15th Century Torah Goes For Record $3.87 Million at Auction

By Dianna Dilworth 

torahAn anonymous buyer picked up a 15th-century edition of the Torah for a cool $3.87 million at an auction in Paris this week. The price is a record high for such a book.

The book was printed in Hebrew in Bologna in January 1482. According to the Christe’s listing, “the volume represents the very first appearance in print of all five books of the Pentateuch as well as the first to which vocalisation and cantillation marks have been added. It is equally the first time that the printed Biblical text is accompanied by Rashi’s commentary and the paraphrase in Aramaic (Targum Onkelos). The significance of this edition is demonstrated by the fact that this format is still in use today when printing the Torah.”

The company estimated the value of the book at $1.38-$2.07 million before the auction.