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| GUTENBERG BIBLE CENSUS | 2025 Appraisals Book Condition Grading Standards - Certified Appraisals: - start at $10 per book or paper
collectible/ephemera (and up), or $100.00 per hour for large collections or
house calls (including local area travel time) plus mileage,
and associated expenses. This is a mandatory personal
examination of book properties by the appraiser to accurately determine
condition, pagination, edition, rarity, demand, provenance/association value
or other unique factors that could affect book value, such as signs of
alteration or rebinding of the original material. - The personal examination is followed by a written report that specifies sources used to determine value, including book auction records (foreign and domestic), sales records, price guides, bibliographies, dealer catalogs, publishers records, and additional data. Also included is an evaluation of the condition of each book property, wherein a condition grade is given. - The Fair Market Value of each book property is determined, valid for a period of two years, using the Market Data Comparison method accepted by the Appraisal Foundation, the American Society of Appraisers and the Internal Revenue Service. Applicable IRS Publications include 526, 547, 561, and 2194. We follow the current Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) of The Appraisal Foundation. Clausen Books is not currently a member of the American Society of Appraisers, however we support and promote the Principles of Appraisal Practice and Code of Ethics of the American Society of Appraisers. Estate/Probate
Valuations, Charitable Donations, no "on-line" appraisals or informal "price-guesstimates" performed Call 719-331-0785 text or voice-mail We
follow and abide by the code of ethics and standards of the Rocky
Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association, The American Society of
Appraisers (ASA)
and The Appraisal Foundation - authorized by the
U.S. Congress as the source of Appraisal Standards and Appraisal Qualifications. The Appraisal Standards Board of the
Appraisal Foundation has promulgated the Uniform Standards of
Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) which is regularly reviewed
and updated. We adhere to the USPAP, with emphasis on Standards Rules 7 & 8 which address personal property, whose purpose is “to promote and maintain a high level of public trust in appraisal practice by establishing requirements for appraisers.” These requirements promote and encourage professionalism and integrity in the used and rare book industry. We appraise single titles or entire collections. The appraisal includes written documentation that may be used for estate/probate, tax deductible contribution, personal/resale and insurance purposes. - Valuations are based upon proven methods of investigating and determining fair market value. An extensive library of bibliographic resources, auction records, price guides, and other sources of information collected over a 50-year period make our appraisal process more than a mere comparison and contrast of prices on the Internet. - Book grading standards used include those established by the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, the Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers Association, The Library of Congress, The Manuscript Society, The Independent On-Line Booksellers Association, and The Antiquarian Bookman. Book Appraisal Policy Unless otherwise stated, all appraisals
conducted by Clausen Books are for the purpose of determining the fair market
value of book properties that have been personally examined by our
appraisers, and evaluated for condition, rarity, desirability, provenance
and resale. The fair market value (FMV) of a book property is that
amount which a willing seller may reasonably be expected to charge and a
willing buyer may be expected to pay, when neither is compelled to do so and
both are aware of all the facts related to the book and its sale. The
fair market value of a book is NOT the price a seller will receive when
offering the book directly to a book dealer. Clausen Books will not and cannot purchase, or
take on consignment, any book property that has been appraised by us.
This policy is for our protection as well as that of the owner of the book
property. This insures an accurate and ethical "disinterested
third-party" appraisal. Appraisals are not conducted contingent upon the
appraised value of the book or book collection (charging an appraisal fee
based on a percentage of the appraised value). This is an unethical
practice and is forbidden by the IRS, ASA and the Appraisal Foundation. It must be clearly understood that the fair market value of a book not be confused
with its replacement cost. Book
values change over time, and knowledgeable dealers establish prices dependent
upon supply and demand. At times the replacement cost of a book may
exceed or fall short of the appraised fair market value of the book,
dependent upon the locale of the book dealer, or time elapsed since the
appraisal.
