RICK: So what have we got here?
 This is a very special book.
It's called an incunable.
It was printed in 1484, one
of the oldest printed books.
 Just what we need,
Rick, another old book.
 We sell old books.
It's part of our jobs.
It's part of our business.
Part of his job is just
be a grumpy old bastard.
 Whatever.
RICK: [LAUGHS]
ADAM: Book is
about a very famous
theologian and philosopher,
St. Thomas Aquinas.
The book was bought at
auction 20 something years
ago for $3,500.
So I hope it's
gone up since then
and I can make a
little bit of a profit.
It's very interesting.
The binding, actually,
it's bound in pigskin.
RICK: OK.
ADAM: Which is one of the early
ways you would bind books.
I mean, when you think about
what this book survived--
and this was nine years before
Columbus set sail for America.
RICK: OK, that is
definitely cool.
It's no secret that
I love antique books.
If it checks out, I'm definitely
going to want this for myself.
I'm sort of in love
with it already.
ADAM: All of these little
holes were made by book worms.
They munched away.
RICK: Um, I don't think
that's a good thing.
Books this old tend to be
really rare and valuable.
But it's in rough
shape, and I don't
want to take a gamble before
I have Rebecca check it out.
REBECCA: Some of the most
beautiful books ever printed
are some of the earliest.
And this is actually
quite a beautiful book.
With most books, age
doesn't matter, right?
When you have edition, first
edition, that's what you
want-- the first book printed.
The exception-- incunables.
They are actually collected
simply because of their age.
Rick, you brought me in.
What are you worried about?
RICK: I don't know if
this is great condition
or this is really bad
condition, because it is 1484.
 Really have to
consider the condition
for different time periods.
When you're talking about
a 15th century book,
there's actually a
little bit more leeway.
So, for example, the
wormholing that you're seeing,
a lot of 15th century
books have wormholing.
It doesn't hurt the
value very much.
Now, we do have a problem.
RICK: OK, what's the problem?
 A very important aspect of
this book is not original.
 Really?
REBECCA: This black
coloring here--
black is a most unusual
color for a 15th century
illumination.
This illumination is at
best late 19th century.
 So what do you think
it's worth right now?
REBECCA: If this were a
15th century illumination,
you'd be looking at a
price range of, you know,
$6,000 to $7,000.
Right now, it's worth
$3,500 to $4,000.
 Really?
REBECCA: Yeah.
RICK: Thanks a lot.
REBECCA: You're welcome.
 Thanks, Rebecca.
REBECCA: Yep, good seeing you.
RICK: Even though the
illumination was put
in the book later, it's one of
the first books ever printed,
and I would love to have it.
 Is $3,000 fair?
 I'll tell you what,
I will do $2,500.
I won't do a penny more.
 I mean, how many times do you
get an incunable in your shop
here?
 Not very often,
but remember, there's
a supply and demand thing.
I mean--
 Meet me at 3.
 I'll do 2,500.
 I'll do 25.
 2,500.
 You got it.
 Meet you right over there.
 I got this old card playing
book published in 1866
I think you'd be interested in.
 Sweet.
Does it teach you about
having a poker face?
That's pretty good.
KEVIN: This book-- not
in the best condition.
But it's an old book.
I think it was just for
the home use, people
wanting to learn the
different card games.
I'm hoping to get 1,500, and
the least amount would be 1,000.
CHUMLEE: So where'd
you get the book from?
KEVIN: Won it at a poker game.
 So let me get this right.
You're playing a poker
game with your buddy.
KEVIN: Mm-hmm.
CHUMLEE: And you
make a raise, and he
can't cover with
chips, so you say,
how about that old poker book?
 Yeah.
That's how it went.
 [LAUGHS] I like your style.
You said it was published when?
KEVIN: In 1866.
CHUMLEE: The long whist.
Dumby or three-handed whist.
Five card cribbage.
It's got a lot of games
I've never heard of, man.
Straight poker, draw poker.
Never heard of whiskey poker,
but I have heard of stud poker.
So it does have
some poker in there.
This is a really cool book.
I think a book like this
belongs here in Vegas.
A town like this was
built on card playing.
 Yes, it was.
That's why I brought it here.
CHUMLEE: Rick always tells me to
buy things from the early days
of gambling.
And this book is
practically ancient.
It might be falling
apart a little,
but I might go drop
a $20 bill and pick
this thing up for myself.
How much do you
want to sell it for?
 $1,500.
 $1,500?
Man, I was thinking
20, 30 bucks.
 I looked online.
I found one similar.
And they were asking 25.
CHUMLEE: You sure there wasn't
a decimal point after that 5?
 No, there wasn't.
I looked over it
again and again.
 Um, I'm not saying I
don't believe you, man.
But that's a lot of money
for a book on card rules.
But it is pretty old.
I got my book
expert in the back,
and she's going over
a few other things.
So I'd like her to come take
a look at this if you don't
have any objection to that.
 I welcome it.
I'd like to know
more about the book.
 All right, cool.
KEVIN: I'm very happy that
the book expert's here.
I'm ready to prove him wrong
and walk out with some money.
 Well, Rebecca,
sorry to pull you away
from the dungeon with Rick,
but here's the rule book
I was telling you about.
 I'm in the back.
I'm looking at a bunch
of books for Rick.
And then Chum calls me out.
He wants me to look
at another book.
These guys are all business.
Can't we just go out
and get a cup of coffee?
So much to ask?
What do we have here?
KEVIN: A book published in 1866
about different card games.
REBECCA: OK, where'd you get it?
KEVIN: Won it in a poker game.
 You won a card
book in a poker game?
 Yes, I did.
REBECCA: All right.
Well, let's take
a look at it then.
This is just a great example
of one of those how-to books
that they had in
the 19th century.
These things were really
popular because there wasn't
a great educational system.
So then you'd get all
these how-to books--
how to be a gentleman,
how to cook, how to clean,
how to play cards.
 Is a book like this
actually collectible?
 You know, it's not a first
edition "Huckleberry Finn."
But there are people who really
love collecting gambling books.
So there is a market for it.
The thing that's interesting
about this book in particular
is that there weren't actually
any books on the rules of poker
until 1858 that's documented.
So this one at 1866
is kind of a big deal.
