Expert: Mark Smith - 2/7/2005

Question
Hi there, i have a small holy bible, (King James Version, white imitation leather, silver edges), with the wording on page 2

..In terms of the Letters Patent granted by Her late Majesty Queen Victoria to Her printers for Scotland, and of the Instructions issued by Her said Majesty in Council, dated Eleventh July, Eighteen Hundred and Thirty-Nine, I hereby Licence and Authorise WILLIAM COLLINS SONS AND COMPANY LIMITED, Glasgow, to Print and Publish, as by the Authority of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, an Edition of the Holy Bible in Gem Type, quadragesimo octavo size, as proposed in their Declaration dated the Tenth day of November, Nineteen Hundred and Fifty five, the terms and conditions of the said Instructions being always and in all points fully complied with and observed by the said WILLIAM COLLINS SONS AND COMPANY LIMITED. Dated at Edinburgh, the first day of December, Nineteen Hundred and Fifty-five.
W.R.MILLIGAN
Lord Advocate

could you please tell me if there were many of these made and if it is worth anything, i imagine it isn't but i would be interested to know.

Many thanks
Dan

Answer
Hello Dan.
I had a very similar question last year, except the date of the bible was 1908 and it stated that 5000 copies were printed.
It seems that William Collins and Son printed copies of the bible regularly, so I doubt if it is worth very much.
In order for a bible to be valuable it has to be very old or special in some way, it is the commonest book in the English language.
Mark