The holiday season would be considered incomplete without a reading or performance of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. This classic winter tale of greed and redemption serves as an annual reminder there is always room in your heart for kindness to others. For book collectors, this is the apex of works by Dickens who has penned myriad well-known titles including Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. The reddish-brown cloth first edition of A Christmas Carol published in 1843 (London) by Chapman and Hall boasts a two-color title page in red and blue. There is a gilt wreath and title on the cover, gilt lettering on the spine, and inside includes 4 hand-colored plates and illustrations by John Leech. First edition, first issues in excellent condition can command as much as $20,000 but first edition, second issues in lesser condition can be found in the $2,000-$5,000 range. Later published editions are accessible for hundreds of dollars. No Dickens collection is complete without it.
We collected a sample of 76 auction results of Dickens, Charles's A Christmas Carol from 3 different auction houses. The lowest overall price realized in our sample was $54 and the highest overall price realized was $22705. The overall average price was $2094 and the median price realized for the book was $900. There were 22 auctions (41%) with a price realized below the low estimate, 16 auctions (30%) exceeding the high estimates, and 16 auctions (30%) within the range of the low and high estimates.Auction House | Auction Date | Author | Title | City | Publisher | Year | Estimate | Sale Price | Auction Page | Copies For Sale | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PBA | August 31, 2017 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann | 1915 | $1000-$1500 | $1320 | |||
PBA | July 27, 2017 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | New York | Holiday House | 1940 | $250-$350 | $450 | |||
PBA | June 15, 2017 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | Philadelphia | Carey and Hart | 1844 | $1500-$2500 | $1440 | |||
Bonhams | June 7, 2017 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann | 1915 | - | $1875 | |||
PBA | May 4, 2017 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | $4000-$6000 | $3600 | |||
PBA | May 4, 2017 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann / Lippincott | 1915 | $400-$600 | $420 | |||
Swann | November 10, 2016 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | $5000-$7500 | $7500 | |||
Swann | November 10, 2016 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | New York | Harper and Brothers | 1844 | $1500-$2500 | $2125 | |||
PBA | June 30, 2016 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | San Francisco | Arion Press | 1993 | $500-$800 | $390 | |||
Bonhams | March 8, 2016 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | - | $3177 | |||
PBA | August 6, 2015 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | San Francisco | Arion Press | 1993 | $500-$800 | $450 | |||
PBA | July 9, 2015 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Boston | Limited Editions Club | 1934 | $150-$250 | $144 | |||
PBA | May 28, 2015 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | East Aurora, NY | The Roycroft Shop | 1922 | $300-$500 | $180 | |||
PBA | May 28, 2015 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose Being a Ghost Story of Yule-Tide | East Aurora, NY | The Roycroft Shop | 1902 | $500-$700 | $720 | |||
PBA | May 28, 2015 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose Being a Ghost Story of Yule-Tide | East Aurora, NY | The Roycroft Shop | 1922 | $200-$300 | $120 | |||
Bonhams | April 13, 2015 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | - | $2375 | |||
PBA | March 19, 2015 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Philadelphia | Lippincott | 1915 | $200-$300 | $120 | |||
Bonhams | November 25, 2014 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | - | $1086 | |||
Bonhams | September 22, 2014 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann | 1915 | - | $3750 | |||
Bonhams | June 18, 2014 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | - | $6688 | |||
Swann | May 7, 2014 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | 1915 | $800-$1200 | $2125 | ||||
Swann | October 24, 2013 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | 1915 | $3000-$4000 | $5500 | |||||
PBA | August 8, 2013 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Philadelphia | Lippincott | 1915 | $300-$500 | $228 | |||
Swann | June 20, 2013 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | $1800-$2500 | $4320 | |||
Bonhams | June 19, 2013 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | - | $3009 | |||
PBA | June 13, 2013 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Philadelphia | Lippincott | 1915 | $200-$300 | $330 | |||
PBA | March 14, 2013 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann | 1915 | $300-$500 | $180 | |||
Bonhams | February 19, 2013 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann | 1915 | - | $1170 | |||
PBA | November 8, 2012 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann / Lippincott | 1915 | $200-$300 | $120 | |||
Bonhams | September 25, 2012 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann | 1915 | - | $367 | |||
PBA | August 2, 2012 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | San Francisco | Ransohoffs | 1950 | $100-$150 | $84 | |||
