A rare thumbnail-sized Qur’an, displayed in a Norfolk dolls’ house for years, is expected to make £2,000-£3,000 when it appears for sale at Hansons Auctioneers’ Roughton saleroom in this month <Sept 27>.
The 300-page diminutive text, dating from the late 18th to early 19th century, had been in the same Norfolk family for more than a century, after being bought back to the UK by adventurous forebears.
The vendor, who doesn’t want to be named, said: “My great uncles and grandfather travelled the world a great deal in the late 19th and early 20th century.
“They were connoisseurs of fine and rare items and often bought presents home for my grandmother and her sister. The miniature Qur’an was given to me for my dolls’ house when I was very young.
Rather than a plaything, the original book – just an inch and a half tall – would have been used as by Ottoman soldiers as a good luck talisman.
Portable versions of the Islamic holy book were known as a sancak and carried by military standard-bearers (sancakdars) to keep them safe in battle.
They were also worn as good luck charms by travellers to keep them safe.
Auctioneer Mark Nelson-Griffiths said: “The size of the text was a key factor in the books’ perceived power. The small text was called ghubar, literally meaning dust, and the smaller it was, the more powerful it was thought to be.”
This octagonal book has 16 lines of text per page with some encased in a gold border.
Mr Nelson-Griffiths continued: “We are comfortable that this is from Persia or Turkey and dates to the 18th-19th century. Sadly we had hoped that the final two pages would have been signed by the writer which would have enhanced the value considerably.”
The Qur’an (meaning to recite) is a record of words from God as revealed through the angel Gabriel to the prophet Muḥammad (a. 570–632) over a period of 23 years.
The portable Qur’an goes under the hammer at Hansons Norfolk’s jewellery, silver, watch and fine art auction at its saleroom in Thorpe Market Rd, Roughton, North Norfolk, NR11 8TB on September 27.
Auction Details
Auction: Norfolk Jewellery, Silver, Watch & Fine Art Auction
Auction date: 27th September 2025 | 10am
Location: Hansons Norfolk Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
