SW News: A British nurse’s passion for metal detecting has led to a fascinating discovery. Buffy Baily, who works for the NHS nurse, and her husband, Ian, were combing a farm near York while on holiday recently when the metal detector picked up a strong signal near a footpath. When she dug the soil, she stumbled upon a tiny gold Bible.

Weighing just five grams, the Bible is only 1.5 cm long and it dates back to the 15th century. It is estimated that the gold Bible would fetch the nurse hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling if it is put up for sale. Antique experts say the Bible was used by a relative of King Richard III and it is quite similar to the Middleham Jewel, which is a gold pendant found in the 90s near Middleham Castle, the home of Richard III, that is 40 miles away.

According to experts, both the artefacts were crafted by the same goldsmith and gifted to a relative of the king. They say that the gold Bible was unearthed by the nurse near Sheriff Hutton Castle, which also once belonged to Richard III. It is believed that the ruler often stayed there.

Baily told local media that initially she was not convinced it was a priceless artefact. In fact, she mistook it for a cattle ear tag or a ring. But when she cleaned it, she realized it was something unique. Later, when she clicked a picture of the object using her phone and enlarged the visual, she realized it was gold.

Historians say that it was customary for noblewomen who were pregnant to use such illustrated miniature gold Bibles as charms for a safe childbirth. The object is now being examined by a local museum.