Treasures worth £53,000
taken from museum store

The haul of 1,000 artefacts from the Derby Museum and Art Gallery’s city-based storage facility was stolen some time between May 2 and June 19, Derbyshire Police said.

None of the items have been found.

Among the hoard is a collection of about 20 18th and 19th century gold and silver watches worth up to £3,000 each.

This includes examples made by clockmaker and scientist John Whitehurst, who was a member of the Midlands’ based Lunar Society.

Coins dating from more than 800 years ago have also been stolen, and more modern coins from the early 20th century.

The items were locked away and only used for exhibitions and special viewings.

A police spokeswoman said the thefts only came to light when the museum service was contacted by another museum with a request to borrow some of the items.