Geneva Bible valued at £10k to be sold at auction in Belfast

The copy of the Geneva Bible was printed in 1615

The smell of old books is thought by some to be one of life's greatest pleasures, but there are limits - we reckon this 400-year-old Bible could smell pretty funky!

The centuries-old religious text is going up for auction in Belfast, and it could be sold for a massive £10,000!

It's a type of bible called a Geneva Bible, and was the first one to be mass-produced using printing machines.

It also made a historic early voyage from the UK to what later became America.

Bloomfield Auctions managing director Karl Bennet expects international interest

These types of Bible were first published in 1560, but this particular copy was printed in 1615 and was taken across the Atlantic in 1633 by Elizabeth Pole, who was from Devon.

The Bible had been given to her father by the Archbishop of Canterbury, as a reward for his work with the Church and for the poor communities of Devon.

Elizabeth went on to found the town of Taunton in Massachusetts (which is in the North East of the US), and is believed to be the first woman to establish a town in North America.

The Bible was gifted to the Pole family by the Archbishop of Canerbury at the time

And that's not the only historical connection it has - it was printed by Robert Baker, who was the official printer to Queen Elizabeth I and Kings James I and VI.

Because of its huge historical significance, Bloomfield Auctions has estimated its value as being between £5000 and £10,000.

When Elizabeth Pole died, the Bible was given back to her family in Devon. It stayed with them until the mid-20th Century, when it was sold to a private collector.