Stolen artwork from British Museum worth thousands sold on Ebay
3 Min Read
The Telegraph reveals that one of the stolen pieces from the British Museum, valued up to $63,800, was offered for as low as $51.
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Visitors gather outside The British Museum in central London (AFP)
According to The Telegraph, at least one stolen piece from the British Museum worth up to $63,800 was offered for sale on eBay for as low as $51.
The bulk of the lost, stolen, and damaged artifacts, according to the Museum's release on August 16, were small pieces of "gold jewelry and gems of semi-precious stones and glass dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century" that were retained largely for academic and research purposes. None of them had lately been on exhibit.
Some of the stolen items have been posted on eBay since 2016, according to The Telegraph, and experts warned the British Museum three years ago that a staff member may be stealing items from its collection.
According to Museum employees and experts in the recovery of stolen items, museum thefts are usually an inside job and are fairly common.
Read more: Translator, British Museum agree after it used her work without permit
A piece of Roman jewelry composed of the semi-precious stone onyx was advertised for sale on eBay in 2016 with a minimum price of $50 with no bids on its listing. The stone, according to one dealer, is worth between $31,890 to $63, 780.
As a result of the theft, missing, and damaged artifacts, the Museum has initiated an independent examination of its security systems. It also said it will sue a former employee and that an investigation by the Metropolitan Police's Economic Crime Command is underway.
The unknown employee was identified as Greek antiquities curator Peter Higgs by the Times of London and the Daily Telegraph shortly after the museum announced his termination.
Following the discovery of "missing, stolen, or damaged" artifacts from the British Museum's collection, the latter announced on August 16 that it had fired a staff member and notified the police.
At the time, the director of the museum in central London, Hartwig Fischer, called the incident "highly unusual". The museum is best known for having collections that include Parthenon Marbles and the Rosetta Stone.
Higgs had worked at the museum for more than 30 years, organizing major exhibitions and producing books until being fired early this year. His relatives told The Telegraph that he was innocent and "devastated" that he lost his position.
In 2013, Higgs acted as an expert on a trafficking item after UK customs officers sought the British Museum for help identifying a statue seized at Heathrow Airport. Higgs told The Guardian that he immediately recognized it as a 2,000-year-old marble statue of a Greek goddess. In 2021, the unusual funeral statue was returned to Libya.
According to another staff member of another museum, rarely were staff checked by security before leaving the premises, noting that “it would be easy to take something small without it being noticed for quite a while."
