Elam's Checker Board

[Dennis Cayton]

Greetings To All:

I've been away from checkers for the past few years and am trying to find my bearings as I begin to follow the checker brick road once again.

However, I find myself in a situation in which I need to sell my checker library for financial and other personal reasons. I am still in the process of preparing my list.

I can always start a new library later, but now is not the time. It sounds like I've been missing out on a lot of great checker books during the past few years.

I have a question about Elam's Checker Board (ECB). I have a complete hardbound set, from 1947 to 1971, bound in 12 separate books, in excellent condition.

The only "negative" is that the covers are in mismatched colors (red, blue, and grey) and have a few age spots on them.

However, the pages are in superb condition. I also have an ECB games index from 1947 to 1969.

In your opinion, what would be a fair or competive price for this set? Any and all opinions will be deeply appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Best To All,

Dennis C. Cayton

[Bob Murr]

Hi Dennis, good to hear from you again. In my opinion this collection is priceless and you will never get what it is actually worth. If I had it, and was forced to sell it, I would not part with it for less than $1500. I don't think it will bring near that on ebay. Good luck!

[Mr. Checkers]

Dennis it is nice to see that you are still with us. Its been as long time since we last corresponded with each other. Now concerning your Elam's Checkerboard--don't get your hopes up to high. Draughts World, American Checker Monthly and Elams Checkerboard are past checker publications that are unmatched today--and these books contained much much more than just checker games as are found in many of our more modern day checker works. Unfortunately there is little demand for Elams Checkerboard, which was one of those publications that was over published and as a result there are many copies of them in circulation today--in the 1980's I felt that I had enough copies of them to wallpaper every house in our city. Most older player have them or they are only in need of this volume or that volume, therefore they would be unwilling to purchase the complete set of this fine publication. Younger players interest seems to be more computer orientated rather than book orientated. To be realistic you will find that $22.50-$25 per volume (if you are lucky) is what you can expect to be offered for the complete set--. I have seen many complete sets of this work sell for $250-$300 that were in excellent condition--and those bound in leather brought a little more. Dennis please keep in touch with your many checker friends--there is no need to be a stranger and your imput well always be welcomed here. "Inky"

[Dennis Cayton]

Hi Dennis, good to hear from you again. In my opinion this collection is priceless and you will never get what it is actually worth. If I had it, and was forced to sell it, I would not part with it for less than $1500. I don't think it will bring near that on ebay. Good luck!

______________

Hi Bob,

It's great to hear from you again as well.

$1500! Wow! I just might try to shoot for that.

To be honest, if I had to spend the rest of my life in prison and was told that I could only bring one set of checker books, my complete set of ECB would be it. Those magazines can make you lose all sense of time for hours on end as they transport you back to a truly magical era of checkers.

Thanks again for your input!

Best Wishes,

Dennis C. Cayton

[Dennis Cayton]

:lol: Dennis it is nice to see that you are still with us. Its been as long time since we last corresponded with each other. Now concerning your Elam's Checkerboard--don't get your hopes up to high. Draughts World, American Checker Monthly and Elams Checkerboard are past checker publications that are unmatched today--and these books contained much much more than just checker games as are found in many of our more modern day checker works. Unfortunately there is little demand for Elams Checkerboard, which was one of those publications that was over published and as a result there are many copies of them in circulation today--in the 1980's I felt that I had enough copies of them to wallpaper every house in our city. Most older player have them or they are only in need of this volume or that volume, therefore they would be unwilling to purchase the complete set of this fine publication. Younger players interest seems to be more computer orientated rather than book orientated. To be realistic you will find that $22.50-$25 per volume (if you are lucky) is what you can expect to be offered for the complete set--. I have seen many complete sets of this work sell for $250-$300 that were in excellent condition--and those bound in leather brought a little more. Dennis please keep in touch with your many checker friends--there is no need to be a stranger and your imput well always be welcomed here. "Inky"

_____

Hello Ms. Becky,

Thank you very much for your warm welcome and feedback.

Your estimated $250-$300 price range for my complete set of ECB was actually what I had in mind when I first started working on the rough draft of my library list.

Now that I am a little excited by Bob Murr's personal appraisal of this set, you could hardly blame me now for aiming a little higher.

In the meantime, please refresh my memory. When did we last correspond?

Thanks again for your warm welcome.

Best Wishes,

Dennis C. Cayton

[Mr. Checkers]

Dennis as I recall our last correspondence came when you kindly sent Mr. Checkers a copy of your Compilations. That was a few years ago. Now concerning the price of the Elam's Checkerboard. My estimate was based on 30 years of being in the checker business and in knowing what the books are selling for. Lets assume that you bought the Elam's Checkerboard for say $1500 and you were very excited about that until you found out that your friends purchased theirs for only $300. Did you pay to much or did they pay to little for it? Everyday I see checker sets sell for $75 or more. Then a week or so later I see another set just like it sell for only $5 or not sell at all. The second seller saw what the first seller got for theirs and he expected that his checker set would bring that same amount of money or perhaps more. What it really comes down to, as we all know, is that something is worth only what someone else is willing to pay for it. Please have a nice day. "Inky"

[Bob Murr]

I was just saying what the set would be worth to me and what I would have to have to part with it. I know that you would be very hard pressed to get much more that $300 for the set and that is a real pity. When you think about it, $10 a year for a subscription to a periodical is about average, this is about 25 years worth of ECB which is filled with world class games and problems. At the end of 25 years subscription you would have the set unbound and no games index. It would probably cost at least $10 per volume to have them bound into books, so $300 would seem to be a steal. It is still doubtful that the set could be sold for that. When one is forced to sell his treasures it is difficult to get the true value.

[Mr. Checkers]

[Dennis Cayton]

Greetings:

Here is a question that popped into my head last night.

Maybe Mr. Checkers or somebody else can help me with this one.

Here goes:

To the best of your memory, approximately when was the last time a complete hardbound set of Elam's Checker Board was offered for sale or auction on eBay?

Has one ever been offered for sale or auction on eBay?

Just curious.

Thanks in advance to anybody who can shed some light on this one.

Good luck to all.

Best Wishes,

Dennis