Value & Insurance

Values are recorded per copy, not per book — two copies of the same title can be worth different amounts, and each is counted here on its own. Open the book and choose "Edit this copy"; where you hold several copies, expand the copies panel first and use that copy’s own button, such as "Edit copy 2". Estimated value, its basis, the date you valued it and your source note are all under Collector details in that form, and the edit applies to the copy you opened it from.

What you paid for the copy is a separate field in the same form, and is never mixed into the totals below — those count estimated value only. The list price printed on the edition is a different figure again, and lives under "Edit catalogue information" because it describes the book rather than your copy.

The library’s list mode can show all three as separate columns, each chosen on its own under "Columns": Purchase price (what was paid for each copy, in the currency recorded with it), Published price (the edition’s printed price, in the edition’s currency) and Estimated value (each copy’s valuation, with its basis — Replacement or Resale — beneath, or "Basis not recorded"). None of them ever fills in for another: a copy with no purchase price shows a dash in that column even when the edition has a published price. A recorded 0 shows as 0.00, not as a dash. Copies bought or valued in different currencies show "Varies" and list each amount in its own currency — nothing is added up or converted there. An amount recorded without a currency is shown as a plain number, with no currency sign guessed. Guests never see purchase price or estimated value.

• Collector details →
• The list and its columns →

The Value page totals the estimated value of every copy that has one, grouped by currency — amounts in different currencies are never blended or converted, so a collection with books valued in more than one currency sees each total separately.

Beneath each currency total, the Value page breaks the amount down by value basis — Replacement (what it would cost to replace, for insurance), Resale (what it would realistically sell for), and Unspecified for values you recorded without choosing a basis. The currency total is still the leading figure; the basis split sits beneath it so you can tell your insurance number from your realistic-sale number.

When your copies carry condition grades, the same page breaks the total down by condition, so you can see how much of your collection’s value sits in, say, fine versus good copies.

An owned book’s detail page offers a "Check comps" panel to help you decide a value from real market evidence. It opens outbound searches — eBay sold listings, ViaLibri, AbeBooks, and BookFinder — pre-filled from the copy’s title, author, and ISBN (with edition keywords added when you’ve recorded a first printing). You read the results and decide the value yourself: AllMyBooks never fetches, stores, or fills in a price for you, and no automated estimate is ever suggested.

1. Open Value from the My Library page header.
2. Download the inventory as a CSV, or
3. Use "Print / Save as PDF" for a printable, per-copy listing with values and totals to hand your insurer.

Each copy’s row carries its estimated value with the valued-on date, its value basis, and your source note, and the totals show the same per-basis breakdown as the Value page.

These are owner-entered values, not a professional appraisal — obtaining a formal appraisal for insurance purposes remains your responsibility.

Collection value and the insurance inventory are available to library admins and members, not guests.

• Collector details →
• Export and backup →

The handover report is a short, heir-facing list for the moment a collection changes hands — inheritance, downsizing, or an estate. Instead of the full inventory, it gathers only the copies most worth a second look before anything is donated or discarded, each with a plain-language note explaining why it was flagged, so a non-collector can tell the few books worth an expert’s eyes from the rest.

1. Open Value from the My Library page header, then choose "Open handover report" — or go straight there from My Library → Library tools → Reports → Handover report.
2. Set the value threshold — copies valued at or above it are included, applied in each copy’s own currency with no conversion.
3. Download the report as a CSV, or use "Print / Save as PDF" to store it with your papers.

A copy is listed when it has an estimated value at or above your threshold, or is flagged signed/inscribed, a first edition, or a first printing, or carries a provenance or points-of-issue note. The report reflects only what you’ve recorded — it never guesses at the value of a copy you haven’t marked. The same not-a-professional-appraisal disclaimer travels with the document.

The handover report is available to library admins and members, not guests.

• Collector details →