Yes, that is NOT a misprint... this ancient tablet made of rock-hard clay is approximately 5,100 years old! It is the oldest thing we have ever offered (or seen for sale, for that matter) in the history of our company. Accompanied by a custom-made clamshell display case, and Certificate of Authenticity, this tablet is not much bigger than a silver dollar. While the writting is not of a Biblical nature, it is nevertheless, the oldest example of written communication known to be for sale in the world at any price. Truly a rarity among rarities.
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One of the oldest and most visually impressive pieces we have. Beautifully accented with a rainbow of ink colors on each page. A truly stunning book, printed a dozen years before Columbus set sail for America. Imagine owning this magnificent book as an item for display, or as an investment! This is the second "Quarto" size Bible to come off a printing press. It is also the first Bible printed with a Title Page.
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New Testament: First Edition
An influential and very early work. We are not aware of any other copies for sale in the world. This edition was used by Tyndale to translate the New Testament into the English language for the first time. It was also used by Luther to translate the New Testament into the German language for the first time. Most scholars consider the 1516 Erasmus Parallel New Testament, in either the 1516 or the 1519 printing, to be one of the top ten most important books ever printed.
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This is the first edition, first printing of the very first complete Bible printed in English.
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This is the first English language Bible ever translated directly from the original Biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek, and printed in English. Fewer than 15 complete printings of this first edition are known to exist. Close-up photos of 1537 Matthew-Tyndale Bible Leaves are on display in the Ancient Rare Bible Leaves section.
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This large pulpit Bible, produced by the command of King Henry the Eighth, was the first English language Bible authorized for public use. They were called the “Great” Bible due to their great size, and were usually chained to the church pulpit. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, wrote the preface, so they are sometimes called “Cranmer” Bibles. Close up photos of Great Bible leaves are on display in our Ancient Rare Bible Leaves section.
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New Testament
An extremely important milestone in the translation of the Bible into English. This is the only known copy for sale ANYWHERE at any price.
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Vulgate Parallel New Testament
In an unusual green leather, this extrodinarily rare parallel offers insight into the translation of the very first English language Bible produced just three years earlier by Myles Coverdale. Of course, this is the only known copy for sale in the world.
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The second-edition printing of the first Bible ever translated from the original Biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek, and printed in the English language. (The 1537 first edition is much more costly, and is featured in our Platinum Room). Individual leaves from a 1549 Matthews Bible start at under $200 (and 1537 Leaves under $400) in our Ancient Rare Bible Leaves section. We have several 1549 Matthew-Tyndale Bibles in stock.
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William Tyndale was the first person to ever print the New Testament in the English language, and he was killed for doing so. These New Testaments were printed in the years following his execution. It is extremely unusual for printed Biblical material of the 1500’s to have wood cut illustrations, and these printings are filled with many large illustrations. They are the most artistically beautiful and elaborate antiquarian printed scripture that money can buy.
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Owned by Francis Fry
One-of-a-kind. Owned by the most famous Bible-collector of the 1800’s, and history’s leading scholar and most respected authority on William Tyndale: Francis Fry. What an unparalleled provenance!
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The First Edition of the English Geneva Bible, also known as the “Breeches” Bible, and the “Bible of the Protestant Reformation”. The Geneva was the first Bible with numbered verses, and the Bible first taken to America. Quoted from hundreds of times by Shakespeare, this Bible of the Puritans & Pilgrims remained the Bible of choice for decades AFTER the King James was published. There are fewer than 50 complete 1560 First Edition Geneva Bibles known to exist. Geneva Bibles from the late 1500’s to early 1600’s starting at around $3,000 are discussed on our Family Heirloom page. See more close-up photos and read more about this Bible in our Ancient Rare Bible Leaves section.
Also available, the 1561-1562 First Folio Edition of the Geneva Bible.
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The Bishops Bible is the second official Bible of the Church of England (the Anglican Church). It is the revision of their first Bible, the Great Bible of 1539, which is shown in our Platinum Room. Later, the Bishops was revised to become the King James Bible in 1611. It is sometimes called the “rough draft” of the King James version.
Individual leaves from a Bishops Bible are available in our Ancient Rare Bible Leaves section.
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The first Spanish language (Protestant) Bible. So named due to the Bear eating honey on the title page. A flawless original copy in absolutely perfect condition. Probably the finest example in the world of the most valuable of Spanish Bibles. In a beautiful crushed red morocco binding with gold.
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One of the most highly sought-after items in the world of antiquarian books: the very first of the King James Bibles printed. One sold at a Sotheby's auction in 2001 for over $400,000. Ours sell for much less than that, and are in excellent condition. For details about the difference between the “He” and “She” variants of the 1611, see the description of the “She” variant below.
An excellent investment opportunity; these Bibles have gone up in price over 25% every year for the past ten years. Imagine owning the first press run of the most printed book in history! Fewer than 200 original printings of the 1611 are known to exist (and out of that number, fewer than 50 are complete “He” variants). For better close-up images, be sure to check out our available stock of 1611 Leaves, starting under $300, in our Ancient Rare Bible Leaves section. Prices of our 1611’s vary depending on condition, page margin, and other factors. We have more than a dozen in stock, from which you may choose.
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This example is in a stunning, elaborate 18th Century silver binding. We have over a dozen others from which to choose. Because a typo in Ruth 3:15 is corrected to read "she went into the city" instead of "he went into the city", it is often assumed that these 1611 "She Bibles" are actually the SECOND printing of the original 1611 King James Bible, likely done within several weeks of the 1611 "He Bibles". Many scholars now agree that the much more likely explanation is that the "He" and "She" King James Bible First Editions of 1611 were done at approximately the SAME TIME on two different presses.
There is no real evidence that one variant is any older than the other. The main reason “He” variants cost more, is simply because there are fewer of them (fewer than 50 known to exist). If you want an ORIGINAL 1611 King James First Edition, you can save a lot of money simply by choosing the "She" printing (of which fewer than 150 are known to exist).
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This King James Version Bible is an unspeakably rare collector’s item. The printers were fined 300 pounds sterling for their terrible typographical error in printing the Ten Commandments, omitting the all-important word “not” and rendering the verse as, “Thou shalt commit adultery”! The lot of 1,000 copies were ordered destroyed, but only a handful escaped destruction, making them the rarest of rare. This is the only one for sale in the world.
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The first Bible printed in America. Printed in the native Algonquin Indian language, and used by John Eliot to evangelize the American Indians. He actually had to develop a phonetic rendering of their native tongue and convert their spoken language into print for the first time! America's first Bible. Individual leaves from another (fragmented) Eliot Bible are available in our Ancient Rare Bible Leaves section.
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The first Bible printed in English in America. Only two copies are known to exist for sale world-wide. We have both. Read more about this "Bible of the Revolution" in our Ancient-Rare Bible Leaves Section.
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A Complete Hebrew Torah (original Old Testament Scriptures) on a giant sheepskin scroll over 160 feet long and 2 1/2 feet high! The oldest (and largest) item in our Bookvault: dates back to the early 1100's AD. One-of-a-kind, with a beautiful, hand-crafted soft cloth cover.
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