TREASURE has been found hidden in a piano in in south Shropshire and is now being kept safe in Ludlow Museum Resource Centre.

An inquest was opened by H.M. Senior Coroner, John Ellery at Shrewsbury Coroner’s Court, in relation to a substantial find of potential Treasure recently discovered within a piano.

The find was reported by the new owners of the piano and was deposited at Ludlow Museum Resource Centre Shropshire Museums before Christmas.

Items found in the piano are highly unusual in nature being substantially made of gold and appear to have been deliberately hidden within the last 110 years.

An inquest has been opened to determine whether the hoard qualifies as Treasure under the terms defined by the Treasure Act (1996).

For a hoard less than 300 years old to be Treasure, it must be substantially made of gold or silver, have been deliberately hidden by the owner with a view to later recovery but the owner must be unknown.

The inquest that was opened last Thursday (January 12) will be resumed and concluded at the Shrewsbury Coroner’s Court on March 16.

As part of his investigation the Coroner will try to discover who owns the items.

There is no penalty for mistaken claims made in good faith but any false claims may be reported to the police for consideration of any offences disclosed.

Items were deliberately hidden within an upright piano made by Broadwood & Sons of London and sold to a music establishment in Essex in 1906.

The enterprise which purchased the piano has been traced to a shop or wholesaler of music / musical instruments which was owned by Messrs Beavan & Mothersole of 27, West Road, Saffron Walden.

It has been established that was purchased in around 1983 by a family living in the Saffron Walden area.

The cache of gold items were reported to Peter Reavill, Finds Liaison Officer for the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme based with Shropshire Museums. The objects will qualify as ‘Treasure’ under the terms of the Treasure Act (1996) and thus be the property of the Crown, if the coroner finds that they have been hidden with the intent of future recovery.

However, if the original owner, or his or her heirs, are able to establish their title to the find, this will override the Crown’s claim. The coroner has therefore suspended the inquest until early March 2016 in order to allow possible claimants to come forward.

Full information about the size, nature and value of the cache will be revealed at the subsequent inquest in March and has been deliberately withheld to allow the coroner to make all necessary enquiries.

All other enquiries regarding the case should be made in the first instance to Peter Reavill, Finds Liaison Officer for Shropshire and Herefordshire, British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme. c/o Ludlow Museum Resource Centre, 7-9 Parkway, Ludlow Shropshire SY8 2PG Tel: 01743 254748 Email: peter.reavill@shrophire.gov.uk.