Thief sold stolen gems to at least 45 buyers on eBay, British Museum says

The British Museum has launched proceedings against a former staff member who they believe stole and damaged at least 1,800 of its items. The High Court has ordered the disclosure of eBay and PayPal records from the eBay account of the suspect, former curator Dr Peter Higgs. The court was told Dr Higgs intended to dispute the claims. The museum says many of the missing and stolen items came from unregistered collections held in storage.

Dr Higgs worked within the museum’s department of Greece and Rome from 1999 until the summer of 2023. He was promoted to acting keeper of the department in January 2021, a position described by Mr Burgess as a “very senior and prestigious position. The museum highlighted one example of an item listed by Dr Higgs on eBay, and subsequently removed, where they felt the evidence linking him to the item was particularly strong. The museum’s legal representative, Mr Burgess, told the court that 356 stolen items have been returned to the museum to date.

Dr Higgs edited at least 83 digital internal records which related to stolen, damaged or missing items, the court heard. The Metropolitan Police searched the suspect’s home in August 2023 and seized a collection of ancient bronze coins and medals. Dr Higgs was acting head of the department of Greece and Rome at that time.