One of only two original versions of Zondervan's handwritten New International Version (NIV) Bible Across America has sold for more than $15,000. Proceeds from the eBay auction will benefit Biblica, holder of the NIV copyright.

Zondervan received 78 online bids, and the handwritten NIV was purchased for $15, 407 Nov. 22 by a bidder who requested to remain anonymous, company officials said. "We are currently finishing the binding of the original version and will have it to the buyer soon," Zondervan spokesperson Tara Powers said.

The three-volume, 2,200-page leather-bound Bible features the world's most widely read contemporary English Bible translation handwritten one verse at a time by more than 31,000 people as part of Zondervan's 2008 Bible Across America nationwide tour, which commemorated the 30th anniversary of the NIV.

The nine-month, cross-country tour-featuring a 42-foot recreational vehicle-covered more than 22,500 miles, 90 cities and 40 states, Zondervan officials said. The Bible Across America edition was released Dec. 1.

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