The song says, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone." And apparently the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers museum last week temporarily lost items in a theft that were worth three times what they thought. The museum figured the value of the stolen copies of the Book of Mormon to be about $100,000. Rare book dealer Ken Sanders says the value is closer to $300,000.
In this era of collectibles, yesterday's keepsake can quickly become tomorrow's treasure. Luckily, police were able to recover the stolen items, but there are lessons to be learned.
True, the DUP should have had tighter security measures in place (many of these same books were stolen before). But singling out the DUP museum is not entirely fair. Many businesses and schools around the state display artwork and have books in their collections that have not recently been appraised. The worth of some of those holdings would likely astound many of their owners. Rare books by rare writers and good art by good artists have historically proven to be wise investments. Just a few years ago, a first edition Book of Mormon would fetch $15,000. Now the asking price is closer to $50,000 and rising.
Also, the burglary ought to put people in a pensive frame of mind. If many material goods — like the books stolen from the museum — tend to be worth more than people realize, how much more worth do the intangible things in people's lives have? Today, the touch of a loved one or a card from a friend may be commonplace. But tomorrow, such things may seem priceless.
And what of other gifts? The gift of sight, hearing or health? The gifts of justice and liberty? The gift of freedom to worship, speak and write? Such things are taken for granted by those who have them. But to others — those who have lost them to time, age or thieves — they are worth their weight in diamonds.
We urge the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers to keep their cherished items under tighter lock and key in the future.
We urge all Utahns to inventory what they have and safeguard it.
And we urge everyone to remember that the intangible things in life that people treat unthinkingly today will be longed for once they are gone.