[MSN] British Museum decries eBay artifact sales.

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

British Museum decries eBay artifact sales
By UPI
Dec 19, 2006, 2:09 GMT



LONDON, England (UPI) -- 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 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.'

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/