Entrance welcome lettering to The British Museum, Great Russell St, London, England, UK, WC1B 3DG
The British Museum has come under pressure after it sacked a member of staff over around 2,000 treasures reported "missing, stolen or damaged". The discovery at the museum, one of the nation's biggest cultural institutions, has led to the departure of its director and raised serious questions about its security and record keeping. Police are investigating the theft of items including gold, jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones. The missing treasures scandal began on 16 August, when the British Museum released a statement confirming it had identified objects missing from its collection. Former chancellor George Osborne, who has been chair of the British Museum since June 2021, confirmed to the BBC on 26 August that "around 2,000" objects were missing. The museum has not disclosed further details. The BBC understands that Scotland Yard has asked the museum not to for now. It is understood the missing items were taken before this year and over a "significant" period of time. Some of them ended up on eBay, being sold for considerably less than their actual estimated value. None of the treasures, which dated from the 15th Century BC to the 19th Century AD, had recently been on display and had been kept primarily for academic and research purposes, the museum said. The majority of them were kept in a storeroom. More at
Size: 5172px × 3408px
Location: Great Russell St, London, England, UK, WC1B 3DG
Photo credit: © Tony Smith / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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