And there are some other things
going on with it that might
be interesting to a collector.
Las Vegas is the
perfect market for this
because you're going
to have people who are
really excited about gambling.
And you have professional
poker players
coming here all the time.
They'd love something like this.
 So he wants 1,500 bucks for
this beat up, old, dusty book.
 Well, a book like this
you'd expect to be beat up.
It's going to be heavily used.
I mean, that being
said, what I would
place this book at if I were to
give it a price, I would say--
$2,000, maybe a little bit more.
 $2,000?
Are you guys taking
shots in the back room?
All right.
Then wow, it sounds like
you got a winner here.
 Oh, yeah.
CHUMLEE: All right,
well, thank you.
 Yep.
My pleasure.
Chum was really surprised
about how much this book could
go for, but there's
a whole genre
of collecting gambling books.
So there's a market for it.
CHUMLEE: So how much do
you want to get for it?
 She said $2,000.
How about $1,800?
CHUMLEE: I'm not
going to go that high.
My boss would kill me if
I bought a book for $1,800
and made $200 on it.
And if it sat here for a year,
there's no way I'd keep my job.
I'm looking more
like about $1,200.
 That's too low.
It'd be an easy sell.
CHUMLEE: It's not as
easy as you think.
 I think it is.
You're in Vegas.
CHUMLEE: If this was
the first "Tom Sawyer,"
I could put this in this case,
and it would be gone tomorrow.
But it's a specialized
book on gambling.
So give me a more realistic
number that I could work with,
man.
KEVIN: $1,600.
 If you can come down just a
little bit more, maybe $1,350,
you know, I could definitely
make a deal with you.
 Make it 14, you
can go write it up.
CHUMLEE: I think I'm
going to have to leave
it on the table with you.
 $1,375, and you
can go write it up.
 [EXHALES] I'm not going
to beat you up over $25.
That's a deal.
Lucky for me, I got a good
deal on the poker book.
Now I just gotta
make sure Steven
doesn't eat it for lunch.
- Hi.
- Hey, how can I help you?
What do we got here?
 So I have here what is
considered the first written
history of baseball.
 The first written
history of baseball.
This is cool.
I love how serious they look.
God, and I love the mustaches.
Super cool.
And what year is this?
 I believe it's 1910.
I did some research on the book.
And I believe this is the
first book that incorporated,
like, biographies of
just every major league
and former major league
player of that era.
 I love the photographs
of this thing.
Honus Wagner,
that's pretty cool.
Tyrus Cobb, who in my opinion,
was the greatest baseball
player in the world ever.
The prints in these
books, I mean,
I imagine would be worth money.
None of the pages are
missing, are they?
 No, the book is complete.
RICK: How much do
you want for it?
 I was looking to
get $1,300 out of it.
 1,300 bucks.
CUSTOMER: Yeah.
 All right, so I would
like to have a few people
maybe take a look at it.
 OK.
 Quite honestly, I've
never seen this book before.
I've never heard of this book.
It doesn't mean it's
not worth money.
It just means I
haven't heard of it.
So do you mind if I give someone
a call to take a look at this?
 Yeah, sure.
Absolutely.
 It's a cool book.
It came out in the early 1900s.
It's packed with photos.
You mind if I open it up?
CUSTOMER: Yeah, sure, go ahead.
 So you've heard of the book.
DAN WULKAN: Yeah, I've
definitely heard of the book.
In the sports
collectibles world,
this is definitely considered
the baseball Bible.
 It's signed by the author.
Oh, he's got a PSA on it,
so we know that's good.
 Alfred Henry Spink
established "The Sporting News."
It was considered the
first baseball newspaper
that came out into the public.
 OK.
What do you think it's worth?
DAN WULKAN: I think
in a retail market,
you're looking at $1,200.
 OK.
I just want one more
person to look at it
because this is sort of weird.
It sort of crosses two lines.
We have, like, the
sports world, and we
have, like, the book world.
And just bear with me.
I just want one more
person to look at it.
I'll be right back.
CUSTOMER: All right.
 Hi, Rick.
How are you?
 She's the book nerd.
CUSTOMER: Oh.
 [LAUGHS]
REBECCA: I prefer book expert.
RICK: OK, yeah, all right.
REBECCA: All right,
what do we go?
RICK: So this is
"The National Game."
It's a history of baseball
from 100 some years ago.
 This book is
definitely on its own,
signed or not, very collectible.
This is something that people
who are interested in history
of baseball, they want.
You know, over time, these
people become legends, right?
This is when that first
really starts happening.
It's a mythmaking book, right?
We are finally being able
to look back upon all
of these formative years.
Instead of being, like, in
the rough and tumble of it,
you're saying, oh, I
remember when this happened
and that happened.
And you start shaping the
myth of what baseball was.
And it becomes
bigger and grander.
But I do want to look
at condition, though.
With a book like this,
condition is really important.
RICK: It looks well read.
 It's not bad.
How a book kind of presents
is really important.
So this actually has a really
bright gilt, and that matters.
When you turn it a
little bit, it's less so.
It's a little bit
more dull here.
 It's got strong eye appeal.
 Yeah, in the book world,
we'll say, it "shows well."
CUSTOMER: OK.
 And it's signed by the author.
He's got the paperwork here.
 I, unlike a lot of
memorabilia dealers,
much, much prefer
having inscriptions,
rather than signatures
because it gives
you more data to work with.
So I greatly prefer
inscriptions.
So yeah, in terms
of condition, I
mean, it has a couple of flaws.
But for this book,
it is quite nice.
RICK: OK.
So I had Dan come
by and look at it,
and he says-- you know, he
told me this is worth, like,
1,200 bucks.
But in my head, I'm
sort of thinking
that it's more of
a bookstore thing
than a sports store thing.
And that's why I called you up.
 Right, so you're right that
there are different markets.
So in my experience,
there are book people
who also love sports
and will buy books
about the history of sports.
RICK: OK.
So what do you think it's worth?
 Talking about what I know
copies of this have traded at,
this is a pretty nice
copy, and condition is king
with when it comes to books.
And the other thing is that it
is scarce to have it signed.
And so what I would expect
for a copy in this condition
to go for in the book
market, I wouldn't
feel bad pricing it at $2,500.
 Great.
 OK.
You're absolutely amazing.
