British Museum launches hunt after mystery gold found in piano

The British Museum this week launched a nationwide hunt for the original owners of a "stunning" collection of gold items found hidden inside a piano in Shropshire.

The discovery was made when the upright piano's new owners decided to tune the instrument, a process that involves the removal of several wooden panels.

After finding the gold just before Christmas, the owners, who had been given the instrument as a present, reported their findings as "potential legal treasure", says The Guardian.

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The items are currently being kept safe in a secret location.

Experts believe the valuables could have been "deliberately hidden" in the instrument over a century ago, reports the BBC. An inquest has been opened at Shrewsbury Coroner's Court to determine whether the gold can be classed as "treasure", or whether an heir to the cache can be traced. If it is deemed to be treasure, the piano's owners can expect a payment for their discovery from the British Museum.

Under the United Kingdom Treasure Act 1996, legal treasure is defined as an object that is substantially made from gold or silver, is at least 300 years old, has been deliberately hidden with the intention of recovery and whose owners or heirs are unknown.

The British Museum is understood to be analysing the objects, but is currently unable to disclose the nature or origin of them. Peter Reavill of the British Museum's portable antiquities scheme said: "We can't say what it is exactly because we are trying to track down the potential true owners.

"The current owners did not know what to do but they came to the museum and laid it all out on the table. I was like, 'whoa'. I'm an archaeologist and I'm used to dealing with treasure, but I'm more used to medieval brooches. I have never seen anything like that. It's a stunning assemblage of material."

So far, research has found that the upright piano, made by Broadwood & Sons of London, was sold in a music shop in Essex in 1906. Its history was unknown until 1983 when records show it was purchased by a family in the area who later moved to Shropshire.