It just so happens that I came into a large collection of old High Times magazines spanning from the very first few issues (1974) all the way up into the mid 80's. I was just curious if anybody could give me an approximation or guess at the value of some of these magazines? Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.
Not much. You can score seven issues from 1974 on eBay right now for a mere $31.00. Unfortunately, due to the topic of choice High Times follows, (Marijuana) of course, it decreases the value for different reasons. One being, it doesn't have as large of a following because only a select few read High Times, primarily those who smoke, & only about 40% of the Unites States admittedly smokes marijuana on a casual basis, & of those 40%, not all of them buy High Times, like myself (Anymore), so the following they have, although big, isn't anything like The NY Times. If you had a first issue of that magazine, things might be different. But, High Times is seen more as an underground magazine (Even after all these decades) so the value isn't going to be much. Now, for a collector, you might be able to score a lot if it is the "original" issue, first print, in fair condition, but then you'd have to find a collector. If I were rich, I wouldn't mind owning a copy myself of the first issue & every issue following, but I'm not rich, so I cannot help you out. But, personally, I think the personal value of the item is more then the cash value of the item. Sometimes, it's better to hold on to something because of it's personal value to you & the price tag alone isn't enough or strong enough to part ways with that item. I think it's much cooler to say "Hey I own one of the first High Times issues" then to say "Hey I sold one of the first High Times issues for $28.00." That $28.00 or even $100.00 is only going to go so far, most likely it'll go to a bill (If your like me, living on your own) or some material item like new shoes, a bong, or fast food...
Agreed. Just keep them, it would be more valuable to me just for what it is than what it's worth. Imagine having those 20 years from now? You would be godlike in the stoner community
That's really cool. Thanks so much for the info. I will just camp on 'em, I think. It's a really good collection of originals in good to excellent condition. It's all of 74-79, with a few from 80-85. More than anything, they're just really frickin' interesting. I mean, the world has changed so little and so much since then and these really let a person take a look at what was going on in popular and counter culture, at the time.