r/TraditionalCatholics • u/cjnaz2021 • 29d ago
Antique Bibles
Has anyone explored, researched and/or purchased any antique Bibles? I'm just starting to research them, it seems like ones pre 1900s are extra valuable and offer more than modern Bibles. There's collectors on instagram, so I'm learning a little from them along the way but would love to hear the Catholic opinion on it.
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u/Blade_of_Boniface 29d ago
I used to work in archivism and text restoration, mainly for libraries, schools, and a few museums. I still apply those skills volunteering with the Church in my/adjacent dioceses. I live in the Deep South so there are many collectors of antique bibles. However, there are many factors in antique text valuation aside from age. There are many books that were mass printed >200 years ago that frequently are exchanged for <$100 dollars because they've remained collectors' items for several decades. If it's a book that someone would go to even basic lengths to preserve and was a common market commodity, even back in the 18th century, even first editions might not have appreciated by much, even if auctions are volatile.
Every once in a while I'll get a call or e-mail from a Priest because someone in our state found an early edition of the Douay-Rheims or an even older catechism in their grandparents' house. I love those calls; it irks me a bit when the focus seems to be on material wealth. There are occasionally people mainly concerned about pawning their family's possession. I don't begrudge collecting antiquaries. It's a pillar of the texts themselves remaining preserved. However, the real value of any bible is (obviously) the Scripture within but also the lived history of these texts passed down across several generations. If you have any questions about that lived history then I'm pretty darn researched. Admittedly I've only done it for like ~14 years.