With the advent of the internet global
bookseller, many books have become easier to locate, which in some
instances has caused book prices to fluctuate above and below their actual
retail value. Thousands of new, amateur book dealers are now
selling books on the internet, having little or no knowledge of books or
actual book values. This has at times resulted in huge price differences
among dealers for the same book. It is for this reason that we
base our appraisals not only on current market indicators, but also on
solidly established book values as determined by, current industry value
guides, long-established rare book dealer catalogs, bibliographies,
collectors guides, book auction records, and thousands of other sources of
collected book value data. We have one of the largest and most
in-depth bibliographic resource libraries in Colorado Springs, having collected
appraisal data for over 50 years. Appraisals include an evaluation of book condition, often the most important but frequently overlooked factor in determining book property value. We grade books according to long-established standards set by the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, The Library of Congress, The Manuscript Society, the Antiquarian Bookman, and by Henry A. Clausen, who founded Clausen’s Bookshop in 1946.
The IRS requires that the condition
of personal property be described in all appraisal reports. For report
purposes, or when listing a book on the internet, in a catalog or brochure,
we grade books according to the following standards: Very Fine -The highest rating assigned
to a book is Very Fine- abbreviated VF in most
catalogs and on the internet. It is rarely used, as it requires that a
book and its dust jacket (dj) be absolutely
flawless, and perfectly pristine, without even the slightest hint of a rubbed
or bent edge to the wrapper, or lean to the spine. Few books meet this
rating, even most new books.
Manufacturing flaws, careless gluing or sewing at the bindery, may relegate a
new book to a less than VF category. Books in Very Fine condition
should never be casually handled or opened, although a careful bibliophile can
examine and read a VF copy without reducing its condition. Fine - Most new books that have not
been handled by the browsing public and are not marked, stamped, written in
or altered in any way, are initially rated Fine (F), provided their dust
wrappers also meet the criteria. A Fine copy may permissibly have a slightly rubbed edge or tiny crease, and
this must ALWAYS be identified, but a torn edge or dirt smudge renders
the book less than Fine. Fine copies have no flaws, but are not as tight
or ramrod straight as a VF copy.
Near Fine -These books have some minor
flaw(s) that keep them from being assigned to
the Fine category. It is generally permissible (except by the most
stringent purists of book collecting) to give a book a Fine rating and at the
same time, down grade its dust wrapper to Near Fine or lower, so that
descriptions of NF/NF, F/NF or F/VG+, may be routinely used. In
ALL cases, flaws must be described. This is especially important for
expensive, collectible books in Near Fine or better condition. To err
on the side of understatement rather than over-praise a book's condition is
our policy. Very Good - These books have minor flaws that
are always identified. The overall condition of a book is taken into
consideration before being rated VG. These books have been read
several times, and have scuffed edges, bumped corners, but are
otherwise still tightly bound with no loose or dirty pages. A
book with a pristine book block (the contents from the first to the last page),
but with minor tears to the spine, worn edges, or small stains on an
otherwise clean unblemished binding, would be rated as VG or even VG+,
if the defects are minor enough. Very clean and tight (relating to the
binding) ex-library books, that are stamped, labeled, or marked in the usual
manner by librarians, are graded as VG or VG+, depending upon the
crispness and cleanliness of the pages. When grading books in the VG
category, dust wrappers are graded SEPARATELY, and all flaws noted.
Common entries may be seen as VG/VG, VG+/VG, NF/VG+, and so on, with the
second set of letters related to the condition of the dust wrapper.
