TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The sale of nearly 70 antiquities from an Ohio art museum that drew objections from the governments of Egypt and Cyprus has brought in $1.2 million.
New York auction house Christie's said Thursday the total comes from live and online auctions this week featuring the Toledo Museum of Art's pieces from Egypt, Greece and Italy.
The Blade newspaper in Toledo reported Egyptian officials earlier this week sought to stop the auction and wanted the items from Egypt returned there.
Cyprus' ambassador to the United States also hoped the museum would postpone the auction and reconsider keeping the items.
But the museum's director says many of the pieces haven't been displayed in decades and that money from the sale would go to buy new items and improve its collections.
