Christie's auction house failed selling a unique Byzantine silver plate of Bulgarian origin.
The plate was offered for sale regardless of Bulgaria's protests and a UK court ban.
Culture Minister Stefan Danailov sent a letter to Christies saying that the plate was found by a treasure hunter in 1999 and exported illegally from the country.
Christie's said that the plate was found in 1903 and had been part of private and museum collections.
The auction house failed selling the plate because the price offered was lower than the initially announced tender price of 300 000 pounds, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) reported.
Bidding begun from 180 000 pounds and reached only 240 000 pounds.
In this case the plate would be returned to its owner who would decide its destiny.
Photo courtesy of christies.com
