When a previous owner cuts off or “clips” the price from a book’s dust jacket, it becomes a price clipped book. These books are generally less desirable to collectors because they suggest they may have been mishandled or heavily read.
Suppose you overhear a bookseller mentioning “price clipped” corners. In that case, they’re talking about a common occurrence where the upper corners of a book’s dust jacket have been purposely trimmed or clipped. One typically removes the jacket’s price to sell the book for a lower price.
People might clip the price from a book jacket for various reasons. It could be because they purchased it from a discount or used bookstore and wanted to hide this fact. Or perhaps they were librarians or booksellers who needed to remove prices before shelving them.
The value of a price clipped book relative to one with an intact jacket depends on individual collectors’ preferences. While some collectors don’t mind cut jackets, others consider them significant flaws. Generally speaking, though, these books are worth less than those with intact jackets.
When evaluating the worth of a collectible book, pay attention to price clipped corners. Although their presence doesn’t always ensure a higher value, they often hint at a book’s desirability among collectors. Enthusiasts often perceive books with price-clipped corners as rare and valuable. Of course, considering the condition is equally crucial when determining value. Generally speaking, a well-preserved book with price-clipped corners holds more worth than one in poor condition, lacking corner clips.