Last day to see Anglo-Saxon hoard

The collection will be sent to experts in London to be valued

Thousands of people queued to see items from the UK's largest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure on its last day on display in Birmingham.

Up to 65,000 people have visited Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery since items from the Staffordshire Hoard were put on temporary display last month.

The collection was found in July on a Staffordshire farm by a man using a metal detector.

The treasure will now be sent to experts in London to be valued.

Backed calls

It will go to the British Museum in London to be assessed by the Treasure Valuation Committee.

Once a market value has been ascertained, museums will be able to bid for the collection.

A joint acquisition between Staffordshire County Council, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery has already been proposed.

Culture Minister Margaret Hodge has backed calls for the hoard to remain in the West Midlands.

'Amazing response'

Three councils - Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham - have appealed for donations to keep the haul in the area.

All three authorities have said they plan to apply for grants from public bodies and local businesses and appeal for public donations to buy the hoard from the Crown.

Together they have already raised more than £21,000 to keep it in the region.

Simon Cane, from Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, said: "We have been delighted by the amazing response from the region.

"We look forward to a successful fundraising campaign that will secure the hoard for the people of the Midlands."