§ Lord Freybergasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the British Museum sold approximately 30 pieces of Benin bronze in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. [HL3675]
§ Baroness BlackstoneUnder its governing statute, the Board of Trustees of the British Museum may dispose of objects from its collections in very limited circumstances, eg where they are duplicates. It is a matter for the trustees to take decisions about such disposals.
The sale of some Benin plaques from the British Museum to the Lagos Museum in 1950 was part of a dedicated attempt to help Nigeria to establish a museum service. The plaques sold were then considered to be duplicates of items already held by the British Museum. Ten were sold to Nigeria directly. 104WA Another, smaller, number were sold via dealers to affirm the price before a further 14 were sold to Nigeria.