Thief threw ancient Greek coins into bin

Rare coins from ancient Athens may be lost to history after a thief threw them in a bin, a court heard.

George Marshall, 53, pilfered the artefacts from a glass display cabinet at Stanley Gibbons on the Strand, central London, on August 10.

He took four silver coins valued at £3,375 that were minted in Athens between 420BC-405BC during the Peloponnesian War against Sparta.

Marshall was arrested on August 29 when he returned and was recognised by staff. He told police officers he threw the relics into a bin near Oxford Circus station, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

Dominic Chorney, an expert in Athenian coinage, said: “They are some of the most famous and iconic coins from the ancient world.”

Marshall, from Peckham, south-east London, admitted theft and was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for a year.

He was also fined a total of £100 for possession of cannabis and refusing to take a drugs test.