Our wonderful volunteer Jane, who helps in our Penarth shop, recently made an exciting discovery while sorting book donations - a beautifully bound hardback copy of Agatha Christie’s Autobiography. Jane suspected it might be valuable and set out on a mission to uncover its worth.
"I am part of the book volunteer team in Penarth and recently, I found a hardback copy of Agatha Christie's Autobiography in a large bag of book donations. It was beautifully bound in dark red leather, with gold lettering on the spine and gold edging to the pages and it crossed my mind that it might be a rare book and one worth researching.
“The internet sites were not very forthcoming, so seeing a stamp inside the cover from the company who had bound it, I emailed them for any information they might have about the commission of the book. They confirmed the book had been bound by them approximately 50 years ago but couldn't give me any further information. They did tell me that it would be worth £200-£250!
“As it was certainly worth pursuing, I researched booksellers in Bath and Hay-on-Wye, all of whom were helpful but wanted to see the actual book. So, with my investigator's hat on and my fingers crossed, I travelled up to Hay. My hopes of a sale were dashed as no one was willing to buy it, and certainly not at the value I had been given. I learnt that they would normally expect to pay about 20% of the value for something they would then resell.
“Although a bit downhearted at this point, I decided to continue with my research and began investigating websites focusing on Agatha Christie herself. This turned up a site called The Christie Archive Trust which sounded promising, and the book seemed to fit their quoted objectives I emailed them.
“An answer came back very quickly after sending some photographs to their archivist, he confirmed that the Trust would be interested in acquiring such an unusual book, subject to condition.
“The archivist made an appointment to meet me in Penarth at the Tenovus Cancer Care shop to examine the book and as a result was happy to pay us £250 to acquire it for the Trust.
“This was a brilliant result for the charity and very satisfying for me personally. It just goes to show that you never know what you might find or where pursuing an idea may lead. It's from this episode that I have earned the title of Miss Marple, so I will keep searching!”
CTA: Join Our Volunteer Team
Do you love books, treasure hunting, or simply want to give back? Our charity shops rely on dedicated volunteers like Jane to help raise vital funds for people affected by cancer.
