Local rare book dealer Ken Sanders said Swann Galleries contacted him six months ago to ask about authenticity of the Pratt signature. "I predicted then — and again earlier today — that the Pratt Book of Mormon would sell from $150,000 to $200,000. Fortunately, I didn't predict the hymnal. If I had, I would have been dead wrong. I thought it would go for $75,000, so I was astounded when it went for twice that."

Sanders attributes the soaring prices to "a growing religion with an increasingly affluent base of members and you're getting nontraditional folks buying — they're not book collectors. They're folks wanting an artifact of their religion. An 1830 Book of Mormon is what started it all. Those Palmyra editions for LDS people have become the Holy Grail of Mormon book collecting."

After today's sale, he said, "you'll be hard pressed to find any first edition sold for under $100,000." Good news for owners and collectors, and apparently a push for those considering the rare LDS book market.

"We've sold over six figures worth of rare LDS books today," Sanders said, "and I attribute that to the auction. Thank you, Swann!"

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