Would you like to know if your antique Bible is worth anything? This guide should be able to tell you!
As there have been such a huge amount of printings of the Bible across the centuries, of course we can't cover every edition, and so this guide is intended to be more general. As always, there are exceptions to the rules, and I'll try to discuss at least some of these more valuable editions.
The first step is to figure out when your Bible was printed. The vast majority will have a date at the bottom of the title page, either in the usual form (e.g. '1763') or in Roman numerals (e.g. 'MDCCLXIII'). If you're not confident with Roman numerals you can simply enter these into an online 'Roman numeral converter' which will convert this to a normal date for you.
1800-1900
For the most part, Bibles printed during this period do not hold much value, despite often having very nice leather bindings etc. This is the case essentially independent of language/version etc, with a very small number of exceptions. The vast majority of Bibles printed during this time period are worth less than £50. The easiest exception to identify is for particularly nicely bound examples, such as that pictured below, especially if there are colour illustrations within, as often found in the John Brown Self-Interpreting Bibles. These are typically worth around £100, but particularly nice examples can go as high as £1,000.
This KJV pictured above (left) is undated, but dates from circa 1860, and is in a very nice binding in lovely condition. We sold this in 2024 for £200. The one on the right is similarly nice, though a little more rubbed/worn, and sold for £140. This one (right) also contained full page colour illustrations throughout. Do bear in mind that we sell books at very affordable prices and they sell very quickly and so in a more typical retail environment you can comfortably double these prices.
The very nice 3 volume (or multiple volume) Bibles like that pictured above (left), such as the D'Oyly, Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry, Hewlett, etc, versions, are more valuable. We sold the one pictured above (left) in 2024 for £350, and examples like this range from ~£150 - £500, with exceptional examples having the potential to be worth more. The example on the right was in worse condition and sold for £90.
The above is a far more typical Bible from the mid 1800s, and these are very common. We sold the one pictured above for £65, but that is slightly higher than typical for these types of Bibles because the blindstamped design of this binding is rather nice. The more standard example will be worth between £5 and £50.
1700-1800
Bibles printed during this time period begin to get more valuable, though were still printed in huge numbers. There is quite a large amount of variation in this time period in value between the late 1700s and early 1700s, naturally with the earlier examples typically having a higher value. The more typical 18th century English Bible is worth between £100 and £250.
English Bibles during this time period are typically worth much more than their Latin, French, Greek, etc counterparts. Latin Bibles in this period, such as the Sixto-Clementine Vulgate (Catholic) are typically not very valuable (~£10-£30). However, KJV Bibles, especially nice examples, can be very valuable, especially if printed by important printers such as John Baskerville, John Baskett, etc. Douay-Rheims versions of this time period can be valuable if they are particularly nice bindings.
The large folio size KJV Bibles such as those pictured above are relatively common, but are very nice indeed! We sold the one on the left for £130 and the one on the right for £220. The prices of these typically range from around £100 up to £1,000. However, there are some notable exceptions, such as the 1763 and 1769 John Baskerville KJV Bibles, worth up to £10,000, and the 1716-1717 John Baskett Bible also worth up to £10,000 (though typically less). We have sold both Baskerville and John Baskett Bibles before and we sold a 1769 Baskerville Bible for £1,200, and a 1716-1717 John Baskett folio 'Vinegar' Bible for £2,500.
Bibles such as those above, printed by John Baskett between 1720 and 1732, are very nice. We sold these for between £400 and £2,200.
Pictured above is a copy of the 1716-1717 John Baskett 'Vinegar' Bible we sold in 2023 for £2,500. It is very large indeed and has been described as "the most magnificent Bible ever produced in England." Examples in nicer bindings can fetch up to £10,000, potentially as much as £20,000 with particularly good provenance etc, or bound into two volumes instead of one. We sold ours at a very competitive price. It is difficult to obtain this edition for less than £5,000.
1600-1700
This is the age in which Bibles on average are worth quite a bit more, with some notable examples being worth a significant amount. Obvious examples being the 1611 first edition of the King James Bible (reads 'he went into the citie' in Ruth 3:15), the 1613 second issue of the KJV (reads 'she went into the citie' in Ruth 3:15), etc.
We have sold Bibles from the later 1600s for as low as £100 , and so age is not an indicator of value on its own (unless we're talking about Bibles much older!). However, an English Bible printed in the period 1600-1630 will always have value, generally more so if a KJV, less so if a Geneva version.
Geneva Bibles
The Geneva Bible was first printed in 1560. For information on Geneva Bibles prior to 1600, see the section below.
The above Geneva Bible dating from 1609 we sold for just £420 in 2024. This represents really the lowest price a Geneva Bible is likely to sell for. Unless it is in really bad condition, most Geneva Bibles will be more valuable than this.
