Chopping up old Bibles on eBay?

[Derek J]

So I'm on eBay quite a bit, looking for good deals on cool books, and I came across this today.

1582 Geneva Bible Leaf, small folio ~U Choose~ $29 | eBay

I decided to looked up "bible leaf" to see if it was a trend, and sure enough, nearly a thousand results! I don't know how to feel about this; is it sacrilegious to chop up a historical bible, or is it good to get some it into the hands of people who otherwise wouldn't have an opportunity to so much as look at a full one? The prices on some of these are a bit nuts tho.

What are your thoughts?

 

[rsr]

Bibles are private property. People can do with them as they will. Some people want to own a page of a rare Bible and will pay for it. They may have no interest in its spiritual value.

Baptists (and Protestants generally) do not worship the Bible. At least these collectors want to preserve the history of the translation, not destroy it.

 

[Logos1560]

Complete or whole editions of Bibles printed in the 1500's are likely more valuable as an whole edition.

Most likely, a single leaf or page is taken from a Bible whose binding was damaged or gone and with several or many pages already missing from it. Since it cannot be sold as a rare, valuable complete Bible, some try to sell individual pages of it.

 

[Deacon]

I’d also be concerned about the authenticity of the document.

Even the Bible Museum in Washington was hoodwinked into purchasing fake material.

Rob

 

[Deacon]

As a book ages it becomes fragile, brittle, spines break, binding fail, pages warp, fox, become brittle, etc.
Rebinding a book is an option sometimes but it can be quite expensive.

There is a good example currently on EBay (HERE)
A 2 volume mixed set, which includes an 1806 and a 1827 volume, of a Griesbach Novum Testamentum Graece (Greek New Testament)

The pictures offered show severely trimmed margins. This collection has some historical significance so perhaps it might find a buyer but it is only for show.

At some point a decision needs to be made, and selling a Bible for its parts becomes a real option, not so much for other literature.

Buyers beware though, it’s easy to be hoodwinked.

Rob

 

[JonC]

This is a problem. Often historic bibles are worth more in bits and pieces. Reputable companies do not do thus (or do they say).