If you have an old holy Bible at home, you may be tempted to believe that it would fetch you a fortune if you were to sell it. Sadly, the reality is different. Not all old Bibles are worth a lot. Additionally, there’s no blanket answer to “what the true value of my ancient Bible is?” Any reliable dealer handling rare and old holy Bibles will tell you that multiple factors determine their worth. The key ones among them are the rarity, condition, and age.
If you’re interested in knowing how much the old copy of your holy Bible at home is worth, Here some help.
Holy Bible Printed in the 1900s
Bibles published from 1900 to 2000 were mostly meant to be read. As a result, they are most likely worth $10 to $20, not more. There’s no point contacting dealers of old and rare holy Bibles because they won’t be interested in buying such a copy. Though it may hold a lot of sentimental value to you, you won’t be able to sell it for a fortune because it doesn’t have any considerable market value. However, there’s a catch. If the copy you own today was once in possession of someone famous, it could be worth much more than $10 or $20. For instance, the personal Bible of Elvis Presley was sold in 2012 for a whopping $94,000 at an auction in England. Had it not been owned by the famous American singer and actor, the exact same copy of the holy Bible would be worth $10 or even less.
Holy Bible Published in the 1800s
During the 1800s or a bit earlier, a large number of Bibles were published as some sort of explosion happened in the domain of Bible publishing, especially after the Revolutionary War ended. If you own a holy Bible printed in the 1800s, it’s unlikely that it’s worth $300+. There’s a high probability of its worth being around $50, not more. But there are certain exceptions, which you should know about.
To begin with, if your holy Bible is an antique copy that was printed in America in the very early 19th century, it might have some value. For instance, the 7-volume set of the Macklin Bible’s first edition (1800) or the 4-volume set of Jane Aitken (1808) is worth more than $3000. Even if you have older versions of the holy Bible, such as Noah Webster’s Bible (1833) or the Illuminated Bible published in New York in 1846 by Harper & Brothers, you should get it appraised.
Holy Bible Printed in the 1700s
A holy Bible printed in America in the 1700s could be a worthy item if all its pages exist in good condition. However, if your copy of the antique Bible was printed in England or any other European country (such as Switzerland, France, Netherlands, Germany, etc.) in the 1700s, it may not be worth more than a few hundred dollars. But as before, there are exceptions.
If it’s finely bound, ornately illustrated, or has some special characteristics like original clasps from the Victorian era or vellum clasped folios that give it a unique essence and enhance its collectability, it could fetch you a significant sum if you were to sell it. But if your European holy Bible isn’t in English, it’s not likely to be worth more than a couple of hundred dollars.
Holy Bible Printed in the 1600s or Earlier
These Bibles could be precious if they are complete with no missing pages and are in good condition. You should get your holy Bible in English appraised if it’s from the 1500s and 1600s because these copies are especially in high demand. Even if you own an incomplete KJV from 1611, it can still be valued at an extremely high price. Again, the Gutenberg Bible, printed in 1455, is an antique Bible that has an exceptionally high demand in the market. Since it’s the most sought-after, rare Bible, even a single leaf from this holy Bible could be worth $100,000 or even more!
Though Latin and German holy Bibles printed in the 1600s typically don’t have exceptional market value, the ones from the 1500s or before could be worth a lot in case they have no missing pages and are in good condition.
Final Words
You can use these basic pointers to have a fair idea of your antique holy Bible’s worth. Else, you can reach us to get it appraised in case it’s from the 1700s or earlier.
