Reminder: Cashing in on collectibles can be tricky

First edition copy of 1953’s Casino Royale sold at auction several years ago.

This week, a set of Ian Fleming U.K. first edition books with Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels and short stories went on sale for the princely (kingly?) sum of 475,000 British pounds ($649,000), according to the BBC

This set of first-edition Fleming books includes inscriptions by the author on 10 of the 14 books. That has jumped up the asking price.

The sale is the latest reminder of how volatile it can be cashing in on collectibles.

Back in 2015, a Bond collector in the U.S. (a friend of mine) put up his collection of U.K. and U.S. first-edition Bond books. The payments varied greatly by title and other factors.

In the case of the 2015 sale, an uncorrected proof of From Russia With Love fetched a higher price than a first-edition Casino Royale. The collector also sold off original Bond film posters.

In general, collecting can be volatile. You can encounter ups and downs for a variety of reasons.

Meanwhile, with the new sale of Fleming books, a copy of A Field Guide of Birds of the West Indies by ornithologist James Bond (for whom Fleming named his character after) is also included, according to the BBC.

As an aside, I’ll happily entertain legitimate bids for my 1964 copy of Daredevil No. 1, autographed by Stan Lee.