DEAR ABBY: My father is an antiques collector. He spends every weekend at estate auctions and much of the rest of his time buying for shops. He is experienced and prides himself in knowing the value of things.

For my birthday, Dad gave me an old copy of a favorite book. He said it was a first edition and worth a lot despite its poor condition. The title page, where the publishing date and run would appear, was missing. The issue is that it ISN’T a first (or even a second) edition. It has the wrong cover and is actually a later run that just had a rough life. I know Dad knew this. The information is easy to find, and I’m pretty sure he cut out the title page so he could pass it off as what he said it was.

I don’t know why he did this -- there could be any number of reasons -- but he keeps

See Full Page