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A £50,000 reward is being offered for information that could help police to bring the return of an historic collection of coins to their rightful owner.
This reward is believed to be the biggest unclaimed sum available for the return of stolen goods in Scotland today.
The coins were stolen from the home of Lord and Lady Stewartby in Broughton, near Peebles in the Scottish Borders, overnight between June 6 - 7 last year.
The collection, estimated to be worth £250,000 or more, has been described as the most important collection of early Scottish coins ever assembled.
It was amassed by Lord Stewartby over fifty years, and contains a number of irreplaceable coins, some dating back to almost 900 years ago, when the first Scottish coins were struck.
Nick Holmes, Senior Curator of Numismatics at the National Museum of Scotland, has said:
"This collection is a unique part of Scottish history and the impact of its loss cannot be overstated."
Police suspect the involvement of organised criminals in the theft, and their enquiries have led them to believe that a gang from the west of Scotland with underworld links may have been involved.
Although a significant enquiry has been carried out in respect of this theft, police are issuing a fresh appeal to the public for help in tracing the coins.
A police spokesman said:
"The coins are unsaleable on the market because they are so well-known, and dealers and others in the coin trade have been checking the source of any early Scottish coins that appear for sale.
"We are hoping that the prospect of a £50,000 reward may help jog the memories of those who could help us in our enquiries, and we would urge anyone with any information about the whereabouts of these coins to contact police immediately.
"Alternatively, information can be given anonymously through Crimestoppers, and we would encourage people to use Crimestoppers if they do not want to make themselves known to police."
Anyone with any information can contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131, or Crimestoppers in confidence and complete anonymity on 0800 555 111.
Unspecified address
Broughton
Peebles
Lanarkshire
ML12
