Treasure Valuation Committee agree £3.285 million valuation for
the Staffordshire Anglo-Saxon Hoard
The Treasure Valuation Committee (TVC) met at
the British Museum on 25 November 2009 to discuss the valuation for
the Staffordshire Anglo-Saxon Hoard, the largest hoard of
Anglo-Saxon gold ever found. The committee of independent
advisors have deemed the Treasure to be worth £3.285million. They
will recommend this valuation to the Secretary of State for formal
approval of the reward. This figure will be split equally between
the finder (Terry Herbert) and the landowner (Fred Johnson). The
landowner, the finder and the two museums which hope to acquire the
hoard, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum
& Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent, have all approved the
valuation.
Chairman of the TVC, Professor Norman Palmer
CBE said "The task of valuing this hoard required the Treasure
Valuation Committee to analyse a very large amount of information
in order to arrive at a fair market price, and I am personally
indebted to my fellow members whose energy and expertise made this
result possible in so short a time. I would also like to pay
tribute to the immense amount of hard work put in by our four
outside expert valuers and the secretariat. All finders of Treasure
can take encouragement that the most valuable Treasure find ever
made was dealt with so speedily and yet so scrupulously by all
parties concerned, given that the hoard was discovered only in
July. It is of course immensely important that this extraordinary
hoard is acquired for public benefit and I know that the two
museums are anxious to raise the funding to keep the hoard in the
West Midlands as soon as they can.”
The fundraising campaign will now begin for
the joint acquisition of the hoard by Birmingham Museum and Art
Gallery and the Potteries Museum, Stoke-on-Trent. All relevant
parties are fully in support of this joint acquisition and for the
hoard to be displayed in the West Midlands.
Highlights of the hoard are currently on display in Room 37 at the British
Museum. A book ‘The
Staffordshire Hoard’ has been recently published by the British
Museum Press, priced £4.99 with £1 going to the appeal fund for
acquisition. A selection of objects from the hoard will go on
display at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent
from 13 February to 7 March 2010.
The Treasure Valuation Committee is a
committee of independent experts appointed by the Secretary of
State for Culture, Media and Sport to advise the Minister on the
valuations of finds of Treasure which museums wish to acquire.
There are eight members chosen for their expertise in the objects
that come before the Committee and they represent the different
groups that have an interest in Treasure - finders, museums,
archaeologists and the trade.
For further information or to speak to members
of the Treasure Valuation Committee or the Treasure Department
please call the British Museum on 020 7323 8394 / 8522
Notes to editors
Made up of over 1500 objects, the hoard
contains some of the finest Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship and artistry
ever seen. This, the first book on the hoard, tells the remarkable
story of the discovery, describes the fascinating collection of
objects it contains, and offers an initial interpretation of the
treasure and its significance. Close-up photographs show the
intricate details of these amazing objects, which include fittings
from the hilts of swords, fragments from helmets, Christian crosses
and magnificent pieces of garnet work. Details of all these objects
can be found at http://www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk/
The members of the Committee are:
Professor Norman Palmer, CBE (Chairman), Mr Trevor Austin,
Professor Ian Carradice, Mr John Cherry, Mr Peter Clayton, Dr Jack
Ogden, Dr Tim Pestell and Mrs May Sinclair.