
 
 
 
Steve Elibank 
mailto:[FOI #30607 email] 
 
 
 
 
18 March 2010 
 
 
Dear Mr Elibank, 
 
Thank you for your request for information from the British Museum, which has been 
forwarded to me for reply. Your request has been dealt with in accordance with the 
Freedom of Information Act (2000). 
 
Your request, received in the Museum on 12 March 2010 was: 
 
 Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, please inform me of the 
number of individual items held by each of the Museum's Departments 
(as listed here: 
http://www.britishmuseum.org/the_museum/departments.aspx), and 
also of the total number of individual items within the Museum’s 
collective collection(s). 
 
In response to your request, the number of individual items held by each of the 
Museum’s departments is: 
 
Africa Oceania & the Americas  
350,000 
Ancient Egypt & Sudan  
114,000 
Asia 
175,000 
Coins & Medals  
1,000,000 
Conservation and Scientific Research 
0 
Greece & Rome  
101,000 
Middle East 
300,000 
Portable Antiquities and Treasure 
0 
Prehistory & Europe  
3,200,000 
Prints & Drawings  
2,050,000 
 
The total number of individual items in the Museum’s collections is therefore 7,290,000. 
 
This concludes the response to your request. I hope this information is helpful. If you 
are dissatisfied with the response you have received and wish to make a complaint  
 
 
British Museum 
Telephone +44(0)20 7323 8000 
Great Russell Street 
email [The British Museum request email] 
LONDON WC1B 3DG 
web www.britishmuseum.org 
 

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about how your request has been handled you should write to me in the first instance.  
 
Your complaint will be referred to the Director of Administration, or other senior 
member of staff not involved in the handling of your original request, who will 
investigate and respond within 20 working days of receipt.  
 
Your complaint should be submitted to the Museum within 40 working days of receipt 
by you of this response. Any such request received after this time will only be 
considered at the discretion of the Director of Administration. 
   
If, having exhausted the review process, you are not content that your request or 
review has been dealt with correctly, you have a further right of appeal to the 
Information Commissioner. To make such an application, please write to: 
 
FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution 
Information Commissioner's Office 
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
Cheshire SK9 5AF 
 
or complete the complaint form at: https://forms.ico.gov.uk/freedom-of-information-
or-eir-complaint.aspx 
 
Thank you for your interest in The British Museum. 
 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
 
 
Chris Denvir 
Information Manager 

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