PBA | May 10, 2012 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | East Aurora, NY | The Roycroft Shop | 1902 | $1000-$1500 | $900 | |||
PBA | January 5, 2012 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | No place | William Edwin Rudge | 1930 | $200-$300 | $330 | |||
Bonhams | December 15, 2011 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | - | $8125 | |||
Swann | May 12, 2011 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | 1915 | $1200-$1800 | $1560 | ||||
Bonhams | February 13, 2011 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Bradbury and Evans | 1846 | - | $732 | |||
Bonhams | October 4, 2010 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | - | $2196 | |||
Swann | June 17, 2010 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | London | 1843 | $2000-$3000 | $2880 | ||||
PBA | April 15, 2010 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | Troy, NY | Nims and Knight | 1890 | $300-$500 | $180 | |||
PBA | April 15, 2010 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | London | King Penguin Books | 1946 | $200-$300 | $270 | |||
PBA | March 4, 2010 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Philadelphia | Lippincott | 1915 | $250-$350 | $330 | |||
PBA | March 4, 2010 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Chicago | Monastery Hill Press for Holiday House | 1940 | $150-$250 | $180 | |||
Bonhams | December 15, 2009 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | San Francisco | Arion Press | 1993 | - | $396 | |||
PBA | October 8, 2009 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | San Francisco | Ransohoffs | 1950 | $250-$350 | $156 | |||
Swann | October 1, 2009 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | $2000-$3000 | $3360 | |||
Swann | May 5, 2009 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | San Francisco | 1973 | $800-$1200 | $900 | ||||
PBA | April 30, 2009 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | $3000-$5000 | $1800 | |||
Swann | March 12, 2009 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | San Francisco | 1993 | $500-$750 | $338 | ||||
PBA | December 11, 2008 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Boston | Limited Editions Club | 1934 | $200-$300 | $132 | |||
PBA | October 9, 2008 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1844 | $600-$900 | $510 | |||
PBA | May 8, 2008 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | San Francisco | Arion Press | 1993 | $500-$800 | $660 | |||
PBA | January 10, 2008 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | San Francisco | Ransohoffs | 1950 | $200-$300 | $204 | |||
Bonhams | June 20, 2007 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | - | $2400 | |||
PBA | March 29, 2007 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Bradbury and Evans | 1858 | $200-$300 | $240 | |||
PBA | February 22, 2007 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | $10000-$15000 | $9000 | |||
Bonhams | December 4, 2006 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann | 1915 | - | $7170 | |||
Swann | October 12, 2006 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | New York | 1915 | $150-$250 | $450 | ||||
Bonhams | October 10, 2006 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | - | $5658 | |||
Bonhams | October 10, 2006 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Perpetua | 1961 | - | $974 | ||||
Bonhams | February 19, 2006 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | - | $22705 | |||
PBA | February 9, 2006 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Philadelphia | Lippincott | 1915 | $1200-$1800 | $1440 | |||
Bonhams | September 20, 2005 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann | 1915 | - | $2728 | |||
PBA | July 14, 2005 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann / Lippincott | 1915 | $150-$250 | $300 | |||
PBA | May 5, 2005 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann / Lippincott | 1915 | $1200-$1800 | $2160 | |||
PBA | April 21, 2005 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann / Lippincott | 1915 | $150-$250 | $270 | |||
Bonhams | November 16, 2004 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Heinemann | 1915 | - | $287 | |||
PBA | October 14, 2004 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | San Francisco | Ransohoffs | 1950 | $80-$120 | $54 | |||
Swann | September 30, 2004 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | 1915 | $800-$1200 | $2300 | ||||
Swann | September 30, 2004 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | 1915 | $600-$900 | $978 | ||||
Swann | September 30, 2004 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Philadelphia | 1915 | $1200-$1800 | $2185 | ||||
Swann | November 20, 2003 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | 1915 | $1000-$2000 | $1840 | ||||
Swann | November 20, 2003 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Chicago | Monastery Hill Press | 1940 | $400-$600 | $374 | |||
PBA | April 8, 2003 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas | Boston | Ticknor and Fields | 1869 | $150-$250 | $192 | |||
Bonhams | March 11, 2003 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | London | Chapman and Hall | 1843 | - | $12574 | |||
Bonhams | January 20, 2003 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | 1917 | - | $1131 | |||||
Swann | September 26, 2002 | Dickens, Charles. | A Christmas Carol | Chicago | 1938 | $150-$250 | $259 |