Source: ABC4

Rare book dealer Ken Sanders says he has heard it all. When someone came in to tell him he had a rare and valuable item he said "I'm kind of rolling my eyes and thinking yea, right buddy. I've heard that story before."

The anonymous owner pulled out a copy of the Nuremberg Chronicles published in 1493 it is one of the oldest printed books in the world. That's when Sanders knew he had wrongly judged the man's claim.

"You sometimes find a single page from a book that is five centuries old, rarely an entire book," said Sanders.

Sandy Museum Director Sherry Worthen knew they had found a gem when she saw Sanders excitement.

"He said I think you might want to notify the media because you have a very rare find here" she said.

While the history and long survival of this book are by far the most intriguing things about thsi book to sanders, he estimates it's face value at $100,000.

"This book was published just after Columbus discovered the Americas!" exclaimed Sanders.

All handset type, Sanders says in 1493 someone put each letter together in a form then printed them on an old fashioned cylinder press.

The publisher also included 1,800 wood-cut illustrations. Each picture is first carved into wood, transfered to a platen, inked and placed in the book.

"The labor to create a book under those conditions...how they ever did it I'll never know. I'd give up before I had a page done" added Sanders.

The Nuremberg Chronicles is a German publication. Sanders calls it a marriage of print and illustration. He says it needs to be collated and it's missing a significant amount of pages. Evevn so, he says it's the greatest thing he has and will ever come across in his entire career.

"You live for moments like this" said Sanders.

Sanders says it is up to the owner what to do with the book. He says there are several options including keeping it in his family where it's been for years, selling it to a private collector or donating it to a public or private museum. Regardless of what the owner decides, Sanders says the most important thing is that it is properly preserved and remains living part of our history for centuries to come.

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