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SIR Ernest Shackleton’s £1.8 million Polar Medal has quietly left the UK after the Government failed to find a British buyer, the Sun on Sunday can reveal.
He was one of the most famous explorers of all time making his name in the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
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The Anglo-Irish adventurer went on three expeditions to the South Pole. The Polar Medal is given to individuals for outstanding service in the field of polar research.
An export bar was placed on the silver badge which Rishi Sunak’s Government said was the last of his medals still in the UK. But it ran out in the summer after no British buyer came forward.
It was privately sold to a trust which gifted it to a Canterbury Museum in New Zealand in July.
It is in storage until it goes on public display in 2029.
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Andrew Hochhauser KC, Chairman of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, said: “The Reviewing Committee always hope that items deemed nationally significant find homes in UK museums and galleries.
“Unfortunately, this wasn’t possible for Sir Ernest’s Polar Medal during the export bar period, which meant the international sale had to proceed.
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“The Committee is dedicated to continuing the important work of keeping national treasures in the UK and accessible for the public to enjoy.”
