What is the HISTORY of the Bible in English?
See the BIBLE FLOWCHART -- a major heading on our Home Page: the Bible in ENGLISH from 1380-1881. (LATIN leaves are not included in the Flowchart. The Bible in Latin was haphazzard from about 200 AD, possibly earlier, but standardized by Jerome in 383. Manuscripts prior to 1220, when chapters were first added, are exceedingly rare!!) For MANUSCRIPTS in Latin c.1240-1260, see "Bi-fold Portfolio" / "Biblia Sacra 1250." These illuminated manuscripts date from the crusades and were handy to carry by the clergy.

What about LAY-AWAY?
Lay-away is available for Items priced more than $500. Please call to make arrangements. A $100 non-refundable initial installment is required for an Item to be taken off the market and reserved for the purchaser. Minimum monthly installments are $100, and may be made for up to 6 months. Skipped monthly installments (from the date of initial payment + 10 calendar days) will incur a non-refundable $25 "holding charge." If the Item is no longer wanted, or if 3 successive monthly installments are skipped, or if the Item is not fully paid after 6 months: then the Item itself and 1/2 of all monies received towards the purchase price (less the $100 initial payment and holding charges) are forfeit. The Item will be sent to the purchaser upon payment in full. Until an Item is fully paid, it remains the legal property of Historic Bibles, inc. UPDATED/EFFECTIVE 3/28/08.

What BIBLES & LEAVES are in the Portfolios?
For particular BIBLES, see our INVENTORY -- a major heading on our Home Page. Only ENGLISH and LATIN Bibles are available at this time. For particular VERSES, email us or call 541-990-9919 (Pacific Time). Only PREMIUM LEAVES are in Portfolios. Premium leaves are TITLES (e.g., Exodus 1, Psalms 1, John 1, Hebrews 1) and significant TEXTS (e.g., Ex 20, Ps 23, Jn 3:16, Heb 11). RANDOM leaves are non-premium leaves "randomly" selected by us and sold in archival sleeves with a signed COA -- see "Random Leaves."

What about the CONDITION of a leaf?
Poor - Good - FINE - EXCELLENT - SUPERIOR. 98% of all leaves on this site are FINE or better; flaws are noted. Overall CONDITION is determined as follows: Poor: Text partly missing. Good: Text intact. Leaf partly damaged or torn away. Fine: With flaws, as noted. Excellent: Minor flaws only, as noted. Superior: Flawless.

What does LIMITED EDITION mean?
Only "premium" leaves are put into portfolios. A fully intact Bible contains about 250 "premium" leaves that are in good enough condition to be preserved in a portfolio. Some Bibles, however, are not intact or have torn or badly corrupted sections, and thus are not suitable for binding. Such Bibles may be taken apart and the leaves sold individually or in sets. These Bibles may only have 50 or 100 or 200 premium leaves. Thus, a Bible with 100 usable leaves is a "limited edition" of 100, and no more than 100 leaves will be numbered as such in our portfolios. A leaf that is designated as "LimEd 45/100" means that this is the 45th out of 100 designated premium-leaf portfolios from this Bible. Other portfolios may be produced from that Bible but not as part of the Limited Edition.

How is a leaf PRICED?
Price is determined mostly by (1) RARITY (2) POPULARITY (3) CONDITION (4) SIZE. RARITY: English Bibles prior to 1570 are very costly, as are any Latin Bibles prior to 1530. POPULARITY: The most familiar texts (Ex 20, Ps 23, Jn 3:16, etc) are the most wanted, as are many highly theological texts (Is 6, Rom 3, Heb 11, etc). CONDITION: The better the condition, the higher the price. SIZE: In general, the larger the leaf, the higher the price.

Do you take CONSIGNMENTS?
Yes. Bibles accepted for consignment will be received at Owner's risk and expense. Profits realized above an agreed Wholesale Price will be split evenly with Historic Bibles, inc. and the Owner. With only a few exceptions, only Bibles printed prior to 1640 will be considered for consignment. Please do not send us your Bible without a prior agreement.