Collectors Treasury
Collectors Treasury
4
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
About
We are the largest bookstore in the Southern Hemisphere and we have over 2 million books, 500,000 vinyl records ornaments cameras and many other collectables, Collectors Treasury does NOT buy or sell text books for universities Colleges Schools, or other educational institutions either new or secondhand. We have been in business for over 40 years
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4.0
9 reviews
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4
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3
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ATLbased
Naples, FL24 contributions
Jun 2016 • Solo
I found this in Google by searching on "antiquarian books South Africa"
I am a history buff and was looking for South African military history particularly the Boer War and they had plenty of material.
The owners Geoff and Jonathan were very knowledgeable and helpful.
Highly recommended
I am a history buff and was looking for South African military history particularly the Boer War and they had plenty of material.
The owners Geoff and Jonathan were very knowledgeable and helpful.
Highly recommended
Written 11 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roara74
Darwin, Australia1,028 contributions
Dec 2014 • Friends
We only had a short visit, it's in a dodgy part of town but don't let that put you off.
Eight stories worth of books housed in the building, apparently 2 million books and 300,000 records, plus all sorts of collectables. Though you can't access all levels. It is mind blowing, books everywhere and I'm certain something will be found that you've wanted for a while amongst the dusty piles of books, which are just everywhere.
I rate it as one of my highlights of our trip to Joburg... Crazy crazy place which just made me smile the while time I was there... I'll be heading back and most likely stay for about 6-8 hours much to the disgust of my girlfriend, who isn't as into books as I am...
Even if your not into books as much as doe, go and have a look at this place, you'll be amazed!
Eight stories worth of books housed in the building, apparently 2 million books and 300,000 records, plus all sorts of collectables. Though you can't access all levels. It is mind blowing, books everywhere and I'm certain something will be found that you've wanted for a while amongst the dusty piles of books, which are just everywhere.
I rate it as one of my highlights of our trip to Joburg... Crazy crazy place which just made me smile the while time I was there... I'll be heading back and most likely stay for about 6-8 hours much to the disgust of my girlfriend, who isn't as into books as I am...
Even if your not into books as much as doe, go and have a look at this place, you'll be amazed!
Written 24 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul K
1 contribution
May 2019
Johannesburg has a frightful reputation, so visiting for a few days I was keen to avoid straying too far from the backpackers in Maboneng. I was intrigued to discover that the Collectors Treasury was located a few blocks away. The walk between the security patrolled Maboneng and the Treasury is intimidating even at mid-day. I wore a non-tourist looking outfit to avoid drawing attention and was glad I did. There are no other tourists outside the secured area, no police (standard SA) and I came across a roving gang of unemployed and angry looking men on the way, so I would recommend a (backpacker-suggested) taxi/ferry. Arriving at the Treasury one half expects that its an abandoned building. When you get inside though, its a readers paradise unlike anything I've ever seen in the west. I spent three hours there and might have covered .01% of the material. I could come back to Jozi for a week and spend every day at the Treasury. Found some absolute gems for gifts back home and several rarities that would be "temporarily unavailable" with a 300$ price tag on Amazon. Truly one-of-a-kind in the world. Highly recommended.
Written 24 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lebo L
1 contribution
Nov 2016 • Family
One of the owners stood watching my brother and I as we browsed the camera selection, looking for used lenses. This went on for about 15 minutes until he took a photo of us (unfortunately for him, the "click" sound wasn't disabled, so we caught him). We politely asked why he felt the need to do that, as it made us feel like criminals and seemed like he was collecting "proof" or our identity in case we stole. He dodged questions and said he was "just taking a photo of the store, and you guys might be in the background of the photo". We pressed him to show us the photo and he told us a story about someone who stole a book several weeks ago, a story that had nothing to do with us. We made it clear that we didn't go there to steal, even mentioning that my brother has been there several times and purchased lenses and books.
I've never been so blatantly profiled in my life. If you've ever been racially profiled, this scenario shouldn't sound new to you.
Given my experience, I cannot recommend this store at all.
I've never been so blatantly profiled in my life. If you've ever been racially profiled, this scenario shouldn't sound new to you.
Given my experience, I cannot recommend this store at all.
