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Spellbook and scroll value
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Deadlord
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2026 11:14 am 
 

Can someone remind me what the GP value of a scroll or spellbook is? Is it 100gp per spell level?


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dbartman
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2026 1:22 pm 
 

From the 1st Edition DMG (~Page 121):

Experience Points (x.p.) Value:
Awarded only to characters who can use the spell(s); the award should be 100
x.p. per spell level. Protection scrolls are noted as to x.p. value on the table itself.

Gold Piece (g.p.) Sale Value:
Any scroll can be sold in the “open market” for three times its x.p. value.
Protection scrolls sell for five times x.p. value.

I use this from the Unearthed Arcana for spell books (~Page 79):

Value of spell books
A standard spell book has an Experience Point Value of 500 points per
spell level contained therein (again, considering cantrips as 1st-level
spells), and a Gold Piece Sale Value of 1,000 gp per spell level (applies
to all spells, including cantrips). As with any other magical items
acquired, spell books must either be sold immediately or else the x.p.
value taken. This holds true regardless of whether or not any tome is
eventually sold. Thus, a spell book cannot be kept while a particular
spell or spells are transcribed, and then the work sold for the Gold Piece
Sale Value and the proceeds taken toward experience points.
  

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Deadlord
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2026 1:39 pm 
 

Thanks, Bartie! Just what I needed.


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JoeNuttall
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2026 2:16 pm 
 

It's only worth 1000gp per spell level though if it's in mint condition. Also watch out 'cos there are a lot of PODs out there. Early spell books can be worth a lot more though, - especially if they have the original spell-ing "Phantasmal Forces". Don't be fooled into buying a graded spellbook though as you won't be able to read the spells and learn them.
  

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Deadlord
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Post Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2026 5:15 pm 
 

I'm sure the copyright runs out after 2,000 years.


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grodog
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Post Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2026 6:00 pm 
 

You need to go back to Gary’s original Dragon #62 article for the accurate spellbook values—in UA there’s a big chunk of text dropped for the values of travelling vs standard spellbooks, which end up mixed together in the final text.

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dbartman
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Post Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2026 9:34 pm 
 

Allan,

I might be wrong, but I've always thought that Dragon Magazine #62's description was erroneous, as the values were reversed for GP and XP and inconsistent between standard and traveling spell books, while the Unearthed Arcana version standardized them at 500 XP and 1,000 GP per spell level.  Cantrips XP/GP are not even adequately described.

Book Type                XP Value                 GP Value
Standard                  1,000 XP/SL           200 GP/SL (150 GP/SL)
Traveling                  500 XP/SL              1,000 GP/SL

These values are also inconsistent with the cost to create a standard vs traveling spell book, too.  Spells are spells and a traveling spell book might be more convenient for travel, but that doesn't make it better.  If anything, it's inferior.  The Unearthed Arcana appeared to simplify the XP/GP values by making the values consistent for both spell book types.

The description in the Unearthed Arcana could have been better, but it wasn't changed/updated with the Errata sheet that was released for the Unearthed Arcana.
  

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Deadlord
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Post Posted: Sun Mar 15, 2026 5:19 pm 
 

Thanks, guys. I wonder if the value of the spellbook is increased if it is PSA graded?


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grodog
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Post Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2026 12:20 am 
 

dbartman wrote in Spellbook and scroll value:I might be wrong, but I've always thought that Dragon Magazine #62's description was erroneous, as the values were reversed for GP and XP and inconsistent between standard and traveling spell books, while the Unearthed Arcana version standardized them at 500 XP and 1,000 GP per spell level.  


Thanks, Doug—it’s been a little while since I last looked at it, so I’ll pull it out again to re-review.

dbartman wrote in Spellbook and scroll value:The description in the Unearthed Arcana could have been better, but it wasn't changed/updated with the Errata sheet that was released for the Unearthed Arcana.


Yes, although there were errata on that article too, as I recall ;)

Allan.


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