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British Museum to Hire Specialist ‘Treasure Hunter’ to Track Missing Antiquities

Recoveries have slowed to small returns, prompting a targeted push to accelerate contacts across the art market.

Overview

  • The museum plans to recruit an experienced specialist to pursue leads with dealers, auction houses and private collectors worldwide.
  • Roughly 1,500 mostly small Greek and Roman items went missing over years, and 654 have been recovered so far.
  • The five-person recovery team is overstretched, and officials say returns now typically come one or two objects at a time.
  • The role centers on global outreach, archival research and recovery paperwork such as export licences, with all missing pieces listed on the Art Loss Register.
  • Legal action against former curator Peter Higgs continues as reports cite sales on online marketplaces, and officials fear some stolen gold may have been melted down.