Written 12 November 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kal818
Norwalk, CT142 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
Beware, if you are caustrophobic avoid this place. It was almost impossible to look around as you had to navigate a thin pathway of towering unevenly stacked books on either side. Silently praying the Red Sea of books would stay up and not come crashing down on you. It seemed like there was no organization which made it hard to appreciate anything the owner "collects" or hoards.
Written 10 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Blaga M
Borovets, Bulgaria3 contributions
Apr 2018
I don't think I've ever been so pleasantly overwhelmed by a place. Everything about it is an experience. From getting into the building by pressing a buzzer bell and walking a short flight of stairs lined with old dusty books, to entering the shop and being greeted by one of the owners.
I had a list of books i wanted, but i got none of them. If you are looking for stuff in specific I recommend you email and deal via phone with them until they source it for you. If you want to smell and feel the place though I recommend you go and spend some time there.
I had a whole floor to myself (using a lift full of books to get up there). I probably spent an hour just looking at the shelves and reading the spines.
They have everything, and when I say everything I mean the randomest of stuff you will ever come across.
Not every book is in good condition and most of these books will not be rehomed.
I did buy three Jung volumes (and they don't come cheap), but they do have some very cheap stuff as well.
The name is apt because it is a collector's treasure. As long as you know what you are looking for you can exit there having found your treasure.
If you love books or book stores then this should be on your list of things to do in JHB.
I had a list of books i wanted, but i got none of them. If you are looking for stuff in specific I recommend you email and deal via phone with them until they source it for you. If you want to smell and feel the place though I recommend you go and spend some time there.
I had a whole floor to myself (using a lift full of books to get up there). I probably spent an hour just looking at the shelves and reading the spines.
They have everything, and when I say everything I mean the randomest of stuff you will ever come across.
Not every book is in good condition and most of these books will not be rehomed.
I did buy three Jung volumes (and they don't come cheap), but they do have some very cheap stuff as well.
The name is apt because it is a collector's treasure. As long as you know what you are looking for you can exit there having found your treasure.
If you love books or book stores then this should be on your list of things to do in JHB.
Written 30 August 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nora W
Cologne, Germany1,839 contributions
Jan 2017 • Couples
What an amazing labyrinth! The place is definitely worth seeing! Even if you don't find what you've been looking for and just spend an hour reading titles and getting some inspiration. Absolutely insane collection of books about everything.
The owner seemingly can be quite grumpy and got moody with us at first. I guess I misunderstood a harmless little joke. But that changed quickly and he was really entertaining and helpful. Maybe he's just tired of tourists running through his book labyrinth with their GoPros. :)
We liked it here.
The owner seemingly can be quite grumpy and got moody with us at first. I guess I misunderstood a harmless little joke. But that changed quickly and he was really entertaining and helpful. Maybe he's just tired of tourists running through his book labyrinth with their GoPros. :)
We liked it here.
Written 17 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reservarlden
London, UK1,299 contributions
Jan 2016 • Solo
The Southern Hemisphere's largest bookstore is here and this store never throws out any stick. What looks to be a mess of books seems to have some order to it as the owner directed me to two sections which stocked South African fiction as requested. Getting around the place is hazardous due to the huge number of books just piled on top of one another throughout the store. Found a few books that I bought. Compared their prices to second hand stuff on the UK and US Amazon sites and found that I'd made some fantastic savings of at least 70% less.
Written 4 January 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heather M
Johannesburg, South Africa41 contributions
Jan 2014 • Friends
The Collector's Treasury is the self-proclaimed largest second-hand bookstore in the Southern Hemisphere, with more than two million books and other collectibles. The Collector's Treasury occupies an eight-storey building in downtown Joburg, and every square foot of the building is filled with stuff. It's a great place to shop for old books, records, knick-knacks and other oddities, but it's also just a great place to wander around and gape. I've never bought anything there but I've taken lots of crazy photos of the stacks and stacks and stacks of junk.
The Collector's Treasury is a very short walk from Arts on Main in Joburg's Maboneng Precinct.
The Collector's Treasury is a very short walk from Arts on Main in Joburg's Maboneng Precinct.
Written 10 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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