British Museum Decries eBay Artifact Sales
The British Museum says that Roman and Anglo-Saxon jewelry treasures and other artifacts are being sold illegally on eBay with apparent impunity.
The Times of London Monday said British Museum officials were ‘alarmed’ at the number of sellers offering gold and silver in violation of the Treasure Act of 1996, which requires the reporting of all such objects found on British soil that are more than 300 years old.
The Times quoted the December issue of the journal British Archaeology, which reports that between August and September of this year nearly 3,500 antiquities were offered for sale on the British eBay Web site. Of the 3,500 items, some 600 were ‘British’ and ostensibly covered by the Act.
In a memorandum of understanding signed with the British Museum and other museums in October, eBay promised to discourage the illegal trade. However, sellers have apparently found a way around the problem, The Times said.
A representative from the British Museum told The Times: “Frequently we are told that an item was bought abroad or was from an old collection, in which case there is not much that we can do.”