The 10 Most Valuable Picture Books of All Time

I spent a good portion of my formative years reading price guides.

I collected comic books and sports cards and, aside from enjoying them, I was convinced they were going to make me rich. My highest hopes were riding on the following comics and cards:

Hmm – not too impressive a collection these days.

I was fond of prematurely and obsessively counting my riches, checking price guides for the current going rate of my most valuable assets. These memories of my collecting past came flooding back to me when I stumbled upon a list of the most valuable picture books of all time. Let’s build the suspense a bit and count them down.

Note: Prices are based on estimates of first editions by the website Children’s Picturebook Collecting (click here to visit the site and view the entire list). There may be other, differing estimations out there.

#10: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (1939)

VG+ Price: $4,200

#9: Green Eggs and Ham (1960)

VG+ Price: $4,800

#7 (Tie): The Little House (1942)

VG+ Price: $5,000

#7 (Tie): The Story of Ferdinand (1936)

VG+ Price: $5,000

#6: The King’s Stilts (1939)

VG+ Price: $5,200

#5: The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins (1938)

VG+ Price: $6,200

#3 (Tie): Make Way For Ducklings (1941)

VG+ Price: $7,400

#3 (Tie): Horton Hatches the Egg (1940)

VG+ Price: $7,400

#2: And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street (1937)

VG+ Price: $8,400

#1: Where the Wild Things Are (1963)

VG+ Price: $10,200

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