 Glad I could help.
RICK: Told you she
was a book nerd.
 Thank you so much.
 Yeah.
 Thanks.
So when you walked in here,
how much money did you want?
 I wanted $1,300.
But I mean, I never had a
book expert look at the book.
And I mean, I always
thought that it
was in really good condition.
 So I'll give you 1,300 bucks.
 Can you do 16?
 No.
No, it will take
a while to sell.
I know she said $2,500, and
I'm offering you $1,300.
But you have to
understand the market.
It is a book.
It is not going to
sell immediately.
I give you 1,300 bucks.
I think we're both
happy that way.
 All right, $1,300.
We got a deal.
 OK, sweet.
I'll meet you right
around the corner.
And we'll do some paperwork.
 All right.
Thank you.
I got a really good
price at 1,300.
I'm going to take
that $1,300 and invest
it into a Babe Ruth baseball.
 I have a 1652 copy of
Elias Ashmole's "Theatrum
Chemicum Brittannicum."
In it is the secret to creating
the philosopher's stone.
CHUMLEE: What is that?
 The philosopher's stone was
basically the secret manuscript
to create gold.
CHUMLEE: So the
secret's in this book?
JOHN: The secrets
are in this book.
I have a 1652 copy of
Elias Ashmole's "Theatrum
Chemicum Brittannicum."
I bought the book several years
ago from an antiquarian book
dealer.
They say you can't
turn lead into gold,
but I'm hoping to take this
book and turn it into cash.
RICK: I believe this
is a book on alchemy.
 What is alchemy?
 Alchemy is the art of
transmutating metals.
They figured if they combine
the right ingredients, mercury
and some sulfur and lead--
if you come up with
the secret to that,
you could live
forever and make gold.
Or you died.
 So there's a formula that
will help me turn things
into gold inside this book.
 There's actually
quite a few formulas.
CHUMLEE: Sweet.
 I know a little
bit about this book.
I know this was a combination
of a bunch of older texts that
were translated into English.
Technically, this
book was illegal.
The practicing of alchemy,
when it was printed,
was a capital crime, because
all of the countries of Europe
believed if you were
actually able to come up
with a formula for
making gold, all
the gold in their treasuries
would be worthless.
So there's also books in
alchemy that the Catholic
Church actually wrote down on a
list, this is a heretical book.
And I think the exact
punishment for being
caught doing alchemy
at the time was
to be hung from gilded gallows.
There were scientists
genuinely trying to create gold
and thought they might
have created something.
And then there was
a lot of charlatans
who were going around
selling, you know,
I got the secret manuscript.
You know, it's a very
interesting history.
 This diagram here contained
the key to all the secrets
that are in this book.
Have you ever heard
of "The Ninth Gate?"
 Yes.
 That movie with Johnny Depp?
The folding diagram there
is called the 12th gate.
The ninth gate is a
fictional reinterpretation
of the 12th gate, which that
is an actual illustration from.
There's a lot of
interesting things
that are going on in that book.
RICK: I think it's
really, really cool.
JOHN: Uh-huh.
- How much do you want for it?
 I want $23,000.
 I-- I need someone
to look at it.
I just don't know nearly
enough about this book.
 That's great.
 Give me five minutes.
 No problem.
RICK: Here it is, the
philosopher's stone.
 Yes, all right.
I know this book.
This has sort of
a fraught history.
Up until about 1500, alchemical
works, even though the printing
press had been around
for years, were not
printed because
the idea was there
is only a small circle that kind
of kept this among themselves.
And they didn't want
the public to know.
And it was a very important
influence on later scientists.
Notably, Isaac Newton
used this a lot.
It was his most consulted
alchemical text.
 OK, what kind of condition
do you think it's in?
 Let's see.
OK, because one of the
things about this book
is that it's really
hard to find complete.
It has the folding plate,
which most copies don't have.
That said, the thing that
appears to be missing in here
is a full page engraved plate
that's supposed to go here.
In addition to that, looking
at the condition here,
this is a lot of repairs.
And it's, like, full page.
Like, it's really hard
to tell here, too, like,
if this entire piece
here was missing.
 I see.
 So what do you
think it's worth?
 It's not a book that
comes up that often.
I've known a
complete copy that's
beautiful without
all these repairs
that sold for over $30,000.
But copies that are incomplete
without that folding plate--
$10,000 or less.
So this one, with all the
repairs and missing a plate,
I would place more
around $15,000.
RICK: You're great.
 I think you turned this
old, dusty book into gold.
 I tried.
All right.
Thanks, Chum.
 You're the best.
 Good seeing you.
REBECCA: Even though this
is not the ideal copy,
this book is
legitimately scarce.
I don't think Rick would
go round in buying this--
at a reasonable price.
 I absolutely love this.
I'll give you $9,000 for it.
 I don't think I can do 9.
How about 12?
 No.
I'll tell you what, I'll
give you 10 grand for it.
That's about as
much as I can go.
I think it's more
than a fair price.
 How about $10,500?
 You know what?
I'm feeling very generous today.
I'll give you $10,300.
 I'll take it.
 Sweet.
 Great.
 You want to go write him up?
 Sure, let me get
this book right here.
 No, no, no.
Don't touch this.
Just write him up, please.
 Come on.
Maybe you can just tell
me some of those secrets
so I don't have to
read that whole book.
 I sure will.
 I think I can actually
make gold with this.
What have we got this time?
 OK, this time, I brought
you the most incomplete book
that I've ever brought.
This is an actual printed
page from the Gutenberg Bible,
the very first printed book.
 Well, there was printing
before Gutenberg's printing
press, but those all sucked.
[LAUGHS]
ADAM: This time, I
think I brought Rick
something really unbelievable.
It's a single leaf from
the Gutenberg Bible.
It's really the first
substantial printed book
in the history of the world.
 So we have a leaf
here, which is a page.
ADAM: This is one page
from the Gutenberg Bible.
And you may ask why
there is only one page.
In the 1920s, a
famous book dealer
named Gabriel Wells came
upon an incomplete copy
of the Gutenberg Bible.
And he broke it up
into single pages.
And he put it with a
bibliographical essay,
and he had it very
beautifully browned.
And he sold them as
single pages where
he puts "a leaf of
the Gutenberg Bible"
and then the approximate
years that they
believe it was printed.
