13 replies to this topic

[Blofeld's Cat]

I just read the following at the bottom of The Bond Market article on the His Majesty's Secret Servant site.....
[quote]EPILOG

If you can't afford or don't want to part with the money that some are asking for the Jonathan Cape first editions, you can contact The First Edition Library in Shelton, CT at (800) 243-5160. They produce facsimile copies of all fourteen James Bond, Jonathan Cape first editions, in a slipcase! One of the only ways to tell the difference between theirs and the originals is the fact that they print the initials "FEL" near the bottom of the back flap. They are extremely well done and definitely worth the price. Even if you are not interested in these, keep this in the back of your mind the next time you see a Fleming first edition for sale, especially a mint Casino Royale!  

Copyright

[Qwerty]

Whoa! I never knew about that Blofeld's Cat! I'll certainly have to keep an eye out for when you're looking for the real things.

I think I would want the real deals, it just adds to the effect.

[Blofeld's Cat]

Well, I'd hate to spend the big bucks in buying a 1st edition only to find out later that it has the "FEL" monogram near the bottom of the back flap. :mad:

[Blue Eyes]

I have one of the facsimile editions of YOLT. They're almost identical replicas. To discern the difference check the publishers page, it notes that it is a reproduction and not the original first edition.

I have always wondered though, what would stop a person from creating a whole reproduction of (say) CR and selling it as a first edition?

[Qwerty]

Originally posted by Blue Eyes

I have always wondered though, what would stop a person from creating a whole reproduction of (say) CR and selling it as a first edition?

Ooh, I don't know what could stop them, but I would hate to be the recipient of that book if I believed and paid for what I thought was an original first editon.

[stromberg]

Oh, if you're not buying them at Ebay, there would at least be one method to tell if it's a reprint or an original (at least for the next few years): the smell. Ever put your nose into a 40 year old book? Then you know what I mean.

I've seen this edition at Ebay half a year ago. Knowing that it may take some years to allow me even to start thinking about being able to maybe get "the real deal", I considered buying them. They are nicely crafted for sure, look great in the shelf and they can be used for a little bragging as well . If people are going to buy something like gadget replicas, why not take this as the best possible alternative to the original books?

When I saw those, they were at about $200, still rising. I asked a certain feline member of this forum who is very knowledgable about such things for an advise (c'mon folks, who could that be? ). Anything under 300 would be a bargain, he said. Unfortunately, it went somwhat over 500, and due to a sudden lack of money (damn, where does that money always disappear to, just when you need it?) I decided not to go for them. Another time, another place...

But maybe, Zencat can tell us some more about those...

[Blue Eyes]

Originally posted by stromberg
Oh, if you're not buying them at Ebay, there would at least be one method to tell if it's a reprint or an original (at least for the next few years): the smell. Ever put your nose into a 40 year old book? Then you know what I mean.

In a world where people fake mummies and other such antiques (and pull them off to such an extent that experts are baffled for years) I wonder how hard it would be to put that smell and feel into a relatively new book?

[Blofeld's Cat]

Originally posted by Blue Eyes
I have one of the facsimile editions of YOLT.

How did you come by your copy Blue Eyes?

[stromberg]

Originally posted by Blue Eyes


In a world where people fake mummies and other such antiques (and pull them off to such an extent that experts are baffled for years) I wonder how hard it would be to put that smell and feel into a relatively new book?

Well said, Blue Eyes. If they can produce a spray that smeels like new cars, they can as well make one that smells like old books. Or just put them in a box with loads of other old books for a few weeks.The smell may be a doubtful indication, but it could help (be suspicous if it doesn't smell).

If someone absolutely wants to betray you, he'll find a way to succeed. Everything that's man-made can be faked (even a COA). It's just a question of effort, expense and efficiency. One can never be sure.

Buying things like that is a matter of confidence.

[doublenoughtspy]

The FEL books are very nice. An inexpensive way to get reproductions that very closely match the originals.

I agree that everything can be faked. I would doubt it would be worth the effort and expense to recreate Fleming first editions at this point.

Where I could see some easy profit for a forger is recreating the dust jackets. As zencat pointed out in another thread - a Casino Royale dust jacket can easily add $10,000+ to a Casino Royale first edition without a jacket.

You could buy up CR 1sts without jackets, now granted there aren't alot of those floating around, and buy ones with poor jackets - and put on the nicer jackets. You would of course need to artificially age the jackets to match the books.

You would need to stagger the sales too - if suddenly a whole slew of very nice CR firsts with great jackets hit the market - everyone would get suspicious.

Just my devious mind at work.

[bonded56]

With shipping I think they're $34.99 each and come in a slip case with the same artwork on it as the dustjackets have. One is sent each month until the set is completed. At least that's how it was a couple of years ago.

[zencat]

These FEL editions are beautiful and becoming very collectible in their own right. Single copies can go to $50 and up on eBay (I've seen Casino Royale go for over $100). I regret not buying this when they first came out. I would tell any Bond collector to get these. I think over time these will become the most collectible (and most valuable) books outside of the first editions. Heck, they already are.

[zencat]

Oh, and for the record, if you've seen a real 1st Casino Royale the FEL repro will not fool you. The FEL is actually a much deeaper shade of gray. The paper also has a much different feel.

Color xeroxes are more a threat. But, again, the paper will tell you what's what.

[dennisbolt]

I agree with Zencat...The FEL are very nice and also hard to find in their own right. I have 5-6 of them and many of them went for $50. I got them on ebay a couple years back when i built the bulk of my collection of Bond first editions before ebay exploded and prices went up.[SIZE=7][SIZE=14]