Burgundy-colored velvet cover, a bit crumpled in spots, but a Bible in very good condition. The 1853 Oxford Bible with no historical associations would "get $30 or $40 today. But by association, it becomes priceless."
Pictured here is the same tome that Abraham Lincoln placed his hand upon and swore "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." (U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1.)
Then he spoke to the gathered crowd and wrapped up with "the mystic chords of memory . . . will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature." (He had won the office just months after Southern states had seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America.)
This is the first time an incoming president will swear in upon Lincoln’s Bible, part of the Library of Congress collection. (It is not required to use a Bible during the oath of office ceremony.)
Photo credits: "Washington, D.C., 1861." [Lincoln Inauguration.] Copyprint deposit, 1861. American Treasures of the Library of Congress exhibition.
To watch a CBS video about the book and how it came into the collection, see this link.
For an interview with Clark Evans of Library of Congress reference services, rare books, and special collections division, see full story here.
