Overview
- Museum officials told the Times they plan to bring in an external specialist focused on writing to dealers, auction houses and private collectors around the world.
- A five-person recovery unit described as overstretched has so far retrieved 654 of an estimated 1,500 missing items as of January 2025.
- Tom Harrison said the team is testing AI tools and increasingly secures returns one or two objects at a time after tips or outreach.
- The museum is suing former curator Peter Higgs over alleged online sales of collection items, accusations he denies.
- Staff fear much of the stolen gold may have been melted, though they remain hopeful about recovering additional pieces that were largely small, stored items not on public display.