Old National Geographic magazines from the 1930s onward are worth approximately $0.25-2 each, and a basement full of them often cannot be sold at all. National Geographic printed millions of copies of every issue for decades, mailed them to members who were proud to keep them, and those members filled shelves, attics and garages across the country. The result is one of the most common collectibles in the United States. The real exceptions are narrow: issues from the magazine's first years, starting with the first issue of October 1888, are scarce and can be worth hundreds to thousands of dollars, and a short list of later issues with intact supplements, maps or unusual features brings a few dollars to a few tens of dollars. A complete run of yellow spines from the 1950s to the 1990s is a decorating item, not an investment.
Sorting a collection takes a few minutes. The date on the cover and the spine tells you almost everything, and for most piles the useful question is not what they are worth, but where they can go.
Quick answer
- Issues from the 1930s onward usually sell for $0.25-2 each, and often only in bulk.
- Check the earliest date in the pile: issues before about 1910 can be worth real money, and 1888 to 1895 issues the most.
- Supplement maps, a few special issues and early bound volumes are the other exceptions.
How to check yours, step by step
- Sort by decade. Every issue shows the month and year on the cover and, from the yellow-border era onward, on the spine. Stack them by decade. This alone settles most collections in a few minutes.
- Find the oldest issue. Look for anything before 1920, and especially before 1910. Early issues have plain covers in terracotta, brown or tan, with no yellow border and no photograph on the front. The yellow border came in gradually around 1910.
- Read the volume and number. Inside the front cover or on the first page, look for "Vol. I, No. 1" or similar. The first volume is 1888 to 1889. Low volume numbers mean early issues.
- Look for "facsimile" or "reprint". The Society and others have reprinted early issues, including the first one. Check the cover, the inside covers and the last page for any reprint notice, and compare the paper, which on reprints is often too white and too stiff.
- Check for supplement maps. Many issues came with a folded map tucked inside. Note whether the map is still present, which issue it belongs to, and whether it is torn or marked.
- Note special features. A few later issues have unusual covers, such as holograms in 1984 and 1988, or famous photographs, such as the June 1985 "Afghan Girl" cover. These are popular but common, so they bring a little more than average, not a lot.
- Check bound volumes. Some families had a year of issues bound into a hardcover book. Note the years, whether the binding is a National Geographic official binding or a custom one, and whether covers and advertisements were kept inside.
- Check condition. Mildew smell, water damage, missing covers, torn spines and clipped pages all lower value. On common issues condition hardly matters, because value is low anyway; on early issues it matters a great deal.
What issues are worth, by period
These are realistic sale ranges for single issues in decent condition, without special features. Bulk lots sell for much less per issue.
| Period | What the issues look like | Typical value per issue |
|---|---|---|
| October 1888, Volume 1, Number 1 | Terracotta cover, scholarly text, no photographs | Several thousand dollars or more, depending on condition |
| 1888 to 1895 | Plain covers, few or no photos, irregular schedule | $200-2,000 |
| 1896 to 1904 | Plain tan or brown covers, more illustrations | $40-300 |
| 1905 to 1915 | Photographs become central; yellow border appears around 1910 | $15-75 |
| 1916 to 1929 | Yellow border, oak leaf and acorn cover design | $5-20 |
| 1930s to 1950s | Same design, larger print runs | $1-5 |
| September 1959 onward | Photographs on the cover | $0.25-2 |
| 1970s to present | Very large print runs | $0.10-1, often nothing in bulk |
The steep drop explains everything else about this market. In the early years the Society was small, and print runs were tiny by later standards. By the middle of the twentieth century, membership was in the millions, and by the late 1980s circulation was above ten million copies per issue. Almost every one of those issues still exists.
The few exceptions
| Item | Why it can be worth more | Typical value |
|---|---|---|
| First issue, October 1888 (original, not a facsimile) | Very small print run; the start of the magazine | Several thousand dollars or more |
| Complete year of 1888 to 1899 issues | Scarce as a group | $1,000-10,000+, depending on years and condition |
| Original bound volumes, pre-1910 | Early issues kept together in period bindings | $200-2,000 per volume |
| Facsimile reprints of early issues | Reprints, clearly marked | $5-30 |
| Supplement maps, 1910s to 1940s | Wall maps, some of WWII theaters and early world maps | $5-50 each, higher for scarce early maps |
| Supplement maps, 1950s onward | Folded maps in large numbers | $1-10 each |
| Hologram covers (March 1984, December 1988) | Popular novelty covers | $3-15 |
| June 1985 "Afghan Girl" issue | Famous cover, very large print run | $5-20 |
| Complete run, 1950s to 1990s, yellow spines | Decorative shelf filler | $50-300 for the lot, if a buyer can be found |
| Bound volumes, later years | Custom or official bindings after 1920 | $5-25 per volume |
A complete run from 1888 to the present does exist in some collections, but almost all of its value sits in the pre-1910 issues. The later decades are mainly a shipping and storage problem.