Books in the VG category are open to the most criticism Good -
Books in Good (G) condition are
worn, usually inside and out, but all printed pages are present, and the
binding is intact. The book cloth may be worn through, pages may be
torn, soiled, marked on, or fragile, but the book will be perfectly
readable. Thus, it will usually be identified as a
reading copy. Cloth bindings are subject to wear and tear,
stains, rips, rubbing, bumping to the corners, and bending, but if they do
their job of protecting the contents and keeping the pages clean and intact,
we rate the book as Good (G). Many discarded library books meet this
standard, and again we describe all flaws. Fair to Poor - Books in this condition
are very worn, stained, ripped, unattractive, with
broken or weak hinges and/or spines. Pages and bindings may be
missing, loose, or badly torn or stained. Some children's titles
end up in fair to poor condition, but are so desirable to many collectors,
that their condition is forgiven. Books
in other categories are not treated as kindly and may have only salvage
value. What is Fair Market Value? Fair Market Value- IRS Publication
561, page 2, defines Fair Market Value (FMV) as
“the price that property would sell for on the open market. It
is the price that would be agreed on between a willing buyer and a willing
seller, with neither being required to act, and both
having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts. If you put a restriction
on the use of property you donate, the FMV must reflect that
restriction.” _______________________________________________________________________________________ Applicable Internal Revenue Service Publications available at http://www.irs.gov/ Publication 526, Charitable Contributions Publication 561, Determining The Value of Donated Property (Revised 12/2024). Internal Revenue Bulletin 2006-46, issued Nov 13, 2006, Notice 2006_96 – Guidance Regarding Appraisal Requirements For Noncash Charitable Contributions (www.irs.gov/irb/2006-46_IRB/ar13.html ) Publication 547, Casualties, Disasters, and Thefts Publication 2194,
Rev. 2-2012 Disaster Losses Kit (http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p2194.pdf
) ______________________________________________________________________________________ APPRAISAL CONSIDERATIONS The following general guidelines are not
absolute or set in stone, and are not all inclusive. They are my opinions, and there will ALWAYS
exceptions:
Appraise - Original
Source books on travel, exploration, medicine, science, war, history. (Lewis & Clark, Freud, Capt. Cook,
Einstein, etc.) War
diaries, manuscripts, letters, or those related to significant historical events (American
Civil War, World Wars I & II). Large or significant collections of
letters, diaries, documents in the original hand of the author. Original
documents related to the beginning or early history of an area (i.e., a
Colorado gold camp); Documents of historical interest and/or importance. Books
signed & inscribed and/or annotated by the author or a significant
historic or literary figure; books with association value and/or provenance
which may add to the value. Books
or ephemera that straddle several genres of interest to collectors. For example, a book of literary anecdotes
from the early nineteenth century with a fore edge painting of a fly
fisherman on the bank of an English river. Firsts: The first book of aerial dog-fighting
tactics from World War One;
the First book of bowling, darts; The first book on how to cook with a
microwave oven; The first book
published for the WPA’s American Guide Series; The first edition of the first Nancy Drew
book; The First cookbook published by a former African-American slave; An author’s first book. Special
editions of illustrated books done by collectible illustrators such as N.C.
Wyeth, Harrison Fisher, Rockwell Kent, Picasso, Howard Pyle, and others. Even better if the book is a limited
printing and/or signed by the illustrator. Don’t (Usually) Appraise - Books
in poor or less than good condition; incomplete books - missing bindings,
pages, maps, plates, Most
encyclopedias, modern dictionaries, reference books, textbooks, books whose
information expires or changes all the time. Most
unsigned modern fiction, especially reprints, book club editions, copies
lacking the dust jacket; Many,
if not most, retired library books, especially fiction. Most
self help, religious and inspirational titles; How-to and craft titles, Antique
price guides. Reprints
of the Classics, Poetry, History, Travel Most
Holy Bibles, except for the scarce and/or rare editions. See my chronology of the Bible. There are exceptions to
all of the above categories _______________________________________________________________________________ Definitions from
the USPAP “Appraisal:
(noun) “the act or process of developing an opinion of value. (adjective) of or
pertaining to appraising and related functions such as appraisal practice or appraisal
services …An appraisal must be numerically expressed as a specific amount, as
a range of numbers, or as a relationship (e.g. not more than, not less than)