 Is it printed
on the other side?
 Yeah, it's a
double-sided leaf.
It's printed on very fine paper
that they imported from Italy
into Germany in the period.
And it's been hand rubricated
with colors with red and blue
after it's been
printed, so that it
looked more like a manuscript.
RICK: That's pretty amazing.
 The Gutenberg
Bible to this day
is regarded as one of the most
beautifully printed books.
 He had to invent the type.
He had to invent the
press that it went into.
He had to invent the ink.
It was a massive undertaking.
 It's like the internet, to
think how quickly they went
from printing a book like
this to having people copy
the invention, to go
throughout Europe,
setting up printing centers all
through Europe within 50 years.
 It literally was
like the internet.
It went from this
to scientific books
to fiction to dirty pictures
to a little bit of everything.
And--
 Well, there's no more
important invention
in the history of democracy
than the printing press,
because it's the
democratization of knowledge.
It puts the power of knowledge
into the hands of the people.
 And you found this
on one of your travels?
 Well, this came from
an estate that originally
belonged to a printer.
And I bought it from the estate.
I mean, I was beyond
thrilled to find it.
This particular leaf is
from the Old Testament.
It's from the second
book of chronicles,
which is towards the
end of the Hebrew Bible.
And it talks about
the purification
of the temple in Jerusalem.
 Cool.
OK, so the big question--
how much do you want for it?
 I came up with a number--
and you better brace
yourself, but remember
the importance of the book--
of $65,000 for the page.
 OK.
Like always, I'm
going to call Rebecca.
Let me get her down here.
This is--
 Oh, I would be delighted
she's going to be here.
I think she'll be
floored to see it.
 $65,000.
Adam is a regular customer
of mine that sells
me things on a regular basis.
He brought in a leaf
from the Gutenberg Bible,
and it's absolutely amazing.
But he wants $65,000.
And it would be
a sin if I didn't
make a profit on this thing.
So I'm calling in Rebecca.
 Hello.
 The world's most
famous book person meets
the world's most famous book.
[LAUGHS]
REBECCA: Is that
what I think it is?
RICK: It's a page of it.
 Right, a leaf.
 Well, a page to
me, a leaf to you.
 Well, page is actually one
side, and this is two pages--
one leaf.
RICK: All right.
You got me.
OK.
 Well, the most
important thing is it's
a leaf from the Gutenberg Bible.
 Yeah, and I just touched it.
The Gutenberg Bible,
I just touched it.
RICK: So when was the last
complete Gutenberg Bible sold?
 The full set hasn't
been sold since the '70s.
 Yeah, it's been
decades upon decades.
In the meantime, other books
have gone for over $10 million.
I mean, this would
just be astronomical.
It would break all the records.
RICK: So the thing
is, is it real?
- Can I hold it up to the light?
- Sure.
RICK: Sure.
 I've seen Gutenberg
bibles before,
but I don't think that I've
had a chance at this length
to really inspect one.
This is a chance that most
people are never going to get,
even for a book specialist.
 I would touch it, but I'm
afraid I'd catch on fire.
[LAUGHS]
REBECCA: I'm holding
it up to the light
so that I can see the
chain lines that you see
in handmade paper that
comes specifically
from paper of this period.
 It's real, correct?
 Yes.
RICK: OK.
What's it worth?
 Dealers I know and
trust, they're going
to place this around $80,000.
So I think that is fair to ask
for the way things are looking
right now in the market.
RICK: You're the best.
 Yep, happy to help.
 Well, thanks so much, Rebecca.
I really appreciate it.
So you heard from your friend,
an eminent book expert.
 So how much would
you be willing to go?
Of all the business we've
done over the years, like--
 You give me a number, what
you're comfortable with.
 $40,000.
 I can't do 40.
 I mean, that's what I
feel comfortable with.
Auctions are definitely
not an exact science.
 Yeah, I mean, $40,000 is so
on the lower scale in terms
of what I can take for it.
I mean, I didn't want to
come down so low, but 55.
You know, I'm trying
to be fair with you.
 And I know you are.
I would go $45,000.
That's the best I could do.
 I'm going to offer
it to you for $47,000.
And it would be foolish
for you to say no.
And that is a price I did not
imagine I would even agree to.
 I have a CFO in
an office right
down the hallway that's
going to be really mad at me.
So 47, we've got a deal.
 You're not going
to be mad when
you make a small fortune on it.
 It's amazing.
I'll meet you right in
front, so let me get
someone to keep an eye on this.
And I'll do some paperwork.
 Why need someone
to keep an eye?
It's only a page.
 No, it's two pages.
It's one leaf.
 Oh, you're right.
 [LAUGHS]
That's right.
I now own a page of
the Gutenberg Bible.
What do we got here?
 This is my copy of Sanson's
"Pocket Atlas" from 1700.
 So you-- someone's got some
really, really big pockets.
[CHUCKLES]
JAMIE: I bought this atlas
on an online auction.
I paid about $7,500
for this atlas.
And it's really not
something I can display.
I was always afraid of putting
it out on the coffee table
and having one of my friends
put a drink on top of it.
So it just kind of sits on
the shelf, collecting dust.
RICK: This is absolutely great.
So you said there's a
date on this from 1700?
 Yes, that's the
date it was printed.
RICK: Do you know why
atlases are called atlases?
JAMIE: No.
 Way back in the
day, one of the guys
who wrote one of the first great
books of maps and everything,
he put the god Atlas on the
front of it, on the cover,
holding up, you
know, the universe.
JAMIE: And it stuck.
 And it stuck.
So that's where the word--
whole atlas thing came from.
JAMIE: Sure.
RICK: So does it have the
island of California in it?
 It does have the
island of California.
It's actually one of the
first maps that are in there.
RICK: OK.
 It's actually broken
out by continent.
RICK: So it is
written in French.
 One of the reasons
I'm looking to sell it--
didn't know it was in
French before I bought it.
 Just about everything would
be written in French or Latin,
because if you were educated,
you knew those languages.
The cool thing here is it tells
you about a particular place
and it shows a map of it.
And it was much more
expensive when you bought
maps that were colorized.
And--
 They've actually done
a lot of the capitals
with little gold dots.
I noticed that in a lot
of the European ones.
