On Her Majesty's Secret Service
A first edition, first impression of On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming (Jonathan Cape, 1963) is worth about $2,300 unsigned in near fine condition, based on recorded sales. The first point to check: Copyright page: “First published 1963” (no month) and “© 1963 by Glidrose Productions Ltd”, with no impression or “Reprinted” line.
Market value · Unsigned, near fine
$2,300
Valued from 16 recorded sales in the last 12 months.
What a copy is worth
| Condition | Unsigned |
|---|---|
| Fine | $370 |
| Near fine | $2,300 |
| Very good | $1,955 |
| Good | $236 |
| Fair | $193 |
How to identify this edition
These points tell this edition apart from other printings and editions of On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
✓ Copyright page: “First published 1963” (no month) and “© 1963 by Glidrose Productions Ltd”, with no impression or “Reprinted” line
✓ Copyright page note: “An edition of 250 numbered copies has been printed on special paper, with a frontispiece portrait by Amherst Villiers, and signed by the author”
✓ Printer: “Printed in Great Britain in the City of Oxford at the Alden Press … bound by A. W. Bain & Co. Ltd, London” at the foot of the copyright page
✓ Title page: “Ian Fleming · On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, imprint Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London
✓ Binding: dark brown (near-black) boards with a white double ski-track line on the front board, spine lettered “O.H.M.S.S.” in silver
✓ Dust jacket: design by Richard Chopping (a hand drawing a coat of arms with a blue pen, title in a red stamped box), photograph of Fleming on the back flap — the same jacket was used on later impressions
✓ Price: 16s. net (16 shillings) at the foot of the front flap (unclipped); the price alone does not prove a first impression
Common questions
- How do I know if my copy of On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a first edition, first impression?
- ✓ Copyright page: “First published 1963” (no month) and “© 1963 by Glidrose Productions Ltd”, with no impression or “Reprinted” line ✓ Copyright page note: “An edition of 250 numbered copies has been printed on special paper, with a frontispiece portrait by Amherst Villiers, and signed by the author” ✓ Printer: “Printed in Great Britain in the City of Oxford at the Alden Press … bound by A. W. Bain & Co. Ltd, London”… The identification points above show each one.
- How much is a first edition, first impression of On Her Majesty's Secret Service worth?
- $193–$2,300 unsigned, depending on condition and whether it is signed (values as of October 2026). Values come from recorded sales of this exact printing, not asking prices.
- Can I sell my copy of On Her Majesty's Secret Service?
- Yes. We value the exact copy from recorded sales and make a firm cash offer, free and with no obligation to sell.
Selling a copy?
We value the exact copy from recorded sales and make a firm cash offer, free and with no obligation. Get an offer.
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