It was confiscated from Louis Nathaniel von Rothschild immediately after the March 1938 German annexation of Austria. After the end of World War II, the new Austrian government used legislation forbidding the export of culturally significant works of art in part to pressure the Rothschilds into "donating" a large number of works to Austrian museums, including the prayerbook, which went to the National Library. In exchange the family was allowed to export other works. Under international pressure over this and similar disputes, the government of Austria returned the book and other works of art to the Rothschild family in 1999. The book was sold for them by Christie's auction house in London on 8 July 1999 for £8,580,000 (then $13,400,000), still the world record auction price for an illuminated manuscript. The prayerbook was offered for sale again at Christie's, New York, on 29 January 2014, when it fetched £8,195,783.