RICK: Yeah.
Now, was this thing in
a flood or something?
JAMIE: I'm assuming it
traveled around the world.
RICK: Wow.
JAMIE: So it probably
got a little weathered.
 It didn't get weathered.
It got wet.
 Yeah.
 OK?
There's a difference, especially
when you're dealing with maps.
JAMIE: It didn't seem to have
affected any of the pictures.
 OK, it's affected.
These are-- you know,
this has water damage.
It definitely affects the value.
And you can see some of the
bleed through from the ink.
See how this yellow
has gone over here?
 Mm-hm.
 It affects the
value of the book.
Matter of fact, it still
feels moist a little bit.
See these holes?
 Mm-hm.
 It will spread.
Yeah, it has to be abated, so.
 I don't know how.
It's sitting on a--
sitting on a shelf in the box.
 How much do you want for it?
 I'm asking for $20,000.
 OK.
Actually, it sounds
a little high.
I'll be honest with you.
I mean, let me have someone
take a look at this.
I have a friend who is,
like, the smartest book
person in the world, sort of.
 Cool.
 She's written
books about books.
- That's interesting.
- Yeah.
[LAUGHS]
 I might read one of
her books about books.
 All right, so I'm
going to give her a call,
get her down here, and
she'll have this figured out.
 Awesome.
 All right.
 So I'm really excited to
have the expert look at my book
today.
And if I do sell it, I'd love
to hear more about it before I
part with it.
 A guy brought in an
atlas published in 1700.
There's a lot of
damage to this book.
So I've called in
Rebecca to see if it's
even worth dealing with,
considering the state it's in.
The woman who writes books
about books, and here's
a book about maps.
[LAUGHS]
REBECCA: OK.
RICK: Is this book
for a traveler or--
 The person who's
buying this book,
they're not expecting him
to travel around the world
and see all these places.
In some ways, it's
meant for entertainment,
but in other ways,
it's meant for status.
You have the atlas
that is the terrestrial
or the, like, earth sphere.
And then you have the mapping
of the heavens, the skies,
the celestial sphere.
 So it's a book within a book?
 It's like a bonus book.
I am noticing as I go through
this definite signs of mold.
And actually, if it
were just on the pages,
I wouldn't have that
much of a problem.
But I'm really concerned about
how much the color, the thing
that is the real big
selling point for this,
is affected by
the damp staining.
 Sure.
So I mean, after you take
all the facts in here
and, like, put it into
the book calculator--
 Let's see where you end up.
 --what number do
you come up with?
 Well, the big question mark is
how thorough is the mold damage
and how much can be saved,
because when you're talking
about hand coloring, that
adds an additional element
of complexity to
cleaning up damage.
Maybe $12,000.
 So to get this rebound
and do all the remediation,
a minimum of $2,000, maybe.
 $2,000 does not
strike me as absurd.
 OK.
You're the best.
- Mm-hmm.
Thanks.
 Thank you so much.
 I think that this book
has a lot of problems
and probably more
problems than it's worth.
It's a beautiful book,
but it's a gamble.
 So what do you
want for it now?
 Well, based on what
she just said, $8,000.
 I could give
you $5,550 for it.
At a minimum, I'm going
to be spending $2,000, OK?
 Right.
I'm at 8.
 How about $5,500?
Normally I would
negotiate with you,
but this is like
straight up gambling.
OK?
I am literally taking
my money and throwing it
on a blackjack table.
It's tied up money for a long
time, all those other things.
And-- [SIGHS]
 Why don't you do 6?
I feel comfortable at 6.
 I'll go $5,500
because normally--
there's always variables
and risk in business.
There's more here.
 OK.
 And anything more
than $5,500, I'm
just not comfortable because I'm
sort of buying a pig in a poke.
 I'll sell it to
you for $5,500.
I think we got a deal.
 Thanks, man.
I'll meet you right over there,
and we'll do some paperwork.
 Cool.
At this point, I think it's
time that I just cut my losses
and sell it.
And hopefully, they can give
it a better home than I did.
 I got a couple of
old historic books
I thought you might
want to look at.
 OK.
DIANA: The 1802 edition of
the "Federalist Papers."
RICK: Volumes 1 and 2?
 Yes, it came in two volumes.
It's the second edition.
The guy that's name is in
there was the fourth postmaster
general of the United States.
 Oh, I was hoping that was
going to say, like, George
Washington or something in it.
[LAUGHS]
DIANA: I want to sell my
1802 "Federalist Papers."
I think someone
that's a history buff
would be interested in buying
the "Federalist Papers"
to add to their collection.
I am asking $8,250.
And we'll put the money towards
building a new barn at home
if we make a deal today.
RICK: I'm really
excited about them.
They're really neat.
Where did you get these?
 My husband dug them out of
the trash and brought them home.
 He dug them out
of someone's trash?
DIANA: Yes.
RICK: Wow.
I'm just sort of,
like, in a shock.
You don't normally
see things like this.
These were all letters
arguing for the Constitution
we have now.
And a lot of people were
completely against it.
They wanted us to stay as 13
independent countries with a
much weaker central government.
And Hamilton,
Madison, and Jay were
publishing these anonymous
letters for the Constitution.
And they were explaining
all the different parts
of the Constitution to
convince people to go
along with the Constitution.
And there's some pretty
interesting writing in here.
DIANA: Yes, there is.
 So you want to sell them.
DIANA: Yes, I do.
 OK, and how much
do you want for them?
 Well, I've seen them
advertised for $14,000
to $16,000, so I thought
$8,250 would be fair.
 OK, so were these
prices on the internet
or something like that?
 Yes, there was an
internet bookstore.
RICK: All right.
These things might
be in great condition
or a terrible condition.
I have no idea.
Do you mind if I have
someone look at them?
 No, that would be fine.
 OK, I have a friend who knows
everything there is to know
about this stuff, and she's
probably going to completely
nerd out on these, OK?
 OK.
Sounds good.
 OK, I'll be right back.
DIANA: OK.
I'm looking forward to hearing
their opinion on the books,
the condition, the
value, and the importance
towards our history.
 A lady brought in an early
copy of the "Federalist Papers"
and wants upwards of $8,000.
Now, they're in
pretty rough shape.
And judging the
condition of a book
is sort of like an art form.
