£50,000 reward to solve antique coin theft mystery

A £50,000 reward is being offered to try to solve the mystery of what happened to part of Scotland's oldest collection of coins which was stolen 17 years ago.

The haul of up to 1,000 coins - valued at more than £500,000 - was taken from the home of Lord and Lady Stewartby in Broughton near Peebles in 2007.

It included pieces dating back to 1136 when the first Scottish coins were minted.

Crimestoppers Scotland said it hoped the reward might allow the recovery of the coins to join the rest of the collection at the University of Glasgow's Hunterian Museum.

The theft took place some time overnight between 6 and 7 June 2007.

Coin dealers were asked to look out for the collection but it has never been traced.

It had been built up by the late Lord Stewartby from childhood.

A reward was offered for the return of the stolen coins in November 2008 and a fresh appeal for information was made nearly five years after the theft.

The case was also featured on Crimewatch in 2012 but despite a good response the coins have not been traced.

Lord Stewartby gave the remainder of his collection to the Hunterian Museum in 2017.

Thanks to a donation from an anonymous donor, Crimestoppers is offering £50,000 for information which leads to the recovery of the stolen coins.

Lady Stewartby said she fully supported the appeal.

"My late husband was five years old when he was given his first Scottish coin," she said.

"Over the next 50 years, he put together a collection which included some of the earliest Scottish coins.

“Lord Stewartby told me and our children that they represented Scotland’s history at a time when few people had access to books or pictures.

"He emphasised the importance of these rare coins to Scotland’s heritage."

Jesper Ericsson, curator of coins and medals at the museum, said the collection was very special.

"These coins are incredibly rare and valuable to the Scottish nation," he said.

"They represent the very earliest examples of an independent Scottish coinage and date from the 12th and 13th Centuries."

The museum received about 6,000 coins from Lord Stewartby but would love to add the missing 1,000 or so which were stolen.

"To be able to add these missing coins to the collection would be an extraordinary boost, not only to the Hunterian but also to Scottish museums and Scottish history and heritage in general," said Mr Ericsson.

Angela Parker, national manager for Crimestoppers Scotland, said they hoped to bring the coins back to where they belonged.

"We want to know what happened to them and where they are," she said.

"Hopefully the information that comes forward to the chairty can help resolve the mystery of the initial theft and, more importantly, they can be restored to their rightful place where Lord Stewartby intended them to be at the Hunterian Museum at Glasgow University."

She said any information would be welcomed.

"We know it was a targeted raid that happened in 2007 at Lord Stewartby's home in the Borders," she said.

"Since then, there have been no leads about what happened to these coins.

"This collection was really emotionally important to him and, of course, his family now.

"Hopefully with the reward of £50,000 someone will maybe take a look at what they have - they may have these coins and not realise their significance."