[MSN] Scotland. Unique coins dating back to 1136 stolen in raid

[Museum Security Network Mailing list]

Unique coins dating back to 1136 stolen in raid
STEVEN RAEBURN

A UNIQUE and irreplaceable archive of Scottish coins, dating back over nearly 1,000 years and amassed by the country's foremost coin collector from the age of four, has been stolen.

The collection, which has been valued at more than £500,000, features pieces dating back to 1136, when the very first Scottish coins were minted.

More than 1,000 coins were stolen from the home of Lord and Lady Stewartby in Broughton, near Peebles. The raid happened more than a month ago, but police have only just released details of the theft for operational reasons. A "substantial reward" has been offered.

Nick Holmes, the senior curator of numismatics at National Museums Scotland, described their loss as a "total disaster" for the country.

"This theft really sets back studies in Scottish coinage," he said. "In terms of that period, Lord Stewartby had more coins in his collection than the National Museums of Scotland have. It wouldn't be putting it mildly to say that this theft has put the study of numismatics back 50 years.

"He has put together a collection of Scottish coins which would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to put together again because the material is simply not out there. Lord Stewartby had formed this collection with the express purpose of having it as a research tool."

Although they had not been stored in their usual place, Mr Holmes believes the coins may have been deliberately targeted by the thieves. "It looks as if they made specifically for the coin collection. If that was the case, they would only have done so if they knew what they were going to do with it afterwards," he said.

"Anybody walking into a British coin dealers with a box of Scottish coins now is going to be under immediate suspicion.

"It is known to the numismatic fraternity that Lord Stewartby owned this collection. The mystery is, who knew the coins were there at the time? That is not where he normally kept them."

Donald Beatson, curator of the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow said the coins would be of interest only to a select few people with specialist knowledge in numismatics.

"To try and sell on a collection like that would be difficult. There may be somebody, somewhere, with an interest in Scottish history and Scottish objects who would want a collection like that.

"But they wouldn't have the academic knowledge to interpret that collection. There are very few people have the knowledge to do that," he said.

"The worst thing would be for the collection to be melted down just for its silver value, which is minimal."

Lothian and Borders Police yesterday revealed the burglary took place between 6 and 7 June.

Lydia Pretzlik, Lord Stewartby's daughter, said the family had been "devastated" by the theft.

"My father collected the first of those coins when he was a young boy, so in many ways it represents the loss of his life's work," she said.

"He is much more concerned with retaining the integrity of the collection, which is the best collection of Scottish coins in the world, than with any commercial loss. The collection is pretty well known and it is an unusual thing to steal unless you know what you are looking for."

Lord Stewartby, the former Conservative MP Ian Halley Stewart, has offered a "substantial" reward - believed to be a six-figure sum - for information leading to their recovery.

While an MP, he served as junior minister for defence procurement and economic secretary to the Treasury, and introduced the £2 coin to Britain to commemorate the 1986 Commonwealth Games.
SIXTY YEARS OF COLLECTING

LORD Stewartby is one of the country's foremost numismatists - or coin experts - and spent more than 60 years amassing his collection. It is thought to include at least 2,000 of some of Scotland's oldest minted coins, including one struck under the reign of Robert the Bruce 900 years ago.

Other specimens were created under David II in the 14th century, and James I and James II in the 1400s.

The unique collection has been valued at more than £500,000.

His collection contained a number of irreplaceable pieces, many of which were unique.

Lord Stewartby made his collection available for experts to carry out research, and had been working on compiling a full catalogue.

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1072332007

Last updated: 09-Jul-07 00:26 BST

http://news.scotsman.com