The British Museum is joining forces with the online auctioneer Ebay to prevent valuable antiquities being sold illegally on the internet.
The London-based museum, one of the world’s pre-eminent cultural institutions, has set up a team to monitor all antiquities sold on Ebay, and to make sure their sellers have a right to trade them.
If it finds a listing to be illegal, it will report it to the Metropolitan Police art and antiques unit.
All archaeological finds from England, Wales and Northern Ireland that constitute “treasure” must be reported to the UK authorities under the 1997 Treasure Act. Failing to report a find is a criminal offence.
Roger Bland, head of portable antiquities and treasure at the British Museum, said most traders were unaware they might be breaking the law by not reporting archaeological finds.
He said the new team, in which the UK’s Museums, Libraries and Archives Council will also be involved, would be contacting sellers to ensure they had reported finds properly and had appropriate documentation.
David Lammy, UK culture minister, described Ebay as “one of this century’s greatest success stories”.
“[It is] a truly global phenomenon. But like us, they recognise that the expanding internet trade in art, antiquities and antiques has potential for abuse, and it is important that steps are taken to ensure that it does not unwittingly become a cover for criminality,” he said. The museum will also work with Ebay to produce an online guide to safe buying and selling.
Garreth Griffith, head of trust and safety at Ebay, said: “Educating our customers on what to look out for when buying antiquities on Ebay and informing sellers of their obligations is of paramount importance.” A spokeswoman for the museum said a late Bronze Age hoard had recently been sold on Ebay by a seller who claimed to be acting on behalf of “the friend of a lover who they had both met at a parrot fanciers’ event”.
The buyer, from the Netherlands, informed the British authorities of the hoard, and subsequently donated it to Buckinghamshire County Museum after it was found to have been illegally exported from the UK.
