I've had people ask about collecting books, and often the topic of their interest is Bibles. Book collecting is extremely popular, and will be discussed in detail. However, for now, lets focus on Bibles.

 

     In short, while Bibles are on most best sellers' lists for centuries, Bibles are generally not valuable collectibles. That is, of course, not to say that they should not be collected and read, but rather they should not be thought of as a hot collectible. Why not?

 

     There are two main reasons why Bibles should not be thought of as a hot item. First, since the Bible is the most frequently printed book in the world, its price is therefore low. Sure, the Bible has been published more times and in more countries than any other book, and in countless typesets, but that does not matter. Despite any artistic beauty of any of the published versions, it is not a rare book. Plain and simple. Second, because comparatively few Bibles have ever been destroyed, they are plentiful. A general fact of collecting is that a large supply equals a low collector value.

 

     As with most general statements, there are some notable exceptions to the above statement that a Bible is not valuable

     First, if the Bible was owned by a high-profile person. An old Bible that included handwritten notations of births, marriages, and deaths written by a notable person would be valuable.

     Second, a Bible published prior to 1700 is valuable.

     Third, a "first" Bible is valuable, such as the first Bible printed in a certain place or country. Or, the first Bible printed in a particular language.

     Fourth, a Bible that is both handwritten and hand-painted is quite valuable. Single pages from such Bibles are valuable as well.

     Fifth, if a Bible is rare because of printing errors, it is considered valuable.

 

     Certainly, family heirlooms such as Bibles, are precious, and priceless

treasures to you and family members. Unless they fall into one of the "exception" categories above, they will not be valuable to other people.

 

     However, just in case you are curious as to how much money some of the more notable type Bibles are worth, here is a partial list:

 

     The American Bible. This "Natick Bible" or "Eliot Bible", published in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1663, is extremely scarce if it is the Indian language translation. If you have one of these you could be a quarter of a million dollars richer if you sold it.

 

     Another valuable Bible, is the American Bible, published in Philadelphia in 1790, in  two volumes. It is the first American edition of the Douai or Roman Catholic Bible. This edition sells for more than $10,000.

 

     The American Bible published in Trenton, New Jersey in 1791 has sold for more than $3,000.

 

     Of course, a Bible, as any other collectible, is only worth what someone will pay for it. But there are some avid Bible collectors who will pay even into the hundreds of dollars for an ornate Bible, or one that is unbelieveably tiny, or one that is of another language than most, or one that is for whatever reason unique to them.

 

     Bibles are excellent items to collect if it does not matter to you if they are valuable. Most Bibles can be bought for under $10, which makes them very affordable. It just might be very interesting to see in how many different language you can see the TwentyThird Psalm printed. That is, if you can read various languages.