James Hetfield Signed Book Hits eBay After Restocking

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By RC Staff

22 June 2023

James Hetfield’s book “Messengers: The Guitars of James Hetfield” restocked on Monday morning, and is proving quite popular. Purchases of the book come with an autograph from the Metallica frontman, along with a certificate of authenticity. While this isn’t the first time the book has been sold, it tends to be produced in fairly limited numbers, so any restock is notable. In the case of Monday’s sale, it seems like fans of the musician missed out. Enough so that Hetfield’s book is now reselling for well over what it retailed for.

What is James Hetfield's book?

“Messengers: The Guitars of James Hetfield” is a book about the various guitars in James Hetfield’s collection, along with the stories behind them and their significance to him. Considering he’s lead a four-decade career as the frontman of the single most influential metal band of all time, that’s a lot of guitars, and a lot of stories.

The 400 page book spans from the genesis of Metallica, their breakthrough from dive bars to stadiums, and eventual conquest of the entire world. Along the way, readers are treated to anecdotes and recollections from Hetfield’s life in metal, as well as multiple high-quality photographs of every guitar in the collection.

Hetfield’s book is set to ship in October 2023. It was first announced in March, and sales opened soon afterwards. Aside from the standard copies, there are also limited runs of signed hardcover books sold as well. These have retailed for $90. Not cheap, but also not that expensive. Considering just how big of a star James Hetfield is, getting his signature for under $100 isn’t at all bad.

In fact, it’s actually pretty hard to get Hetfield’s signature in general. While the star isn’t necessarily against putting his autograph out there, but he doesn’t produce a ton of signed merchandise. For a diehard fan, $90 is a downright deal.

Of course, some are willing to pay much more than that.

James Hetfield signed books are reselling

Following the restock on June 19, autographed copies are now reselling for well over retail. The average price on eBay for James Hetfield’s signed book “Messengers” is around $300, meaning a profit of at least $200 for a reseller.

Believe it or not, prices have actually come down recently. Before this restock, signed copies were reselling for upwards of $700, with several sales over $1,000. People really are that desperate for an autograph.

It’s not clear just how many books will be sent out in October with Hetfield’s signature. Considering how popular this restock was, his team may elect do another round of signed copies. If that happens, you can expect prices to drop yet again, but they will still likely remain above retail. Barring another Bob Dylan autopen scandal, these books will remain scarce, desirable, and valuable, especially for resellers.

Want more examples of popular items to resell? Check out our other articles! We recently talked about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s upcoming book as well, and signed copies of that are attracting some serious value. Whether you’re looking for easy flips for long-term investments that pay out serious dividends, we cover everything at Resell Calendar.