How's it going?
 Not bad.
How are you?
 Good.
That's why I called in Rebecca
because she knows how to do it.
 What do we have?
 These are the
"Federalist Papers."
She says they're
the second edition.
I don't know if these are
really bad condition or just
bad condition.
REBECCA: All right, let's see.
1802 edition, the last edition
before Hamilton's death.
And Hamilton's
early death by duel
was, in fact, really kind of
a shame for American history
because he doesn't
often get his due.
Hamilton's a really
important guy.
He essentially established
the economic foundations
for the federal government.
He wrote many of
the essays here.
And this is one of the great
works in American history.
I mean, it's huge.
And it's something that
every collector wants.
But we gotta stop for a second.
Um, I am seriously concerned
that this might be mold.
RICK: OK.
 And if it's mold, you'd
need a very serious cleaning
of the paper and the boards.
Where did you get this?
 From the trash.
 OK, yeah, it's probably mold.
But it's worth salvaging.
RICK: OK.
REBECCA: And the
repairs you're looking
at, probably at least $1,000.
 OK, so then how much would
they be worth if they were all
restored?
 If it works out nicely,
it could be up to $14,000,
I would say.
 OK.
Now she just made
everything more complicated.
 That's what I do.
RICK: [LAUGHS] Thanks.
REBECCA: Rick's trying not to
show it in front of the seller,
but I think he's really
excited by this book.
Everyone wants it.
It's so important.
It's some of our
most intellectually
stimulating, fascinating people
in the history of America.
And frankly, it's a good
business decision to get.
 OK.
What would be your best price?
 I still think they're
worth what I'm asking--
$8,250.
 I mean, this is my situation.
I buy them off you.
And somewhere north
of $1,000 I'm going
to pay to get them restored.
Then I have to wait six months.
And then I get them back.
And then I have to sell them.
 How about $7,500?
 This is literally--
I give you the money.
I'm not even going to
see any type of return
for over a year, most likely.
I mean, 65?
 $7,250.
That's bringing me
down from my beginning.
 How about $7,000?
I think it's a good price.
DIANA: $7,000?
OK, I'll take it.
 Thanks.
Cool.
Come this way and we'll
do some paperwork.
Just leave them right there.
DIANA: My daughter was
always teasing my husband
about digging through
the trash, but it
just made us $7,000 richer.
 I brought you another
very exciting book.
 OK.
ADAM: "The Wizard of Oz."
RICK: Whoa.
ADAM: First edition.
 You mean "The
Wonderful Wizard of Oz."
 Well, that depends on what
price you pay for it, so.
 [LAUGHS]
ADAM: I bought the
book from a family
that had it for over 100 years.
This book is also one
of the first copies
ever printed before it
became a phenomenal success.
I travel pretty far
and wide looking
for interesting
libraries and rare books.
And occasionally,
I find something.
This is actually not only a
first edition of the book,
but this is actually a
signed first edition.
RICK: That is definitely cool.
ADAM: You can see on the
first title page they have
the famous Tin
Man, the Scarecrow,
which are not so far off from
the film adaptations of them.
RICK: I love that they're
color illustrations, though,
but my problem is it's
in a little rough shape.
I'll tell you that.
All right, so how
much you want for it?
 I was thinking
that it was something
on the order of $10,000.
 All right.
It is really rough shape.
It even looks like it has
some water damage on it.
 There are obviously
some condition issues,
like you said.
But I do think this
is one of the earliest
copies of the book.
And also it is
signed by the author.
And I think that really
adds to its rarity.
 Let me get Rebecca down
here so we can figure
out what this thing is worth.
Were all copies, like, color
pages and everything like that?
 Yes.
This book, the illustrations
were very, very important.
It was very, very visual.
Baum had a background
in stage and musicals.
And he very much visualized
this as something
meant for the stage.
 Am I going to be able to
sell it in that bad a shape?
ADAM: I should tell you, by
the way, I had it restored.
 Yeah, I can see.
 If that's restored,
I'd hate to see how
it was when you first got it.
REBECCA: You can see this
was put together with tape
that was not archival.
It was very, very acidic.
And it's left all
of these marks here.
 So in this kind of shape, what
do you think it would sell for?
 There will be
people who want it.
However, given the
shape that it's in,
people are going to lowball you.
The only way you're going
to realize something
is if it gets cleaned
up more in restoration.
And that can get
really expensive, too.
I mean--
 Oh, I know that.
 --like, thousands.
Should the
restoration go well, I
could see that
this copy restored
fetching up to $30,000.
 [SIGHS] OK.
I just don't know what to say.
ADAM: It's a project
for you if you want to--
 I mean, I--
ADAM: --take it.
 I've had three and
four-year projects with books.
And sometimes they work out.
Sometimes they don't.
You know, I don't mean to beat
you up, but I'd risk 3 grand
on it.
I wouldn't risk no more.
And I know it doesn't
sound like a lot of money.
But it's going to turn into
a two-year project for me.
That's the problem.
 I understand.
I honestly have more
than that in it.
I mean, and the restoration was
very expensive I did so far.
I mean, the absolute bottom
dollar number is going
to be something, like, $6,000
 I don't think we're
going to make a deal then.
Because the best I'm
going to go is 4.
 Yeah, I can't do 4.
Sorry on this one,
but I'm going to have
to click my heels three times
and take it home, I think.
 OK.
ADAM: Sorry, man.
 All right, if you
change your mind.
- No problem.
- Thanks, man.
Nice seeing you.
RICK: What do we have here?
 I got something kind of cool.
 "Rip Van Winkle."
SEAN: It could be
a first edition.
 OK.
Do you know what
the story's about?
SEAN: Rip Van
Winkle gets trashed
and wakes up years later.
 But when he wakes up, his wife
is dead, his kids are grown.
Everything has changed.
 I've given it my best
shot, but I couldn't
sleep for as long as he did.
 I've lost a day or
two once or twice.
SEAN: I have this really
cool, over 100-year-old book.
It's "Rip Van Winkle."
And the pictures in the
thing are fantastic.
I'm hoping to get $1,500 today.
RICK: This is definitely
an interesting book.
It was written by
Washington Irving.
 Oh, yeah.
RICK: He was like the first
really great American author.
