It's time to invest in literature
Dear reader,
We have one piece of advice you today:
Sit back, relax, and let us make YOU money.
How? By investing in literary history.
Books have long been popular with collectors and investors.
But now is the perfect time for you to invest in what we have brought together - a five star portfolio.
Why now?
Because ordinary investments are suffering. Even property isn't looking as safe as it was five years ago. The state of the market means you want your money to not only be safe, but to grow.
For the unwary, investing in books and authors can be a dangerous business. If you see an old book, you might assume it was rare and thus collectible. But age alone does not necessarily guarantee value. Indeed there are some very old books that are practically worthless.
The major value factors are: scarcity, demand, fashion and condition. And every item in our collection firmly ticks all four boxes.
But first some background.
Book collecting is a strange business.
With certain modern first editions, a mint dustjacket can be worth more to collectors than the book it protects.
To take a famous example . . . the first appearance in print of Ian Fleming's gadget-loving 'blunt instrument' James Bond . . .
Casino Royale was published in 1953, encased in a slightly bizarre Wedgwood blue jacket designed by Fleming himself.
And at an auction in 2003, a copy of the jacket in 'near fine' condition, but without the book itself, sold for £13,225!
By why are we telling you this?
Because, if properly chosen, items from the world of literature represent a risk free, high return investment.
Again, to use Bond as an example - in 1984, a dustjacketed first of Casino Royale was worth around £600. Today, Ian Fleming's centenary year, it is pushing £20,000.
If you want an even more extreme example, you need look no further than the first adventure of a certain boy wizard.
In 1997, the first edition of Harry Potter And The Philospher's Stone cost £7.99. Today, just over a decade later, an unsigned copy would fetch £10,000+!
Why? Because only 500 were printed, and most of those were immediately sucked into the library system, meaning very few survive in good condition.
So, we have established that books represent recession-proof investments.
Of course, not just any books. Special books, by special authors.
And one of the great bibliophilic rules of thumb is to invest in the best - the choicest items, in tip top condition.
And that's where we come in.
Today we have brought together an A-grade portfolio, with guaranteed long term returns.
The portfolio covers a range of authors, from established greats, to the most popular modern writers.
Make no mistake this is the best of the best.
But first, a little more background . . .
Historic, literary items are undervalued as an asset class. And yet they have a long and established history of fantastic growth, and generous returns.
And we don't just have books - we have signatures, signed photos, original letters, a rare handwritten manuscript . . .
And they all carry the three all-important attributes that will see them appreciate in value.
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They carry literary importance.
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They hold huge long term appeal.
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They have a proven record of value growth.
Taken as a whole, this portfolio represents the ultimate 'starter pack'; or for a seasoned collector, it's like being locked in a sweet shop!
Alright already! So tell us what you have!
An unrivalled collection of documents, images and books handled and signed by some of the giants of literature, the great minds of the last two centuries.
Who?
We begin with the creator of such timeless characters as Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer. . .
The 'father of American literature' - Mark Twain, born Samuel L. Clemens.
We have a very rare, portrait print of Mark Twain, signed in 1905.
1905 was an important year for the author. He celebrated his 70th birthday and dined in the White House with President Theodore Roosevelt for the first time.
This evocative picture, professionally mounted, framed and glazed using UV glass, is in remarkable condition for its age, and clearly signed 'Sincerely yours, Mark Twain, Feb. 21/05' in fountain pen.
Click Here To View Document: Stock Code: 69280
Taken purely at face value, it's a highly desirable rarity. But the provenance and the significance of the date, add greatly to its value.
Not only that, but the anniversary of his death falls on April 21st, and the centenary falls in 2010. The smart money buys now, before prices shoot up.
The second Twain item in our portfolio is also hugely significant - a handwritten letter, signed in his real name, dated September 20th 1884 - that's just two months before the first publication of his most celebrated work: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Click Here To View Document: Stock Code: 70199
This is the perfect time to invest in these fabulous rarities - before the upcoming centenary.
