When our working lives begin, many of us abandon our hobbies. However, our hobbies can sometimes lead us to strike gold, quite literally. We have heard people say that the Bible is a life-changing book. Who knew it could actually be responsible for changing someone’s life? A nurse in the UK discovers a gold Bible.
Buffy Bailey, a nurse with the United Kingdom’s National Health Service, was using a metal detector in a field near York, UK, when it began buzzing. She discovered a very small golden piece while digging the surface. She assumed it was an everyday trinket purchased from a gift shop. But to her surprise, however, it was a gold-plated bible. To top it all off, it could have belonged to the medieval elite or perhaps monarchy.
The Bible belongs to Richard the Third, a King of England who ruled in the 15th century. Reports say the gold bible weighs 5 grams and is either 22 or 24-carat gold. The gold Bible’s discovery has been compared to that of the Middleham jewel, a gold pendant set with a blue sapphire. The Yorkshire Museum in York is now evaluating the gold bible. However, it is thought that the Bible is worth more than USD 1.3 million.
Experts say it is an “exceptionally unique” artifact that would have originally been owned by someone “incredibly wealthy”. Meanwhile, the nurse explains, “I dug down five inches and it was just there – I still didn’t believe it was anything special. It was so heavy and shiny – just absolutely beautiful.”
The bible has engravings of images of St Leonard and St Margaret, patron saints of childbirth, and could have been an object used for protection during pregnancy and childbirth.