Who the hell started the rumor that National Geographic Magazines would ever be worth collecting?
I really want to know. Doesn’t it seem like everyone’s grandparent or elderly aunt/uncle has a basement full of these things that he or she never looks at, keeps in pristine condition, and is convinced that someday someone will buy the lot and fund a retirement on the beach.
I was at the public library the other day and an elderly gentleman approached me with a question, “I have a whole bunch of these National Geographic books that I don’t want anymore, is that something that the library would be interested in?”
“Well,” I said, “We’d take them, and if we couldn’t add them to the collection, we’d sell them to buy new books.” At this point in the conversation, I believed him that they are “books”, which do usually do well at booksales because they have good pictures.
“I should really let you talk to her,” he indicated a woman behind him, who came over, “They’re really her collection.”
I made a cute remark about him giving away her stuff, that went completely unnoticed and she proceeded to tell me the depth of her collecting– every issue since the 1970’s, pristine condition (they always are!), all of the yearbooks, and ten-year indexes, pristine condition, you’d really need a truck to get them all here…
Her description called to mind a memory of when I first moved to the town that I currently reside in. I was too cheap to buy furniture and so, in exchange for me renting a truck, lifting furniture and making a trip to the thrift store– I got furnishings for my apartment. The guy who was giving me this stuff also had about four big boxes of National Geographics, mainly from the 80’s and he practically insisted that I take them.
“They’ll be worth something someday, pristine condition, look at how cool.” He held up a “limited edition” issue with a shiny picture of a star cluster on it. It was cool, but then I pictured my apartment, empty except for boxes of National Geographic that I would (probably) never read. I would have to create tables out of these magazines, use them for wall-art, or just leave them in the back of the closet to remain in pristine condition so I could reap the benefits of someone else’s foresight. Instead I said “no”, and we actually had to bribe a guy at the Salvation Army $5 to take the collection because, as he put it “Man, no one wants those.”
Thinking back now, I seem to recall elaborate commercials run by National Geographic way back in the day, promising that these collections would be worth something someday, but the problem is, when everyone keeps them, no one wants to buy them. It’s just simple supply and demand. I want to write the company a strongly-worded letter and ask that they do something about this, but I suspect they don’t really care.
So the woman who came into the library will keep her collection until she manages to foist it onto an unsuspecting relative, the library will not have to haul 11,000 magazines to the recycling center, and the guy at the Salvation Army, who said it better than I could, made a cool $5.
Filed under: A Day in the Life, By: The Librarienne | 15 Comments
Tags: bribes, collectors, library donations, National Geographic Magazine, Salvation Army
I have thought this for the whole 10 years I have been a librarian. It’s hilarious that someone else actually blogged it!
You forget that 10+ year old National Geographics are perhaps the finest photo-collage materials ever devised.
Don’t forget about Time Life series, the library donation you can count on. I see a set almost every semester.
I just read an article in a home reno magazine that presented a tour of an interior designer’s home. The colors and furniture were perfectly chosen, everything was organized in coordinating fabric-lined bins, and the end result was somewhat Martha Stewart-esque. Nevertheless, there on the bookcase I instantly spotted the ubiquitous row of bright yellow magazines! What was this 3-foot-long collection of eyesore doing in the photo shoot of an interior designer’s home, of all places?? Maybe there’s a way to make them into avant garde furniture; or bundle them by 10’s, spread mortar on them and stack them like bricks to build a doghouse, or an amusement park…like Legoland, only creepier.
You could use the covers as wallpaper.
I have a collection from the 1931 to 1944. They do have alot of intering ads ( Buick for 1500.00) New england telegraph ads ect…. would they be worth anything?
Actually they do quite well in our lobby book sale. The kids, parents and teachers love them for the photographs and past articles! When we have a shortage we get 25 cents apiece, when we have a surplus we get 10 cents each.
Honestly, I like looking at the photographs as well….hee hee
MAP beat me to it, I have an artist friend who loves them for cutting up and making things out of – she goes for patches of color or color+texture, though, not for identifiable pictures of things.
They had another value too, before people had the Internet and could get hold of whatever kind of visual stimulation they fancied – I can’t believe the editors in the old days were entirely unaware of the less scholarly uses for pictures of people from fewer-clothes-wearing cultures.
I have 125 national graphic magzines.I would love to sell.They date as early as 1940-1970’s. I always have 3,4 garage sales a summer,I have been reluctant to sell them at my garage sales.
Anyone interested?…I have 156 National Geographic magazines in mint condition. They are in very nice burgandy binders which are also in mint condition.There are 6 mags in each binder. They are dated from January 1983 to December 1995. Let me know…
As a gift, I have just received about 40 years of National Geographics Magazines…with maps still in increadable condition. From 1987-1999 Complete Collections are in mint condition, and there are many many other editions… Maybe these would be perfect for someone’s birthday, especially for nations that no longer exist. Some day, some of these nations will no longer exist. Anyone interested, please reply to this blog. Thanks
I’m intersted in getting some NG magazines, but probably sending them to Europe costs much. Send me a mail with the price, please.
R.D.
You know, some people, like me, actually enjoy the history of them, and love to see the ones that are in colour. The photos are very beautiful. I have always loved learning and I absolutely love reading. I recently came into a collection of magazines from 1915-2007. It is very interesting to see some of the articles in the magazines. Some are about discoveries which now seem like normal everyday life now (I’m only 22 ). To see the ads for products that at the time were top of the line, cutting edge, and today are common commodities, it’s very interesting. To see the original price of a Chrysler being advertised. Or puffed rice, wheat, or corn being advertised as dinner food or even as desert where today kids eat it for breakfast and loaded with sugar. Just things like that. The wording and writing styles are a bit different, and there are a lot of advertisements in the old magazines. I find it very entertaining, and interesting. These were around before my grandparents. So while many people might complain about them, or have been trying to save them forever for what they thought would be some sort of monetary value down the road, I still believe they are worth keeping and collecting. They hold a lot of history if you have the very old ones. They are a great source to use if you have to write a paper on something practically every topic you could think of and many you couldn’t are there. I am reading/going through every issue I received, it will take awhile, but that is half of the fun, I enjoy reading, learning and knowledge, so to me, they are not an eye-sore. Nor am I trying to keep them around for some sort of value, the only ones that are valuable are the 1888-1890 issues. So if you’re trying to collect NG magazines to sell them, well you can probably get a large set from someone for free who is trying to clean up their space. That’s how I got mine. So really, if you’re not someone who likes the historic value of items, reading, or learning then this magazine and having a collection is absolutely not for you. If you think you’re going to get a lot of money from this or any at all really, then you shouldn’t waste your time. You might be successful selling individual issues to people looking to complete their collections, those who enjoy having them, but if you think because you have some from the 40’s or even the 20’s that you’re going to get a lot of money you won’t. For the simple fact that was stated above, if everyone saved them, then they aren’t worth much.
Do you know someone who give such large number of magazines for free? I would like to coollect them, for education purpose, too.
I’m interested in acquiring old National Geographic magazines.