But from one American heavyweight, to a man widely regarded as the greatest writer of all time . . . the man behind the likes of Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol. . .
Yes we have a signed letter from Charles Dickens, dated November 1865 - exactly the same month the last instalment of his last completed novel, Our Mutual Friend, appeared in print.
Again, with such wonderful provenance, its value is only going one way.
Click Here To View Document: Stock Code: 70180
And now to Rudyard Kipling, the man who gave us The Jungle Book, timeless children's classic Just So Stories, and some of the most celebrated poems of the late Victorian era.
The author Henry James famously said of him: "Kipling strikes me personally as the most complete man of genius (as distinct from fine intelligence) that I have ever known."
And 101 years ago, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature - the first English language writer to receive the prize, and its youngest-ever recipient - a record he still holds.
And we have much more than just a signature.
We have a complete, original, signed, handwritten manuscript.
Any collector will tell you, original manuscripts are the Holy Grail items. Jack Kerouac's On The Road 'scroll' manuscript fetched $2.2m at Christies in May 2001; while J.K. Rowling's handwritten bound manuscript Tales of Beedle the Bard fetched another £1.95m in December last year. . .
But what we have here is much older. It's the complete manuscript of 'The Young Queen', a poem written by Kipling to commemorate the historic consolidation of self-governing Australian Crown Colonies into a single nation - the Commonwealth of Australia - on 1st January 1901.
Any examples of work in Kipling's own hand are uncommon and highly desirable. But this item's historical significance elevates it to a level of global importance -hence the £12,500 price tag.
Click Here To View Document: Stock Code: 68216
The portfolio continues with an excellent signature and portrait of T.S. Eliot [Stock Code: 68581]; before some light relief in the form of a signed letter from the greatest ever humorist P.G. Wodehouse [Stock Code: 69886]; and a signed first edition of Five Go Down To The Sea, by the much-loved, prolific and highly collectable children's author Enid Blyton [Stock Code: 49450].
And then we come to my personal favourite. The item that really gets my pulse racing. . . from the author of such towering 20th-century classics as Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, East Of Eden and The Winter of Our Discontent.
We have John Steinbeck's very own, original, typed acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize for Literature.
This is the actual document, from when he won the prize in 1962. And just to help bring history to life further, it comes complete with three photographs of author at that year's Nobel Awards.
Click Here To View Document: Stock Code: 68252
And if all that's not enough, we have also drawn together three contemporary greats - the biggest names, behind global bestsellers.
We have unique, large postcard, baring the Hogwarts School emblem, signed by J.K. Rowling [Stock Code: 65407];
An original, signed hardback edition of the great horror author Stephen King's masterwork The Shining [Stock Code: 65117];
And finally a fabulous, mint first edition of the ultimate thriller: Dan Brown's all conquering smash The Da Vinci Code [Stock Code: 69058].
Our range of collectables are unique pieces of literary history. Each one is becoming rarer and more precious by the year.
Already their combined value weighs in at £27,695.
And of course, if you decide to purchase the entire portfolio, we can offer one of our Guaranteed Minimum Return Contracts, which have been called "the investment equivalent of relaxing in front of an open fire"!
But of course, that offer can only go to one person. So hurry!
There will always be a market for these unique pieces of history.
Remember, since we started Fraser's 100 Index of most sought after signatures, the index has tripled in value, out performing the stock market.
And we confidently expect these to perform in the same way.
Call me today.
Regards
Adrian Roose
+44 (0) 1481 708 277
P.S. If you take up one of our Guaranteed Minimum Return Contracts, the WORST you will do is 25% capital gain.
P.P.S. We also offer FREE insurance and storage, so you needn't worry about the safety of your valuables.
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+44 (0) 1481 708 277
email investment@stanleygibbons.co.uk
TOLL FREE from the USA 1 866 644 6146