It’s not uncommon for someone to walk out of Guelph’s Bibles for Missions thrift store with a Bible in tow and no cash having changed hands.
After all, the Victoria Road store contains a shelf offering Bibles up to anyone who wants them – for free.
The theft of a Bible from the store last week, though, is a very different matter.
More than a year ago, someone donated a 150-plus-year-old Bible to the store.
“It had 1,211 pages, so you can imagine the size of it,” says store manager Robyn Pyrczak.
“It was definitely a bible that you would display.”
Staff at the store eventually decided to auction the Bible off, as they do with many other items.
Last week, the Bible was placed in a display window at the front of the store.
Pyrczak tells CTV News it attracted a lot of interest, but only one bid was made as of last Friday – for $250, significant less than its estimated value.
Friday night, after the store closed up, somebody showed up with a glass cutter and attempted to make a hole in the window.
After multiple unsuccessful attempts, they smashed the window, grabbed the Bible – and nothing else – and left the area.
Pyrczak believes whoever stole the Bible had one goal in mind – turning a profit.
Gordon Johnston, a regular customer at the store, agrees.
“Whoever broke in and took it had to have some idea of what it was worth,” he says.
The Bible features illustrations, a leather cover, a gold clasp and gold corners.
“It seemed to be in extremely good shape,” says Johnston.
“I was even thinking about bidding on it.
Police are reviewing video surveillance of the incident, in the hope it will help them identify the culprit.
Right now, a sheet of plywood rests in place of the smashed store window.
Replacing the window is expected to cost Bibles for Missions about $1,000.