Telling an early original from a reprint
Because the first years are the only issues with real money in them, they are also the ones most often reprinted. The National Geographic Society itself has reissued early issues as facsimiles, and complete facsimile sets of the earliest volumes have been sold to members. These reprints are honest products, but they are regularly mistaken for originals once they have sat on a shelf for a few decades and picked up some age.
A few checks help. Look at the inside covers and the last page for a line naming the reprint or facsimile edition; many have one. Compare the paper: original early issues were printed on softer, often slightly toned paper, while facsimiles tend to be brighter and smoother. Check the size, which on reprints can differ slightly from the original. Look at the printing under a magnifier, since facsimiles reproduce the original pages photographically and fine type can look slightly soft or thickened. Finally, consider where the issue came from. A single 1888 issue in an otherwise 1960s pile is far more likely to be a facsimile than a survivor.
When an issue passes all of these checks, it is worth showing to a specialist before pricing it.
Why the common issues are worth so little
Three things keep prices down. First, supply: tens of millions of copies from every decade since the 1940s are still in homes. Second, nobody throws them away, so new supply keeps arriving at estate sales every week. Third, the content that made the magazines worth keeping is now easy to read elsewhere. The full archive has been sold in digital form for years, and libraries have long held complete runs.
The buyers left are crafters who cut up photos, set designers and decorators who want a shelf of yellow spines, people looking for an issue from a birth year or a specific article, and the occasional collector filling a gap. None of these buyers need more than a few issues at a time.
What to do with a basement full of them
If the collection is mostly from the 1930s on, a realistic plan saves a lot of time:
- Pull out anything before 1920, and any loose maps. These are worth checking individually.
- Check for birth-year and notable issues. A handful of issues may be wanted by relatives or friends.
- Offer the rest as one lot. A local listing, a marketplace post or a yard sale box marked for anyone who wants them usually moves them faster than any attempt to sell singly. Expect $0-50 for a large run.
- Try schools, art teachers, senior centers and crafters. Many are happy to take a few boxes for collage and projects.
- Ask a used bookstore, but expect a no. Most decline National Geographic because they already have more than they can sell.
- Recycle what is left. The paper is glossy coated stock, accepted by most curbside paper recycling programs, but check the local rules.
Libraries and thrift shops often refuse donations of old National Geographics for the same reason bookstores do, so call before driving boxes over.
Common mistakes
- Assuming age equals value. An issue from 1945 is eighty years old but was printed in the hundreds of thousands or more.
- Believing high asking prices on marketplace listings. Many sit unsold for years.
- Mistaking a facsimile of the 1888 first issue for an original.
- Throwing away the folded supplement maps, which are sometimes worth more than the issue.
- Paying to ship a large run to a buyer, which can cost more than the magazines bring.
- Storing them in a damp basement, where they gain mildew and become hard to give away, let alone sell.
What to photograph
- The full collection on its shelves or in boxes, so the range of years shows.
- The cover of the oldest issue, flat and in good light.
- The page showing the volume and number for any pre-1920 issue.
- Any notice that says "facsimile" or "reprint".
- Each supplement map, unfolded if safe, with the title and date visible.
- The spine and covers of any bound volumes, plus the first page inside.
When to get it looked at in person
For a pile of issues from the 1930s onward, no appraiser is needed and paying one would cost more than the collection is worth. For issues from before about 1910, original bound volumes from the early years, or a run that starts in 1888, an antiquarian bookseller or an auction house with a books and paper department is the right contact. Many will look at photos at no charge, and a formal written appraisal for one lot costs about $100-300. That is worth it when the early issues are original and in good condition.
National Geographic collections often turn up next to other paper and printed items, some of them far more valuable. Old family Bibles, comic books and first editions can share the same shelves; see our guides to old Bibles, old comic books and identifying first edition books.