STOLEN BRITISH MUSEUM TREASURES SOLD ON EBAY FOR CHEAP

Sacked: Curator Peter Higgs had worked at museum for 35 years.

Sun 20 August 2023:

Treasures stolen from the British Museum are being auctioned off online for as little as $50, according to The Telegraph newspaper.

The British Museum said Wednesday that it fired a staff member and notified police after discovering that items dating from the 15th century BC to the 19th century AD, including gold jewelry, semiprecious stone gems, and glass, were missing, stolen, or damaged.

The staff member, Peter Higgs, was a curator of Greek collections and sculptures at the museum. His family denied the allegations and said he has “not done anything.”

His son, Greg, said: “He’s not happy about it. He’s lost his job and reputation, and I don’t think it was fair. It couldn’t have been [him]. I don’t think anything is missing as far as I’m aware.”

He added that his father was sacked last month and has been under investigation for “a while.”

The report on Thursday also revealed that items worth up to £50,000 ($64,000) were sold on the eBay online auction platform, for as low as £40 (some $50).

A specialist in engraved gems, Martin Henig, claimed that the British Museum was warned about thefts several years ago, according to a report by Sky News.

“My colleague tried to report this to the museum, but it seemed it didn’t get through to the right people. There was clearly a serious breach of small objects appearing, and he rather suspected others were because he kept an eye on things like eBay,” said Henig from the University of Oxford.

Christopher Marinello, an expert in recovering stolen art, said it exposes the museum to questions over the safety of its ancient sculptures. He said: “It makes one wonder whether the Parthenon marbles are safe in the museum after all, and perhaps they should be returned to Athens for their security.

“One of the arguments the museum has always made is they’re better preserved there than in Athens. They said they’re a secure facility, and maybe that’s not entirely true.” He added that if criminals were involved ”they don’t think of priceless quality, they think of quick cash.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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