RICK HARRISON: Hey, how's it going?
Good. How are you?
I'm doing great.
I guess this is "The Atlantic Monthly."
JERRY: Yes.
We have a first edition of a true story by Mark Twain.
RICK HARRISON: That is really neat.
He always had those great lines, I've quit smoking 1,000 times--
you know, in between each cigar.
[laughs]
[coughing]
JERRY: I think this "Atlantic Monthly"
is a great piece of Americana.
It's the first story in "Te Atlantic Monthly"
published by Mark Twain.
The reason I'm selling it is because I think it's very rare,
and I think it's worth some nice money.
RICK HARRISON: Well, it's "The Atlantic Monthly."
It was a very popular magazine.
There was short stories, maybe a little bit of news.
But it was something a little more than you
got in your local newspaper.
People had subscriptions to it.
Samuel Clemens actually took the pen name of Mark Twain when he
was working in Virginia City, Nevada, during the giant silver
rush we had here.
So this was one of his first published
articles in a magazine, or--
JERRY: This was the first story published
in "The Atlantic Monthly" but also one of the first published
works by him.
It's actually a monologue from the real slave
that he overheard.
It's his rendition of the travesties that
occurred during the Civil War.
RICK HARRISON: All right, that's interesting.
Mark Twain is one of America's greatest authors,
and I've seen his works go for obscene money.
But it's a magazine, so I don't know if that's a first edition
or if there's only one edition.
I'm just not sure on this.
May I open it? JERRY: Sure.
Certainly.
RICK HARRISON: So we're on page 591.
JERRY: Mhm.
There it is, Mark Twain.
That's really cool.
OK, how much were you looking to get out of it?
JERRY: This is in the original wraps, the original covers,
nearly impossible to find.
I was thinking around $2,500.
[sighs]
RICK HARRISON: You know, I just don't
know how collectible this is.
You know, it's a magazine.
It's not a book.
In general, magazines aren't worth a lot of money.
Mhm.
But it is really cool that it's got Mark Twain in it.
So if you don't mind.
I'd really like to call someone and have
them take a look at it.
Sure, that'd be fine.
I will be right back.
I will get her down here.
And maybe we can figure something-- maybe
you're right on the price. I don't know.
But it just seems a little stiff.
Thank you.
It's exciting that an expert's coming in.
I'd really like to hear what they have to say.
There's a big market for just about anything Mark Twain.
But since this is a magazine, I'm just not sure on this.
And that's why I'm bringing Rebecca
down help me figure it out. This is it.
It's not a book, though.
It's a magazine.
It's got Mark Twain in it.
REBECCA ROMNEY: Very cool.
In 1874, Twain was already very successful, very popular.
He published a book about traveling
as a sort of bumpkin American through Europe,
and it was phenomenally successful.
He became just the most hilarious American
that anyone had ever heard of.
And "The Atlantic Monthly" kind of came right
after he'd achieved fame but before he had achieved
more serious reputation.
"The Atlantic Monthly" started in the 1850s,
and it was meant to be sort of the height
of literary criticism.
It published all of the major American writers.
And in the 1870s, "The Atlantic" was starting
to lose subscriptions, so it was a mutually
beneficial relationship.
Twain was able to get the sort of mark of approval
from the literary establishment, and "The Atlantic Monthly"
was able to publish stories by one
of the most sought-after authors in the nation.
RICK HARRISON: So what is it worth?
REBECCA ROMNEY: Well, there are some magazines
that can have some value.
"The Atlantic" is particularly interesting,
though, because this was the beginning
of his serious reputation.
But in the collectible world, to put it simply,
magazines are just not as sexy as books.
[laughs]
REBECCA ROMNEY: [laughs]
RICK HARRISON: I get it. - It's true, through.
There's a certain like cachet that a book has.
Certainly, that applies to Mark Twain.
What he's known for today, his literary reputation,
are based on books.
Individual volume like this I'll place under $100.
RICK HARRISON: Thanks.
REBECCA ROMNEY: Yup.
JERRY: Well, I don't know if I agree on that,
but I respect your opinion.
REBECCA ROMNEY: Thank you.
That was very nice.
I wish I could give this a higher value.
I really do.
But the fact of the matter is that the current market is just
not interested in these types of materials, at least
not to the point they are in books.
RICK HARRISON: So you were asking $2,500,
and Rebecca said it's less than $100.
So obviously, we're not going to do any business.
JERRY: OK.
RICK HARRISON: Thanks for bringing it in, man.
That's pretty cool. - Thank you.
It's kind of disappointing that the value placed on it
was so low.