how much is my 1588 Bible worth?

Question

I have a Bible printed in 1588. It's the Protestant response to the first English translation by the Catholics. It shows the Rheims and Fulke translations side by side - reading it is like travelling back in time to the wars of religion that shaped western civilization. it was printed a generation before the King James translation was made, and when Shakespeare was still a struggling young playwright. The bad news is that it was re-bound in the 1800s, and the covers have come unattached. So the pages at the start and end are quite tatty. I love that book, but I need some money to buy some music, so I was wondering what my old Bible might be worth on eBay.

Just to clarify, the music I want is royalty free choral music for use in a project. I simply can't afford the license for it, but I suspect that my old Bible is worth about that much. I love browsing the Bible, but I'm probably damaging it further, so it would be better preserved by a serious collector. I live in a remote village so it's not practical to take it to a city for a dealer. A bookseller valued it at GBP 80 back in 1990 (it would be much more but the condition is very poor), but he was not a specialist and that was a long time ago.

Answer 1

There is an antique Bible website.

A lot depends on condition. Original binding. Quantity printed. Source of the printing.

An 1800 binding is not bad.

http://www.greatsite.com/ancient-rare-bible-leaves/rheims-1582-leaf.html

Regardless of what you think about all this, the Rheims remains one of the most historically important printings of the scriptures. These leaves measure approximately 8 inches tall by 6 inches wide. They were printed on 100% rag cotton linen sheet, not wood-pulp paper like books today, so they remain in excellent condition… even after over 400 years. Each leaf is a unique piece of ancient artwork, carefully produced, one-at-a-time using a movable-type press, and later bound together. Each leaf comes with a beautiful Certificate of Authenticity. Imagine… having a rare leaf from the first time the English language scriptures were ever authorized by the Roman Catholic Church: The 1582 Rheims New Testament.

Apparently they are selling INDIVIDUAL PAGES for $200 each.



1582/1610 Douay-Rheims Old & New Testament Set: Three Volumes

The first English language Bible ever issued and authorized by the Roman Catholic Church. Translated from the Latin Vulgate, individual leaves from the 1582 Rheims are available on our Ancient Rare Bible Leaves page. This lovely three-volume set features the 1610 First Edition of the Douay Old Testament in two volumes, and the First Edition of the 1582 Rheims New Testament in the third volume.

Offered at $39,000

That is for 3 books, all originals. This puts your book at worth $8,000+

Answer 2

What you have is not a "Bible" It is a Parallel New Testament called "Fulke's Refutation". It was published by Dr. William Fulke in 1588 to 1589, and it features the Roman Catholic Church's flawed 1582 "Rheims" translation ... side-by-side with the Anglican Church's 1568 "Bishops" translation (which was the precursor to the 1611 King James Translation). The publisher was attempting to show how bad the Rheims translation was, when compared side-by-side with an accurate translation such as the Bishops translation.

This is the type of material bought and sold at The Bible Museum, Inc., online at: GREATSITE.COM

Answer 3

The contents are priceless.

But if you need the money, get a modern copy of the Bible that you are not worried about handling, and sell the old one. You would get the best price in a specialist auction especially if several collectors are bidding.

If you decide not to sell it, you could loan it to a museum, they will look after it for you, keep it in good condition, and return it to you if you ever want it back. That way many people will be able to see it.

Answer 4

about a £1

Answer 5

That is an item for an antique auction not eBay. Maybe a very high end antique auction.

You need to get a rare book dealer to evaluate it and the documentation that goes with it. It is apt to be quite valuable and I really hope you are wearing gloves when you handle it and that you are storing it properly. You need to get a good appraisal so that you know what it should be insured for at the very least.

Answer 6

Based on the condition which you described (being re-bound in the 19th century) if it's truly authentic I believe collectors would spend at least $500. I'm no expert but that's my guess. The age of it alone is worth a great deal.

Answer 7

its worth a **** load i dont know exacly cuase im only 16.but i dont think u should actually have something that old and valuable it should be in a museum or something.if u keep it, it will get ruined.if ur a christian it wouldnt matter what bible u read, the message is the same.please give to museum or something!(1588 is a long long time ago )

Answer 8

Am not sure what type 'music' you think you need. That book should be in a Museum, preferably at a seminary! folks on ebay will be asking how you came by it! better have documentation because the sheriff will be asking ! Should someone offer $2000 hold on to it for 3times that!

Answer 9

Get it revalued, things change over time and it depends on the current interest. But a lot goes on condition. If it's really pretty poor, not a lot.

Answer 10

Depends on which country it is sold too, as the countries where bibles are rare or poor would affect its value, and what your lowest price would be.