UNBOXED

: Museum staff have begun unpacking the Staffordshire Hoard in preparation for the opening of the exhibition.

A collection officer and registrar have been checking the condition of the 118 items of Anglo-Saxon gold that will go on display at the Potteries Museum from Saturday until March 7.

Forty

of the items

have never been seen by the public.

Councillor Hazel Lyth, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for culture, said: "The possibility of seeing something so old is capturing everyone's imagination. This is our roots and it will raise our profile and attract the attention of the world."

A phone line offering an exclusive viewing of the hoard advertised in yesterday's

Sentinel

souvenir supplement proved a resounding success with 200 tickets for readers' night gone by midday.

A £3.3 million fund-raising campaign to buy the Hoard has been launched by The Art Fund, which has until April 17 to raise the money.

If successful, it will be acquired by The Potteries Museum and Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery.

Pictured is archaeologist Deb Klemperer examining a piece of the hoard.

Pictures: Malcolm Hart