Deseret News | Rare Book of Mormon found in New York home, set for auction

Reader comments
Rare Book of Mormon found in New York home, set for auction

Anonymous | 3:33 p.m. Sept. 14, 2007

It's too bad people are so selfish. Why does it have to be auctioned? Why can't the owner donate it to the LDS Church? I notice the owner doesn't want to be named in the article. If I found an artifact that was of great importance to the Catholic Church, or the Bhuddists, or whomever, I would donate it to that organization, simply out of the joy they would have over it... not auction it off to see how much money I could get.

anonymousthe 2nd | 5:03 p.m. Sept. 14, 2007

sign of the times anonymous. People think that everything is theirs and not the lords, in contradiction to the teachings of peter i believe, that "the earth is the lords". otherwise we would all be living the dream that many people mistakenly call communism. we are supposed to be willing to give our all to the lord and his church. time, money, property. As a poor security guard i can tell you it's hard to even pay my tithing sometimes, so i try hard not to fault others when i hear of stories like this. I start with myself, am i paying fast offerings, am I paying a full tithe? There will be day when the lord will bring all things as one, and where people don't sell sacred things for gain.

Nate | 5:50 p.m. Sept. 14, 2007

The Thing With donating it is that the church already has at least some copies of the Original Book of Mormon or have a way to get their hands on it. So its not like its one of a kind, its perfectly reasonable to sell it. If the owner doesn't want it he is making the smart decision to sell it. (Unless he wants to donate it to me and then I can sell it and make a couple of thousand dollars. :D)

Comments continue below

Ken Baguley | 6:04 p.m. Sept. 14, 2007

It's perfectly fine to sell it to someone who will treasure it. It obviously is not treasured by the owner who is willing to keep it intact and allow someone who has the ability to pay...If I found one I would sell it and pay tithes and offerings because of it. Sometimes individuals tend to worship, wrongfully so, earthly items. The Lord is whom we must worship...not earthly things.

HM | 7:49 p.m. Sept. 14, 2007

Just out of interest, The Rare BOoks room at the University of Illinois has a first edition. I had the chance once to handle it while I was on campus many years ago.

Anonymous | 11:48 p.m. Sept. 14, 2007

To: anonymousthe 2nd

Nice comment. You call yourself a "poor security guard", you may be poor to the things of the earth but you seem wealthy where it counts. Good on you.

MP | 12:57 p.m. Sept. 15, 2007

Re the comment about selling the book. The owner probably wasn't even LDS. Book collectors collect books of all types. Estate sales mean someone has died and EVERYTHING must be sold and proceeds put back into the estate for dividing among heirs. Judges usually don't care for someone "donating" valuble items unless it was requested in the desceased person's will.

Tim Burr | 9:26 p.m. Sept. 16, 2007

So, if it's a "first edition" does that mean the "golden plates" have been found?

Michelle | 9:47 p.m. Sept. 16, 2007

Tim, First edition is not the same as original, but it was a funny thought!!! Thanks for the laugh!

Y. John | 8:35 a.m. Sept. 17, 2007

The seller is not a Temple Recommend Holder is not required to donate the book for the building up of the kingdom. I pray that member will buy it and then donate it to the Church.

AB | 6:36 p.m. Sept. 17, 2007

Even if the seller was a Temple Recommend holder, there is no "requirement" to donate it to the Church. The real value of the Book of Mormon lies in it's power to bring us to Christ, not in the dollar value it takes on the auction block as an item of historical interest or significance. The value in the copy of the 1st printing was the tremendous faith and sacrifice of many that it took to have it printed. To me that is what it represents and that is why I would treasure it in a uniquely different way. Whether a new copy or an older copy, it is a treasure that holds no monetary bounds.

Local Yokel | 1:53 p.m. Sept. 19, 2007

I went to the auction today. The Book of Mormon sold for $96,000 and the fourteen pictures from 1905, including historic sites and Joseph F. Smith, sold for about $7,000. There was a large crowd, but after the initial bid price of $75,000 was announced, the only bidders were proxies--local individuals getting guidance via cell phone as to how to bid. The auctioneer said that the pictures went "to California" but no details were given on who bought the book.

jack | 1:48 p.m. Nov. 8, 2007

Trust me, if the LDS church wanted the book, then they have plenty of money to buy it. It is just a book, you can get the same thing for a few bucks at the local bookstore minus a few years. Its the words that matter not the age. It is valuable simply because it is old and people for some strange reason pay a lot of money for old things.

Boyd Hemminger | 11:59 a.m. Oct. 10, 2008

Denison Root is the husband of Phebe Hale Root. She was the daughter of Isaac Hale. Emma Hale Smith, her sister, was the wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr.. Denison Root is my 2nd great grandfather. I will not be in a position to buy the book but would dearly love to see it or have a copy of the page with Denison Root and Hyrum Smiths names. I descend from him as follows: Denison Root's son was Alva Denison Root, Alva Denison Root's son was Charles Hale Root, his daughter was Blanche Root Hemminger, her son was B. Charles Hemminger. I am Boyd Charles Hemminger.

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