While seemingly unreported at the time, the pilfering was uncovered by historian Barnaby Phillips as part of his research for a new book about African treasures

The British Museum, from which Nigel Peverett stole hundreds of prints Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Nigel Peverett had worked at the British Museum in London since the early 1970s, but in April of 1992, he was caught leaving with thousands of dollars worth of prints. When the internal and criminal investigations were finished, police found more than 169 prints with Peverett, who admitted to having stolen and sold an additional 150.

At the time, the theft went seemingly unreported, but while researching for his new book about stolen African treasures, The African Kingdom of Gold: Britain and the Asante Treasure , historian Barnaby Phillips uncovered records of the malfeasance in the museum’s own archives.

“Peverett’s thefts were recorded by the museum after they came to light, and an effort was made to recover the stolen…