Seuso Treasure

It was put up for sale in New York City in 1990 by Sotheby's, but was halted when the documentation was found to be false, and the governments of Hungary, Yugoslavia (now Croatia) and Lebanon made claims of ownership.

There is much scientific evidence to indicate that the hoard was first acquired in the 1970s after the murder of a Hungarian soldier, who discovered the treasure during illicit digging at an established archaeological site in Hungary.

[7] The treasure trove consists of fourteen large decorated silver vessels and the copper cauldron which contained them, and has been dated to the late-fourth or early-fifth century AD.

Most notable is a large dish, 70 cm in diameter and weighing nearly 9 kg, which bears the inscription: The hoard first came to attention in 1980, when a single piece in the possession of two antiquities dealers from Vienna was offered for sale in London.

[8] Documentation supplied by the Lebanese embassy in Switzerland stated that the treasure had originally been found in the Tyre and Sidon regions of Lebanon, and on that basis the consortium negotiated to sell the collection to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles for $10 million.

[11] After the breakup of Yugoslavia the newly independent Croatia pressed on with the case and included the results of the soil analysis in its formal ownership claim to a New York court.

The Marquess sued his solicitors Allen & Overy for damages in relation to advice given during the purchase of the silver, and that case was settled out of court in 1999 for a reported £15 million.

[21] Research presented in February 2008 by the Hungarian archaeologist Zsolt Visy strengthened the view that the origin of the treasure may be the Lake Balaton region of Hungary.

The Marquess of Northampton withdrew from planned participation in the programme and Channel 4 was not given permission to film the treasure, held in Bonhams' vault in London.

On 26 March 2014, Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, announced that half of the Seuso Treasure (seven items) had been returned to Hungary, for a sum of €15 million.