Artunderwraps

First Edition Prices, Values and Auction Results

A green light from a distant dock  is the inspiring iconic image from F. Scott Fitzgerald's flagship novel The Great Gatsby published by Scribner's (New York) in 1925. The idealistic Jay Gatsby, from modest beginnings to tycoon status, believes he may regain the love of his Daisy through calculated but sincere means. A first issue of this American treasure  is prized at auctions, going for $180,000 and even more if signed. Look for the dust jacket  in the corrected first state, with a lowercase "j" in Jay Gatsby on the rear panel hand-corrected in ink to upper-case by the publisher.  High demand for this classic keep prices up even for second state printings of first editions which command as much as $35,000.

We collected a sample of 63 auction results of Fitzgerald, F. Scott's The Great Gatsby from 3 different auction houses. The lowest overall price realized in our sample was $156 and the highest overall price realized was $191000. The overall average price was $10907 and the median price realized for the book was $1952. There were 12 auctions (27%) with a price realized below the low estimate, 20 auctions (44%) exceeding the high estimates, and 13 auctions (29%) within the range of the low and high estimates. Auctions of interest include: a Bonhams sale on June 16, 2015 of a 1925 - Scribner's edition for $191000 that with an inscription from author to Harold Goldman; a Bonhams sale on June 10, 2009 of a 1925 - Scribner's edition for $182000 that described as "an attractive, basically unrestored example";