MORE than 1,500 objects worth millions are now believed to have been stolen or destroyed by a thief at the British Museum.
Sources said the true number — some of which were up to 3,500 years old — could be “closer to 2,000”.
But it may never be known what exactly has gone due to gaps in the London museum’s inventory.
One Roman object, valued at £25,000 to £50,000, was offered for £40 on eBay.
The thefts were discovered during an internal investigation.
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Prof Martin Henig, an expert in Roman art at the University of Oxford, called the scale of the losses “horrifying” and “unforgivable”.
He said: “This is the worst case that I’ve come across like this because it involves not just selling the odd object, but also destruction.”
A senior curator, Peter Higgs, was sacked in July.
He worked at the museum for 30 years, and denies wrongdoing, his family said.
The museum has not put a figure on the number of items stolen, or released photographs or descriptions.
A source said its handling of the case was “negligent and incompetent”.
An independent review hopes to recover the missing items. Police have made no arrests.