London Auction Houses Compete For Highest Bidder on Ancient Egyptian Artefacts

In a continuation of the publicly-shunned phenomenon of trading in ancient artefacts- one which fuels artefacts-smuggling industries worldwide, two prominent auction houses in the UK announced they'll be going head to head for the highest bidder on a collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in London, according to Egypt Independent.

The auction, which kicks off today, features a 3-century-old multi-coloured wooden mask, valued at £150,000, in addition to a thirteen dynasty limestone statue of Nakht-Akh, which is valued at a staggering £1,500,000, among numerous other pieces.Dubbed Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art, the auction will also feature a collection from ancient Rome, the priciest of which is a  2-century-old Roman wooden portrait, which is expected to sell somewhere north of £90,000.

No details on the origins of the auctioned pieces or how they ended up in London have been made public.  

Photos: Egypt Independent