Rarity and Value
The Five Folios: Variant Copies
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As indicated in the ‘History of the Text’ section, all copies were printed by Thomas Cotes, with five variant imprints —each in the name of the five booksellers. Copies printed for John Smethwick are very scarce and therefore of great value. Smethwick owned the rights to only four plays, hence he had a smaller proportion of copies printed for sale at his shop (Harrington). Robert Allot, on the other hand, was the principal publisher of the second impression. So dominant was his role in the project, that the Allot imprints “outnumber, by something like two to one, all the others together” (Giles E. Dawson qtd in Murphy 52). Since our copy was printed for Robert Allot, it belongs to the least rare type within the five variant folios.
Free Shipping? Recent Sales and Purchases
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Currently there are three Second Folios (all Allot imprints) for sale by at Abe Books.com, going for 393,890 USD, 190,000 USD, and 100,000 USD (AbeBooks).
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The most recent sale of a Mr. William Shakespeares comedies, histories, and tragedies Second Folio at Sotheby’s is listed on their online catalogue as December 11th, 2017. The Allot Folio was sold for 52,500 USD, although the sale was estimated for 25,000-35,000 USD (Sotheby’s). From the condition report, this copy is in excellent state, especially the binding, so perhaps that is why it sold for almost double the estimated price.
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Given the UBC Folio is also an Allot, but its binding is significantly damaged due to its detached back cover and the title page is a facsimile, I would very roughly guess our copy would sell today for approx. 40,000 USD.
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Sotheby’s & Co’s Second Folio sold in December 2017 for 52,500 USD (Sotheby’s).
