Ever think you may have something that has value or worth something to someone? I never really thought about it before. Back oh, I’d say 15 or so years ago I purchased many, many antique books. I used to work for someone who had a huge library of antique books and I was quite taken with them. I think that moved me to acquire some of my own.

I’m finally deciding that I don’t have use for them, except for the ones I decorate with. I am going thru them one by one and researching them online. Today I came across two very interesting books one being the Bible which was printed in 1839. I only paid $5.00 for it and in all honesty, that is still all it’s worth. When thumbing thru the huge book I found many keep sakes like old dried flowers with a clipping from a funeral on the same page, I found newspaper clippings from the early 1800’s all the way thru as late as 1916. While flipping thru the pages I found a Birth, Marriage, and Death registry between the Old and New Testaments. Come to find out that Bible has the important dates of a family that date back to 1806. The owner did a wonderful job of keeping the family registry. Bob and I, the genealogy fanatics that we are, are trying to find the family that this Bible belongs to. The person that owned this Bible kept so many articles and Sunday school and church bulletins from the mid 1800’s. I even found an old scrap of material between the pages. There is a huge newspaper clipping from the Civil War and a vast of cool old documents. I sure hope we can find the right home for this wonderful old Bible. I’m not here to make any money on this and we have taken it upon ourselves to make a project out of this to find the family as we feel this would be a valuable keepsake for them.

I have another interesting book that I purchased many, many years ago. It is Angelica Kauffmann, her life and her works. Her paintings are beautiful and this book displays them well. The exciting part about my book is that this edition has three extra plates and is limited to 75 numbered copies of which this is number 19. It is also signed by the original authors. It was published in 1924 and is the first edition. I found reprints of this book for as high as $250.00 so I have no idea what my book could be worth. Bobby wants me to have this one appraised and who knows if I will ever get that done.

It’s amazing what you find while cleaning up around the house or could it be we are just the sentimental type?