Treasures of Sutton Hoo Postcard Pack

Exclusive to the British Museum, a pack of ten postcards featuring images from the Sutton Hoo ship burial site.

In 1939, Edith Pretty, a landowner at Sutton Hoo, Suffolk, asked archaeologist Basil Brown to investigate the largest of several Anglo-Saxon burial mounds on her property. Inside, he made one of the most spectacular archaeological discoveries of all time.

Beneath the mound was the imprint of a 27m-long (86ft) ship. At its centre was a ruined burial chamber packed with treasures. Dating to the early AD 600s, this outstanding burial clearly commemorated a leading figure of East Anglia, the local Anglo-Saxon kingdom. 

Mrs Pretty was declared the owner but refused to sell her find. In 1938 she gifted all of the treasures to the nation, gaining national and international acclaim. The finds included Byzantine silverware, sumptuous gold jewellery, a lavish feasting set, and, most famously, an ornate iron helmet. She remains one of the British Museum’s most generous benefactors.

A brilliant and informative gift.