A RARE Iron Age artefact at risk of leaving the country has been saved after £33,000 was raised to keep it in Oxfordshire.
Oxfordshire County Council’s Museums Service needs to raise the funds to preserve the county’s heritage and purchase the mirror.
It had until today to raise the funds.
The council's cabinet member for cultural services, Lorraine Lindsay-Gale, said: “It's an amazing achievement by everyone who has supported the appeal, both locally and internationally.
"I am delighted that such a significant part of the heritage of Oxfordshire has been saved for the county and the nation."
The mirror is believed to date back to the first century BC and only 18 other similar mirrors are thought to exist.
It was discovered by a metal detector user and recently sold to an anonymous bidder outside the UK. But the Museums Service was given the chance to raise funds to retain the artefact after a temporary export bar was placed.
The Oxfordshire Museum urged residents to back a public appeal so the mirror could be displayed at the Park Street museum.
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