Artunderwraps

First Edition Prices, Values and Auction Results

For any lover of Charles Dickens, the ultimate prize is a complete collection of his works. Throughout his life, Dickens was an advocate for social reform, rights for children, and the freedom of education. Much of those ideals can be seen in his work which is often considered pseudo-biographical in nature. The resume of Dickens involves over a dozen major works, several short stories, plays, essays, and non-fiction books across a wide spectrum of topics and genres including his famous Christmas tales, his prose works highlighting the plight of the poor, and his personal essays on social issues of the day.

We collected a sample of 37 auction results of Dickens, Charles's The Works of Charles Dickens from 3 different auction houses. The lowest overall price realized in our sample was $80 and the highest overall price realized was $5700. The overall average price was $1673 and the median price realized for the book was $1187. There were 2 auctions (100%) with a price realized below the low estimate, 0 auctions (0%) exceeding the high estimates, and 0 auctions (0%) within the range of the low and high estimates. Auctions of interest include: a Bonhams sale on September 21, 2016 of a 1880 - Chapman and Hall edition for $5250 that first edition in original monthly parts described as an "excellent example of a fragile set"; a Bonhams sale on June 08, 2010 of a 1938 - Nonesuch Press edition for $5457 that described as a very good set; a Bonhams sale on June 20, 2007 of a 1900 - Estes edition for $5700 that described in fine condition;