a million donated items a day to identify appealing material that might financially support their institutions.
To do this, we’ve developed software that anyone who has a phone, can point and shoot at a book’s title page and its backside, it’s called the verso. With that we can instantly match our records with these images to provide an estimate of value within 5 seconds.
Older material will often (but not always) have a bit more value. So that’s a good place to start. When team members browse the donations to find interesting possibilities, we’ll immediately report yea or nay and then suggest values and options.
By our calculus and Gemini’s logic, a million gifted books (in many forms) received every day at libraries in the United States by themselves. Using this software, libraries could convert 2% of this material directly into cash in an efficient way.
To test this process, we’re providing free trials to institutions. We’ll give them 200 scans per institution to see if our snaps can be turned into cashflow.
This software will find a place throughout the collectible paper world. For libraries, we have built this for them.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: Bible, in English. Fine restoration binding in the style of the Queen’s binders.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: Magnus Hundt, the elder. First edition of one of the earliest printed books with anatomical illustrations.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: Agatha Christie. Cards on the Table. First edition.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Beautiful and Damned. First edition, first printing.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: Isaac Asimov. I, Robot. First edition, presentation copy.
Heritage Auctions, Oct. 14: Bible, in English. Geneva-Tomson-Junius. London: Robert Barker, [colophon 1612]/1611.
Sotheby’s Original Film Posters 10 September 2026
Sotheby’s, Sep. 10: The Invisible Man (1933). Extremely Rare US Leader Press One Sheet. £20,000 to £26,000.
Sotheby’s, Sep. 10: You Only Live Twice (1967). Italian Advance Quattro Fogli. £10,000 to £15,000.
Sotheby’s, Sep. 10: A Dog's Life (1918). Extremely Rare US One Sheet. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, Sep. 10: La Belle et la Bête/Beauty and the Beast (1946). French Style A Grande. £12,000 to £18,000.
Sotheby’s, Sep. 10: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). US Lenticular Prototype One Sheet. £10,000 to £15,000.
Sotheby’s, Sep. 10: Théâtre d’Ombres (1897). Exceptionally Rare French Poster. £8,000 to £12,000.
Old World Auctions (Sept 16): Lot 11. Blaeu's Superb World Map on a Polar Projection (1695) Est. $5,500 - $7,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 16): Lot 702. Munster's Largest 16th Century Edition, with Over 220 Woodcut Maps (1598) Est. $18,000 - $20,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 16): Lot 101. Rare Jo Mora "Carte" Showing a NYC-to-Seattle Route through Panama Canal (1933) Est. $900 - $1,100
Old World Auctions (Sept 16): Lot 65. The Waldseemuller/Fries "Admiral's Map" (1541) Est. $8,000 - $9,500
Old World Auctions (Sept 16): Lot 46. Contains all 30 Plates from Atlas Coelestis in Full Original Color (1742) Est. $16,000 - $18,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 16): Lot 129. The First Map to Name New Scotland and Cape Cod (1625) Est. $8,000 - $9,500
Old World Auctions (Sept 16): Lot 663. The First Printed Map Devoted to the Pacific in Full Contemporary Color (1589) Est. $7,500 - $9,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 16): Lot 629. De Jode's Rare Map of Eastern Asia (1593) Est. $7,500 - $9,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 16): Lot 171. De Bry's Influential Map of Colonial North America (1591) Est. $11,000 - $13,000
Old World Auctions (Sept 16): Lot 691. Superb Hand-Colored Image of the Holy Trinity (1502) Est. $800 - $950
Old World Auctions (Sept 16): Lot 606. Important, Early Atlas of Japan with 75 Woodcut Maps in Printed Color (1837) Est. $2,000 - $2,300
Koller, Sep. 16: FRANZÖSISCHE REVOLUTION - ASSEMBLÉE NATIONALE - Extrait des Procès-Verbaux de L'Assemblée Nationale, Des 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26 Août & premier Octobre 1789.
Koller, Sep. 16: MOURADJA D'OHSSON, IGNACE. Tableau général de l'Empire Othoman, divisé en deux parties dont l'une comprend la Législation Mahométane, l'autre l'histoire de l'Empire Othoman [... ]
Koller, Sep. 16: BOTANIK - Blackwell, Elisabeth. A curious herbal, containig five hundred cuts, of the most useful plants, which are now used in the practice of physick.
Koller, Sep. 16: HAIMONSKINDER – Eyn schön lustig Geschicht, wie Keyser Carle der groß, vier gebrüder, Hertzog Aymont von Dordons Süne [...]
Koller, Sep. 16: KRÄUTERBÜCHER - HORTUS SANITATIS - [H]ortus Sanitatis. De herbis et plantis. De animalibus et reptilibus. De avibus et volatilibus. De piscibus et natalibus…
Koller, Sep. 16: GAUGUIN, PAUL, MALER (1848-1903). Eigenhändiger Brief mit Unterschrift und Couvert. An den Künstler und Freund Daniel de Monfreid in Paris.
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 24th September 2026
Forum, Sep. 24:A Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster and Borough of Southwark, 1746 [bound with] A Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster, [c.1755]. £30,000 - £50,000
Forum, Sep. 24: Gafurius (Franchinus). De Harmonia Musicorum Instrumentorum Opus, first edition, Milan, Gotarto da Ponte, 1518. £20,000 - £30,000
Forum, Sep. 24: Tolkien (J.R.R.) The Hobbit, first edition, first impression, 1937. £10,000 - £15,000
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 24th September 2026
Forum, Sep. 24: Stackelberg (Otto Magnus v). Costumes et Usages des Peuples de la Grece Moderne, first edition, Rome, 1825. £15,000 - £20,000
Forum, Sep. 24: Piranesi (Giovanni Battista). Le Antichita Romane, 4 vol., Rome, Bouchard and Gravier, 1756. £10,000 - £15,000
Forum, Sep. 24: Henry VIII's Primer.- Church of England.- The Primer, set foorth by the Kynges maiestie and his clergie…,, first edition, by Richard Grafton printer to the Princes grace, 1545; bound with 2 others, similar. £10,000 - £15,000
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 24th September 2026
Forum, Sep. 24: Darwin (Charles). On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, fifth edition, ink inscription in the author's hand laid down to half-title, 1869. £6,000 - £8,000
Forum, Sep. 24: Siebold (P.F. von) J.G. Zuccarini and F.A.W. Miquel. Flora Japonica, 2 vol., first edition, Leiden, for the author, 1835-70. £6,000 - £8,000
Forum, Sep. 24: Illuminated manuscript facsimile.- Constitution Of India (The), Dehra Dun, Survey of India Offices, [c. 1950]. £3,500 - £5,000
Forum Auctions Fine Books, Manuscripts and Works on Paper 24th September 2026
Forum, Sep. 24: Mao Tse-tung. Quotations of Chairman Mao, prototype edition, Shenyang, compiled and printed by the Political Department, Air Force Division of Shenyang Military Region, 1963. £3,000 - £4,000
Forum, Sep. 24: Richardson (John). Fauna Boreali-Americana; or the Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America, 4 vol., first edition, Norwich, Josiah Fletcher, 1829-37. £4,000 - £6,000
Forum, Sep. 24:Mite (The), the printer/publisher's own copy with the original type and printing blocks for all three of its editions (1891, 1893 & 1896), Grimsby, Ernest A. Robinson, 1891. £3,000 - £4,000.
