£50,000 reward offered in Broughton antique coin theft case 17 years on

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.”