This article was originally written by Reid N. Moon for Meridian Magazine. The following is an excerpt.
I have been selling rare Mormon books for almost 30 years. During that time, I’ve seen the price of a first edition Book of Mormon [1830] increase from around $5,000 in the late 1980s to an astonishing $100,000 in 2016. With a six-figure price tag, I think that most people would be surprised to learn that on a list of the “Ten Most Expensive Mormon Books,“ a first edition Book of Mormon does not rank at the top–in fact, it comes in at #9!
I have compiled this list with the help of several notable book dealers who also specialize in rare Mormon books. This list will rank the ten most expensive Mormon books and give a price that could be expected to be paid for a copy that is in very good to near fine condition. As with all collectibles, prices can vary dramatically based on condition.
Here is the list of the Ten Most Expensive Mormon Books:
1) Book of Commandments [1833] $1,250,000
Many of you know the story of Mary Elizabeth Rollins. She was the young woman who, with the aid of her younger sister Caroline, rescued some of the sheets of the Book of Commandments that had been scattered in the streets after a mob destroyed the press in Independence, Missouri on July 20, 1833. Very few copies have survived. In fact, there are only about 30 known copies–and only eight are in private hands. At an acquisition price of over a million dollars, the Book of Commandments is the most expensive book on this list. In fact, it could be on almost any list of the “most expensive books.”
2) The Evening and Morning Star [1832-33] $500,000
This was the first Mormon newspaper. A prospectus, written by W. W. Phelps, indicated that this paper would be devoted to “the revelations of God as made known to his servants by the Holy Ghost, at sundry times since the creation of man, but more especially in these last days.” The Evening and Morning Star contained some the first printed revelations of Joseph Smith.
Read the full article at ldsmag.com.
