A bronze-gilt square-headed brooch was mysteriously sent to the Metropol itan Pol ice anonymously by post and has now been returned to Rutland County Museum.
The museum was burgled 26 years ago when the brooch, along with eight others (and a Roman gold ring recovered soon after the theft) were taken.
The Art Loss Register (ALR) and Rutland County Council are appealing for the art and antiques trade and auction houses to be on the lookout for the eight brooches.
The remaining eight missing brooches stolen from the Rutland County Museum in 1995.
James Ratcliffe, director of recoveries and general counsel at ALR, said: “The detailed are an invaluable resource. There are still more of these brooches out there that should also be returned because they will still be spotted if they hit the market.” long-term records held on our database.
The brooch was returned to the Rutland County Museum this summer. Originally discovered in Market Overton, it is part of a collection belonging to Oakham School and on loan at Rutland County Museum.
A spokesperson for Zurich Insurance UK, the insurer of the collection, said: “It’s not often we are able to return a stolen item to a customer, particularly some 15-plus years after the event, so to be able to return this piece to the customer was very satisfying and a great outcome for all in involved.”
