The FBI is currently conducting an investigation into the sale of numerous artifacts suspected to have been taken from the British Museum to buyers in the United States. According to information obtained by the BBC, the US law enforcement agency has aided in the recovery of 268 items that were sold to a collector in Washington DC, which the museum asserts are part of its collection.
The British Museum had previously reported the disappearance, theft, or damage of ancient gems, jewelry, and other pieces from its holdings. One purchaser, residing in New Orleans, disclosed to the BBC that an FBI agent had contacted him via email regarding two items he had acquired on eBay.
The agent stated that they were collaborating with the Metropolitan Police on investigating missing or stolen artifacts from the museum. Although the buyer no longer possesses the gems and believes they have not been found by authorities, the FBI did not request additional information from him.
According to the BBC, the British Museum has disclosed that approximately 1,500 items are believed to have been stolen or are missing from its collection. Of these, 626 have been successfully recovered, while another 100 have been identified but are awaiting return. A significant portion of the stolen items had not been formally documented, posing a challenge for the museum in substantiating their ownership. Efforts are ongoing to establish the provenance of these items and verify their rightful place within the museum’s collection.
The Peter Higgs Triangle
The British Museum has accused senior curator Peter Higgs of theft, damage, melting down, and the sale of ancient artifacts. Higgs denies these allegations. The museum alleges that Higgs pocketed an estimated £100,000 from these activities. Court documents from a civil case filed by the museum suggest that Higgs had been stealing items for at least a decade, primarily selling unregistered items from the museum’s storerooms.
It is believed that Higgs sold items to approximately 45 buyers on eBay. Higgs, who has been dismissed from his position, is contesting the civil claim made against him. Despite these allegations, no arrests or charges have been made against anyone involved.
Three buyers have disclosed that the seller known as “sultan1966” identified himself as “Paul Higgins” or simply “Paul” on eBay or via email communications. Court documents indicate that the British Museum alleges Dr. Higgs confessed to owning the sultan1966 account. One of the buyers, Tonio Birbiglia from New Orleans, informed the BBC that he purchased two items from sultan1966, a fact confirmed by cross-referencing eBay records provided to the FBI with Mr. Birbiglia’s receipts.
However, the British Museum has not yet examined these items to ascertain if they belong to its collection. Among the items purchased by Mr. Birbiglia was an amethyst gem portraying Cupid, the Roman god of love, riding a dolphin, acquired for £42 in May 2016. The other was an orange scarab-beetle gem, purchased for £170, with Mr. Birbiglia making payment to a PayPal account linked to Dr. Higgs’ personal email address.
International Tracing Of Stolen Artefacts
However, the United States is not the sole destination for items sold by the seller. Danish antiquities dealer Dr. Ittai Gradel, who initially alerted the museum to the thefts, has identified artifacts that were purchased by buyers in various cities, including Hamburg, Cologne, Paris, and Hong Kong.
Among these items, some gems, acquired by Dr. Gradel himself in good faith and subsequently sold to another private collector, found their way to the Deutsches Edelsteinmuseum in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. These gems were loaned to the museum for display in an exhibition.
Notably, one of these artifacts is believed to be a rare 2nd-century head of the Greek hero Hercules, crafted from obsidian, a type of volcanic glass. Valued at thousands of pounds, this gem served as a prominent exhibit and featured prominently in the exhibition’s catalogue.
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