Collectibles
The original series of 23 Chip Hilton books has become a popular collectible, with the last few books fetching the highest prices because of their relatively limited print runs. The first six Chip Hilton titles were originally issued in fire-engine red, smooth textured bindings, with blank outer covers and full color picture dust jackets. These first six titles were later re-issued with blank rougher tweed cover bindings and picture dust jackets, as were the first editions of issues #7 through #19. There is an "urban legend" circulating that volume #7 was also originally issued in a fire-engine red binding, but this is unverified.
All 23 original titles were then re-issued in picture cover versions (later than the stated publication dates for issues #1-#19), without dust jackets, using the original dust jacket illustrations for the picture cover illustrations, with some variations existing for many issues with regard to some of the back cover images and back cover book title listings.
There is an active market in the original Chip Hilton hardback books on the eBay auction site, with usually 60-70 copies or partial sets for sale at any one time, with prices ranging from as low as $1–$2 for rough condition copies of the more common copies of tweed binding edition books without dust jackets up to several hundred dollars or more for fine condition copies of Hungry Hurler (#23), of which apparently only about 12,000 copies were printed.
In the new paperbacks, the first printing of the first 12 books carry a holographic image of a Chip Hilton logo.
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