From thisisderbyshire.co.uk
4,000-year-old relic uncovered in city garden is worth £10,000
AN Egyptian relic dug up in a Derby back garden has been valued at £10,000.
December 7, 2010
Asked how he came across the item, the owner, who did not want to be identified, said: “I was doing some gardening when I hit it with my spade.
“I’m just glad I didn’t do too much damage to it.”
He did not know how the relic came to be in his back garden.
Mr Sandon said the bust originated from around 1700BC to 1750BC. He added: “It is absolutely beautifully made. It possibly did have a beard and a nose and over time these have fallen off.
“But it looks fantastic considering its age.”
He said it was “incredible” that it was found in a back garden in Derby. “It’s 4,000 years old yet found in the city of Derby,” he said.
“It goes back before the city was even founded. It really is that incredible.”
Mr Sandon said it was “difficult” to give it a valuation but said it was “probably worth around £10,000”. He added: “It is a major thing. It really is fantastic and yet there it stands having been found in a Derby garden.”
Mr Sandon told the owner that the item would be better placed in the British Museum in London, which has a large Egyptian collection.
The owner said that shortly after discovering it 18 months ago, he took it to the museum to verify whether it was genuine. He said: “I took it down to London to see the curators. I think they thought it would be fake, maybe a fake made during the Roman times but a fake nonetheless.
“When I showed it to a curator his jaw just dropped. Before I knew it everyone from the department was standing round the table looking at it in amazement.
“They looked at it and all realised that it was genuine.”
It is not yet known whether the owner intends to sell the item.
Last night a spokesperson from the British Museum was unable to confirm whether they would put the item in the Ancient Egypt collection.
The Antiques Roadshow was filmed at Chatsworth House and shown on Sunday.
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