The above is a far more typical Geneva Bible, dating from 1608. It has had some restoration but remains largely original, as with most copies, and we sold this example for £1,000 in 2023.
The above Geneva Bible dating from 1606 we also sold for £1,000 in 2023, but this copy has been rebound. This copy had both of its title pages which is fairly rare. Most Geneva Bibles of this period lack one or both title pages. There are usually dates towards the end of sections, but if you can't find the date of the Geneva Bible you have and would like to, consult a copy of A.S. Herbert's Historical Catalogue of Printed Bibles and this will help you determine the printing year.
Above is an example of the 1611 Geneva Bible we sold in 2023 for £1,200. This year carries a bit of a premium, especially with both title pages, as it's quite nice to have a Bible actually printed in 1611, even if not the KJV. It was internally in relatively poor condition, though in a nice rebacked original binding.
King James Bibles
KJV Bibles began being printed in 1611. An important point to note is that just because a Bible says '1611' on it, that does not mean it was printed in 1611. The majority of KJV Bibles printed after 1611 have that date written on them somewhere. The true 1611 first edition of the KJV is worth between £30,000 and £100,000, possibly more if a nice example, especially in an original binding. It was absolutely huge in size and intended to be impressive.
The later KJV printings (after 1630) are less valuable. KJV Bibles printed between 1630 and 1700 we would typically sell for between £100 and £1,000, depending on edition etc, with the more typical example being towards the lower end of that range. The large folio KJV Bibles of the 1670s and 1680s are quite nice and more towards the upper end of that range. As a slight aside, there is a nice folio edition which was printed in 1701 with a beautiful engraved title page we have sold a few times at the upper end of that range.
Above is a 1613 King James Bible we sold in early 2023 for £3,000. This is the first quarto edition of the KJV and this edition does read 'he went into the citie' in Ruth 3:15. This is not to be confused with the first edition of the KJV which was released in a huge folio size, and the various impressions of this which followed, all of which are significantly more expensive than this edition. There is another KJV similar to this printed the same year which reads 'she went into the citie' in Ruth 3:15 which is slightly less valuable than this edition. We sold a copy of that edition for £2,500 also in 2023 in broadly similar condition.
Above is a 1621 King James Bible we sold in 2023 for £3,000. This edition is a bit more valuable than typical examples as it has a lot of misprints, spelling errors, etc, one of which is pictured above which is a misspelling of Corinthians. KJV Bibles of this period with misprints are actually more valuable, especially if the misprints are significant, such as the infamous 'Wicked Bible' which misprinted "thou shalt commit adultery", omitting the "not" in Exodus 20. That particular Bible is extremely rare and very valuable (£30,000-£50,000)
Above is an example of a 1622 KJV in quite poor condition, though original & unrestored. We sold this for £800 in 2023. The condition of the interior of this copy was actually very nice indeed. If a copy is in poor condition internally as well, it would be difficult to get higher than £400 for a copy like that, and even that would be the higher range of its price potential.
Above is an example of a later King James Bible, one of the more typical of the period, dating from 1627 (Herbert 406). This one was nice as it was completely original and unrestored whilst remaining fully useable. We sold this copy for £2,000 in 2023.
The Restoration Period (c.1660-1680)
There were some Bibles printed during this period which were bound by notable bookbinders such as Samuel Mearne. If your Bible is in a particularly excellent binding, such as the one pictured below attributed to the Mearne bindery (a book we handled), it is definitely worth consulting with a reference book by H.M. Nixon called English Restoration Bookbindings. These can be extremely valuable. The nicest examples have sold in excess of £300,000, though a far more realistic and typical price range is £10,000-£50,000.
17th Century Bibles in Other Languages
Bibles in Latin and French during this period are generally not quite old enough to be of significant value. Early Sixto-Clementine Vulgates are an exception, as well as multiple volume sets, especially in vellum. We have acquired 17th century Latin Bibles for as cheap as £10.
Above is an example of just how inexpensive these 17th century Latin Bibles can be. We sold this 1635 Bible for only £200, and this is a more important example, being a very rare edition even with an auction appearance at Bonhams 27th November 2012 lot 15 where it sold for £750. So you can see how a far more typical 17th century Latin Bible is more in the realm of £50-£200, as always, with some exceptions which are much more valuable.
Above is a particularly notable example of a 17th century foreign language Bible, being the Elzevir Press 1669 Bible. It is one of the most magnificent Bibles we have ever had the privilege to sell, but despite this we sold this for just £2,000. In this time period, foreign language Bibles are generally just much less valuable than English ones.
1500-1600
This is the time period where all Bibles, irrespective of language/translation etc, will possess value. It is also where originality becomes much more valuable, and some condition issues become a lot more forgivable. This section will be split between English Bibles and all other Bibles, as there is a huge value difference between English Bibles after ~1570 and those before 1570.
