People looking to acquire a rare Bible page are driven by diverse reasons. Some believe it’s an unparalleled joy to possess a historical piece of the “Word of God” and share it with others while for others, such a page could be an antique item worth buying.

A handful of people also want to get hold of a rare Bible page to honor those martyrs who were imprisoned, tortured, and burnt at the stake just because they decided to help the common people get easy access to the “Word of God.” For these people, possessing an antique Bible page is a way to show they respect those who worked fearlessly and untiringly to translate, print, publish, and make the published copies accessible to the commoner.

Whatever be your reason, knowing a few things will help you make an informed choice.

Ancient Bible Page Collection -Who Started It?                                                                  

Ancient Bible page collectors typically look for pages from celebrated Bibles with certain characteristics that make them historical pieces worth possessing. Francis Fry, Gabriel Wells, and Otto Ege are some notable names who helped collectors acquire old and rare Bible pages.

An interesting incident regarding the collection of such pages is linked to Gabriel Wells, an antiquarian bookseller based in New York. After he got a fragmented copy of the renowned 1455 Gutenberg Bible in 1921, he took the book apart completely and sold individual pages for $150 each. This gave collectors a chance to get hold of the pages of the first book (a Latin Bible), which was the first thing ever printed with a moveable typeface by the inventor of the printing press.

Now that you know a bit of  history about old and rare Bible pages , here are some things to remember when buying such a page.

Checklist for Buying Old Bible Pages

Novices may not be able to distinguish pages from an authentic rare Bible and one that's relatively new. To avoid being duped, it pays to buy from places that  specialize in antique Bible pages .

You should also exercise extreme caution when buying from individuals or online auctions. Individual buyers often have no idea about their Bible page’s edition and blindly trust those they bought it from. If their buyers had sold a fake Bible page claiming it to be authentic, you can get ripped.

Online sites that let you bid and  buy an old Bible  page could sometimes misrepresent facts or hide the real facts. This too could be dangerous and cost you dearly if you aren’t cautious.

Wrapping Up

It will help to keep the above pointers in mind and buy an authentic ancient Bible page from a reputed dealer to ensure it’s worth every dime you pay.

Original Sources: http://old-bible.com/ancient-bible-page.html