to a previous value opinion or benchmark (e.g., assessed value, collateral
value). “Appraiser:
one who is expected to perform valuation services competently and in a manner
that is independent, impartial, and objective. Comment: Such
expectation occurs when individuals, either by choice or by requirement
placed upon them or upon the service they provide by law, regulation, or
agreement with the client or intended users, represent that they comply. “Personal Property:
identifiable tangible objects that are considered by the general public as
being “personal” – for example, furnishings, artwork, antiques, gems and
jewelry, collectibles, machinery and equipment; all tangible property that is
not classified as real estate “ Written Reports In accordance with USPAP Standards Rule 8-2
(line 2018, page U-62), each written appraisal report is prepared under one
of the following three options, prominently stated as: 1)
Self-Contained Appraisal Report, 2) Summary
Appraisal Report, or 3) Restricted Use Appraisal Report. Contact us for further information and
clarification. Qualifications
My qualifications as a rare book appraiser are as
follows: I and my wife Pam (now deceased) operated an open bookshop on
North Weber Street for 17 years in Colorado Springs. We closed the shop in
April 2017, and Pam passed away from cancer in November 2017. I continue to
operate a rare and used on-line bookshop in Colorado Springs. Clausen’s
Bookshop was founded by my father Henry A. Clausen, on July 1st,
1946. I worked for my father learning the used and rare book and ephemera
trade, including appraisals, beginning in 1965 and have been involved with
the rare book business since then. I am a graduate of the Antiquarian Bookmarket Seminar given at Colorado College and
conducted by past presidents and leading members of the Antiquarian
Booksellers Association of America.
I was certified as an expert witness for the prosecution during
a 2005 military Article 32 Board, which led to the court martial of a service
member accused of stealing high-value rare books from a military
library. My appraisal went unchallenged and along with other evidence
led to a plea of guilty and the defendant’s dismissal from the service.
I am a former member of the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Pikes
Peak Library District and in that capacity I ran the quarterly book sales,
and was the board's treasurer. I am the former Sheriff, treasurer, and
secretary of the Pikes Peak Posse of the Westerners, an
historical organization founded over 25 years ago, and I also headed the
Colorado Springs Ghost Town Club, founded by local historians in 1946. I am a
member in good standing of the Rocky Mountain Antiquarian Booksellers
Association (RMABA), and I am the association’s former president. RMABA
has members in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, Utah and a number of
states back east. I am also a member of the Board of Directors of the
Colorado Springs chapter of A New Deal For the New Deal, an
historical association dedicated to preserving the legacy of the federal
government’s New Deal programs of the 1930s and 40s. Pam, a retired educator and reference
librarian, was the co-chair of the 2006 Rocky Mountain Book and Paper Fair. She was also the editor of a history of her
hometown, Rosemount Minnesota.
I began independently appraising and selling used books on the
internet in 1998, and had an open shop from 2000 to 2017. Since 1998, I
have appraised close to $1.5 million worth of used and rare books and
ephemera. I am a life-long student of classic literature, American History,
bibliography and the history of the book, having now amassed a reference
library of over 1,000 volumes. I am registered with the Appraisal
Foundation of Washington, D.C., and my appraisals comply with the current
Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), and IRS
Publications 561 and 526. _______________________________________________________ CONFIDENTIALITY
Some of our clients include financial institutions, colleges and universities,
private and public libraries and museums, the Department of Defense, private
collectors and/or donors, collegiate athletic associations, law firms, and
non-profit organizations.
We do not disclose information about our clients,
or their identity to the general public or to persons or agencies not having
the legal right to this information. Pursuant to the passage of the
Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999, numerous agencies have adopted privacy
regulations. Such regulations are focused on the protection of information
provided by consumers to those involved in financial activities “found to be
closely related to banking or usual in connection with the transaction of
banking.” These activities have been
deemed to include “appraising real or personal property.” (Quotations are
from the Federal Trade Commission, Privacy of Consumer Financial Information;
Final Rule, 16 CFR Part 313.) reviewed and updated Oct 11 2025 |
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