16th Century English Bibles
Geneva Bibles are the most common 16th century English Bible one will encounter. The first edition of the Geneva Bible was printed in 1560, and that is typically worth between £20,000 and £50,000, but more if a particularly nice copy. It's worth mentioning here that with the 1599 Geneva Bible which remains a very popular version, it's almost never actually from 1599. Most copies that bear the date of 1599 were actually printed later in the Netherlands after the Geneva Bible was banned, mostly in the 1620s-1640s, as such the 1599 Geneva Bible is typically worth less than similarly dated Geneva Bibles of the 1590s.
The typical Geneva Bibles of the 1580s and 1590s of quarto size are generally worth between £800 and £5,000. Below are two examples we have sold from this period which show some of this range.
Above is a 1585 Geneva Bible we sold for £1,750 in 2023.
Above is a very nice 1588 Geneva Bible which we sold for £4,500 in late 2023.
English Bibles printed prior to 1560 are very expensive. The earlier one goes, the more expensive they get... very quickly. Some later editions of The Great Bible, The Matthew Bible, etc, can be obtained for around £5,000, but the earlier editions are significantly more expensive. Of course, if one goes as early as the Coverdale Bible or even Tyndale, then prices skyrocket to £100,000s, and in many cases, millions.
16th Century Foreign Language Bibles
As one might expect, there is a huge variety within the 1500s for foreign language Bibles. The 1500-1520 period of Bibles have high values. We sold a 1516 illustrated Sacon Bible for £2,800 in 2023, though prices for similar Koberger etc imprints range up to around £10,000.
The 1580 Latin Bible pictured above is significant for being the first complete Latin Bible printed in England. We sold this for £1,000 in 2022, back when we used to use our old photo background!
Pictured above is a very nice Latin Bible printed in 1571 which we sold in 2023. The binding is particularly remarkable, probably German, and beautifully decorative. We have the price in our records down as £1,900 for this, though as I recall I think this ended up being sold for less.
Pictured above is a 1534 Latin Bible we sold in 2023 for £750. This was the first Bible printed by a woman.
1455-1500
This is a period referred to as 'incunabula' or 'incunabulum' (singular) which simply refers to books printed within the first few decades of the invention of the printing press.
In general in this period, the older you go the more expensive it gets. Printed Bibles from the 1480s and 1490s are obtainable, though expensive. Once breaking the barrier into the 1470s they become extremely expensive and significantly more difficult to come by, into the 1460s then even more extremely expensive and near unobtainable, and in the 1450s... well, if you have a Gutenberg Bible you're in a very good position as a seller! One hasn't appeared for sale in decades.
Bibles with rubrication carry a premium, and ones with illumination carry a much bigger premium. Illustrated Bibles of this period are also much more desirable than those not illustrated, though all incunable Bibles are hugely desirable.
Some printers are more in demand than others, for example Anton Koberger's various incunable Bible printings are particularly nice (and obtainable).
Above is a 1495 Bible printed by Johannen Froben, one of very few octavo Bibles printed in the incunabula period - the majority are fairly large quartos or folios. The first octavo Bible was also printed by Froben and that was in 1491, and so prior to that all printed Bibles were quite large, typically at least 300mm tall. The size of this Bible recalls the Book of Hours size types of the 1450s-1490s. We sold this Bible in late 2023.
Above is the first edition of Nikolaus Kessler's Bible printed in 1487 which we sold in 2024. It is a beautiful example of both rubrication and illumination in a magnificent binding. This is the earliest printed Bible we have handled/sold to date.
Before 1455
Yes, it's valuable! Very valuable. This will of course be on a case-by-case basis rather than being able to provide more general overviews, but of course complete manuscript Bibles will generally be worth more than fragments/sections of a similar period, and New Testament manuscripts are typically more valuable than Old Testament ones or Psalters.
We have handled a fair amount of Biblical material prior to 1455, though never a complete manuscript Bible (yet!).
The above is what remains of an 11th century codex covering part of the book of Exodus, which, at the time of writing, is available for sale from us for £35,000. This is what Bibles looked like from circa the time of Jesus through to around the 13th century where they started to take a more recognisable form. The Dead Sea Scrolls, for example, have a similar appearance. During this period, they were rarely in a more complete form as we might recognise today, and typically split in sections (e.g. the Torah/Pentateuch, separate Megillah scrolls (Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Lamentations, Esther, & Ruth), often separate Prophets, separate Gospels, etc. A complete manuscript Bible of such earliness is incredibly rare, and very few remain in existence (Codex Vaticanus, Sinaiticus, etc)
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING ANTIQUE BIBLES, FIND OUR EBAY PAGE (WOODPAZ BOOKS) WHERE WE REGULARLY AUCTION BIBLES DATING AS EARLY AS THE 1400s THROUGH TO THE 1800s FOR COMPETITVE PRICES YOU'LL STRUGGLE TO FIND ANYWHERE ELSE!