UK: Nurse discovers ‘medieval’ gold Bible worth $1.3mn near property of King Richard III

In an "exceptionally unique" discovery in the UK, a British nursing staff found a miniature gold Bible while detecting metal in a field in  York. Buffy Bailey from Lancaster, who is employed at the National Health Service (NHS), unearthed the 600-year-old Bible after she was permitted by the landowner to dig the land in the York neighbourhood of Yorkshire. The Bible which measured just 1.5cm was valued at a whopping $1.3 million.

Initially, Bailey took the gold piece assuming that someone brought it from a gift shop and then lost it. However, it was learned later that the tiny piece of exquisite artistry is from medieval aristocracy, perhaps belonging to a monarch, King Richard III, who ruled England in the 15th century, BBC reported.

Tiny Bible worth $1.3 million compared to Middleham gold pendant

48-year-old Bailey and her husband Ian took to metal detecting as a hobby but never thought they could strike gold. "I dug down five inches and it was just there - I still didn't believe it was anything special," Bailey told BBC. The Bible weighed some 5 grams and is either 22 or 24-carat gold, as assessed by the Yorkshire Museum in York. The discovery is currently being compared to the discovery of a 15th century lozenge-shaped Middleham gold pendant set studded with a blue sapphire, which was found in 1985 near Middleham Castle.

The Bible, as said by people, is a life-changing book but Bailey could never imagine her hobby could lead her to attain something so invaluable. Speaking to BBC, Bailey narrated how she dug down five inches completely unaware of what she could lay hands on. "I still did not believe it was anything special (but) it was so heavy and shiny - just absolutely beautiful."

As per the report, the tiny golden Bible had intricate engravings of St. Margaret and St. Leonard. The legends are said to be patron saints of childbirth. According to museum experts, the exquisite piece is a "historical artefact" that could have been used for protection during pregnancy and childbirth owned by a female relative of King Richard and his third's wife Anne Neville. The location from which Bailey and Ian discovered the Bible is said to be a property once owned by Richard III (1483 to 1485). "The artwork is clearly iconographic and bears a close resemblance to the Middleham Jewel - there is every possibility that it was made by the same artist," said Julian Evan-Hart, the editor of Treasure Hunting magazine while describing the artefact, as per BBC. 

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