I mean, he did "Sleepy Hollow."
 Yeah.
RICK: And it's a really
short story, too.
I mean, if you look at this, it
looks like a full-sized book,
but it only goes for 60 pages.
 Actually, there's great
illustrations in here.
RICK: That's cool.
The prints are really pretty.
SEAN: They're great.
RICK: I've never
really seen drawings
like this from this early.
Do you know who the artist is?
SEAN: A guy named Rackham.
I think it's on the front.
RICK: I can almost guarantee you
he was a really famous artist.
This was really popular
right around 1900, 1910
to make really expensive books.
In the early 1900s, books
like this with fine art
were considered very
high end collectibles.
And depending on condition
and some other factors,
it could be worth
a lot of money.
It's really, really interesting.
I'm intrigued.
What were you looking
to do with it?
SEAN: I'm looking at
$1,500 for the book.
 OK, the problem is condition,
which this is not pretty.
 I know.
It's a little scuffed.
 And if you look
right here, 1909.
It's not a first
edition "Rip Van Winkle"
because "Rip Van Winkle" was
published long before this.
 But it could be a first
edition with the illustrations.
RICK: Yeah, and that's
what makes the money
in these kind of books.
But I have a friend.
She's probably, like, one of
the top 20 experts in the world.
Let her take a look at it.
She'll know everything about it.
 That would be great.
 You have a book for me.
 Yes, I do, "Rip Van Winkle."
REBECCA: OK.
 OK, well, I know it's not a
first edition because "Rip van
Winkle" was written,
like, what, in the 1820s,
somewhere around there.
REBECCA: Yeah, early 19th
century van Winkle, of course,
by Washington Irving, one of the
great early American authors.
What you've got
here, though, it's
illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
In the early 20th century,
there's this era called
the Golden Age of Illustration.
And Rackham is sort of
the king of the Golden
Age of Illustration.
Absolutely gorgeous.
All right, Rick, what are
you worried about here?
RICK: I have no idea
what it's worth.
REBECCA: Right.
The first thing
we need to see is
whether or not it's
a first edition
illustrated by Arthur Rackham.
Oftentimes, that can get
up into thousands, easily,
like $9,000 even.
RICK: OK.
So what do we got here?
REBECCA: All right.
And I can tell you, just by
looking at the title page,
this is not a first
edition of the Rackham.
The first illustrated
edition came out in 1905.
It says 1909 on the title page.
Job done.
 OK, so 5 bucks?
REBECCA: Well, given the
condition, which obviously
makes a huge difference,
I would probably
place it more around like--
$300.
 OK, not a complete loss.
 No, not bad at all.
The thing that really
saves it is you've
got these really
beautiful plates.
 They ever cut these
apart and frame those or--
 I'm going to pretend you
didn't ask that question.
 OK.
Thanks.
You're the best.
 You're welcome, Rick.
I'm happy to help out Rick.
This is a fine book.
I know it's not a
first Rackham edition,
but it's still got some
really beautiful plates.
And they're all intact.
But I think it's something
good for the pawnshop.
 I told you she
knows everything
there is to know about books.
You ought to pay me $50
everything she just taught you.
That's what I'll give you,
50 bucks for the thing.
I know she said
it was worth $300,
but I just don't see it
flying off the shelf.
 But given that, I
would counter with $175.
 No.
This is going to
sit for infinity.
And collectors look at it--
oh, it's pretty beat up.
 Beautiful pictures.
 And it's not a first edition.
 And $150 sounds like a
perfect price to settle on then.
 I'll give you $75.
 Not even $100.
 Nope, 75 bucks.
That's cash right now.
 OK, I'll take that.
 All right, I'll meet
you right up front.
 $75.
Today's economy, you
gotta be happy with $75.
RICK: Hey, how's it going?
HEIDI: Hi.
RICK: So what do we have here?
HEIDI: I brought you some
beautiful historical books.
These are the 1814, 1815
publication of "The Naval
History of the United
States" that are
signed by President John Adams.
 Oh, sweet.
So this is the history of
the United States Navy.
That's cool.
HEIDI: Yes.
RICK: We've had the most
high tech ships in the world.
The USS Constitution had
the nickname Old Ironsides.
That's because, in
the War of 1812,
a British frigate fired on it.
The cannon balls bounced
off the side of it.
HEIDI: That's awesome.
 And it got the
nickname Old Ironsides.
So we have--
HEIDI: Inside of
each book is a book
plate from the personal library
of President John Adams.
RICK: Whoa.
That's fancy.
HEIDI: The publisher
signed these books
and gave them as a gift
to President John Adams,
right here.
RICK: OK.
HEIDI: There's one other
additional fact, too.
Right here, the books have
been given to Lieutenant
Charles Thomas Clark.
And they are signed
from President Adams.
 That is cool.
How much were you
asking for them?
 $200,000.
RICK: I've sold books that
belonged to early presidents
for a lot of money before.
So let me call in
a friend of mine.
If there's anybody on the
planet who will know everything
about these, it will be her.
 OK.
RICK: So--
 Sounds great.
I look forward to talking to an
expert to see what they think
about these amazing books.
 This is the book nerd
I was telling you about.
[LAUGHS]
REBECCA: Wonderful.
And you have something
for me to nerd out?
 Yes, we have two books from
President Adams' library.
She wants a lot
of money for them.
And I don't know.
They're books.
There's a million
and one questions.
 Ooh.
Presented as a mark of respect
to his excellency, John Adams
Esquire, by the publisher.
That's nice.
I mean, it's part of the
history of how this book
came to be in the first place.
This is Clark's Naval history.
There's a close connection that
John Adams has to this book.
So Thomas Clark was an
acquaintance of his.
And he encouraged Clark
to write this Naval
history in the first place.
 Oh, that's so cool.
REBECCA: This is
post-War of 1812.
This is the second edition.
And the first edition
was only in one volume.
And the second edition was
greatly revised and expanded.
And you know where
those revisions
and expansions came from?
 Who?
 John Adams talking
to both Clark
and the publisher,
Kerry, about what he felt
should be included.
So as far as the
type of volumes you
could have that were once
in John Adams' library,
this is pretty interesting.
 OK.
 People love presidents.
And the founding
fathers in particular
formed a nation based
on intellectual ideas
that they were reading.
So if you have a book that
one of these founding fathers
was reading, it's
kind of a big deal.
But this-- kind of a problem.
Because when the
provenance is here
and then it is
modernly attached here,
there could be questions
about whether this
originally went with that.
Lucky you, this has
evidence of offsetting,
which is only going
to happen over
a very long period of time.
These were together.
And this is the right
book plate for John Adams.
And there are no
red flags for me
as far as tampering
that it could
have been added on modernly.
 OK.
 But there is one problem.
The thing that gets
people really excited
is when you have writing
in the person's hand.
This is not John Adams' hand.
And this is 1817.
Adams suffered from palsy.
He very often wouldn't
write things himself.
You can still find
letters from his time,
but he had secretaries
do a lot of his writing.
That means you're losing
one of the major reasons
that people collect
such a volume.
So for that reason,
I would evaluate
this more around the range
of $10,000 to $12,000.
RICK: OK.
 Wow.
 Thanks.
You're the best.
 Glad to help.
Thanks.
 Thank you.
 Take care.
Where I work, we sell
autographed letters
by John Adams.
I'm very familiar
with his autograph.
I'm very familiar
with his handwriting.
It's something that I can
recognize immediately.
And that's what I did not see
when I opened the book today.
 So do you have another
figure besides $200,000?
[LAUGHS]
 The lowest I would
go is about $50,000.
 Yeah, the most I'm
going to go is 10.
 There you have it.
 So thanks for
bringing them in.
 Hey, cool.
- Appreciate it.
- Nice to learn about them.
Thanks for your time.
RICK: Thanks.
 It's unfortunate that
we couldn't make a deal.
But I'm pretty sure I'll find
a good home for them anyway.
 Ah, I dragged in
another book for him.
You're going to have
to buy it, then.
 Ugh.
What is it?
 Well, you've heard of
Geneva watches, right?
COREY: Yeah.
 Well, this is
the Geneva Bible.
It's a Protestant Bible
printed in the year 1583.
COREY: You know,
King Henry basically
decided that he
wanted a divorce,
and they wouldn't
give it to him.
So he basically ended
Catholicism in England
and started his own
religion, because he
hated his wife that much.
 Men have been known to do
a lot of things for women.
 Yeah.
I can't imagine hating
somebody that much.
ADAM: My name is Adam.
I'm heading back
to the pawn shop
today with a really interesting
16th century English Bible.
It's known as the Geneva Bible.
It's a really fascinating
relic of history
and an important book.
So I'm asking $1,600.
And every copy is unique.
And I think that's a reasonable
and fair price for it.
 I don't think I've had
one of these in here yet.
Can I touch it or--
 Yeah, absolutely.
 These things always scare
me because they're fragile.
 Protestantism
flourished in England,
but then Mary came to
the throne in 1553.
And she wanted to revert
England back to Catholicism.
 She banned these
bibles being printed.
ADAM: Yeah, that's
exactly right.
 Didn't she burn out all the
Protestants' eyes or something?
 Bloody Mary, that's it.
You probably know
the drink for sure.
I mean, she definitely
tortured and persecuted
a lot of Protestants.
So the Protestants
fled to Geneva,
which was a refuge for them.
And for the first
time, really, they
translated the entire Bible
out of the original languages--
Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek--
into an English Bible.
And this was the first
really accessible
Bible that people could read
in the English language.
 So for being that old, I
mean, it's in pretty good shape,
right?
 Yeah, I mean, it's got some
condition flaws for sure.
 OK.
What are you looking
to get out of it?
 I'm looking for a very
modest price, I think.
Like 1,600 bucks for it.
 [SIGHS]
 They're still rare and
desirable because it's
an interesting bible
and it's so famous
and it has such
importance in history.
I mean, if your dad was here,
he would grab that in a second
from me.
 God, I wish I knew
more about this stuff.
But let me give Rebecca a
call and have her come down
and take a look at it.
 Cool, thanks a lot.
Rebecca can only help me.
She's extremely knowledgeable.
And she's going to emphasize
the importance and history
of the Bible to him.
I hope that's
enough to sway him.
[ANGELIC MUSIC]
 All right, so what is it?
 I just don't know.
I mean, I know it's
a Geneva Bible.
I know about Bloody Mary.
I know about King Henry.
But what a bible is worth
these days, I just don't know.
 I'm really glad
Corey called me down.
He seemed so lost.
One thing that we
take for granted
is that the Bible being
translated into English
was a revolutionary act for
hundreds of years that would
get you burned at the stake.
And this revolution affected
our English language culture.
I mean, this is the Bible
that Shakespeare used.
 I mean, it is kind
of funny that they
printed it in
English in a country
where they don't speak English.
 They actually used
smuggling networks
to get it into England.
So this was contraband.
COREY: All for a book.
REBECCA: That said, there's
a lot of stuff going on here.
 Oh yeah, it's a
complicated book.
REBECCA: That's a very
nice way to put it, Adam.
First, the obvious thing
is we've got the rebacking.
 So it's been repaired?
REBECCA: Yeah, it's just a
front joint repair, looks like.
ADAM: It's a little
bit crude, I admit.
 I'm sorry, this repair
job, it's so awful.
ADAM: Now let's concentrate
on the importance
of the Bible and the history.
REBECCA: On the one hand, I
like these little notes here.
 This was actually
a study bible.
And they made little
notations in the margins.
 Yeah, in some
ways, those notes
were what really upset other
theologians because there's
a lot of, like, Protestant
philosophy in there
that people took issue with.
 Learning a lot today.
 So Adam, I know you
know that this is somewhat
common as far as rare books go.
 Oh, yeah, for sure.
I was hoping it would
be an impulse purchase.
 It would have to
be in this condition.
 So what do you
think it's worth?
 OK.
I like the provenance.
I like the history.
But I think there's just
so many other things
that are a problem.
I think, optimistically, you
could try to ask $1,500 for it.
But--
 Let's try it this way.
Should I buy it?
- No.
- No?
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
I'm going to pass.
 This is the first time
you completely shot me down.
I can't believe it.
 Maybe she'll buy
you lunch because I'm
not buying your bible.
 [LAUGHS] Yeah.
 Oh, poor, poor Bible.
The Bible has some issues,
but we all have issues.
