FOR SALE: King Tut auction to wrap up Experience Barnsley's 10th birthday

Visitors are being invited to bid for a life-sized Tutankhamun sarcophagus.

The tut-ally amazing work of art – created by artist Amanda Stoner – was a selfie-favourite when it went on display in a red telephone box outside the town centre museum, to promote it’s recent record-breaking exhibition, Tut’22: The Life of Tutankhamun, curated by Barnsley born TV Egyptologist Prof Joann Fletcher.

Now it could be yours to take home for £300.

That’s the reserve price when it will be auctioned off to raise funds as part of award-winning Experience Barnsley’s 10th-anniversary celebrations at Barnsley Town Hall on Tuesday, June 27.

MAKE A BID: Bids for the Tut sarcophagus can be emailed in advance of the anniversary to [email protected]. Telephone bids on the day can be made calling 01226 772 500, or bid on the day at Experience Barnsley Museum, Tuesday, June 27, at 3pm.

VIRTUAL TOURS: Take a digital look around Experience Barnsley Museum and Discovery Centre, explore this amazing free virtual tour – CLICK HERE.

MORE: Also take virtual tours of popular temporary exhibitions which have taken place at Experience Barnsley including Tut’22: The Life of Tutankhamun and I Grew Up In The 80s.

Visitors will also be able to celebrate with a slice of birthday cake, invited to sign a massive birthday card and listen as people share their memories of Barnsley and the museum’s first decade.

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A giant replica cardboard cut-out of the Town Hall will also be unveiled, and a number of speeches are planned, with main. proceedings between 2pm and 3pm.

The museum moved into the Town Hall on June 27, 2013, with the aim of being a place where locals could explore their heritage and visitors could discover more about the borough.

Acting as the people’s museum, it is curated by the people, for the people and about the people.

Experience Barnsley is a space for the community, bringing people together and their work, which spans exhibitions in the space, an extensive outreach programme and multiple community groups such as Feels Like Home, Afaab, Age UK, u3a, and Butterflies Dementia Support and Activities Group.

Also, as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations, visitors will be able to watch an exclusively commissioned film featuring highlights from the last decade and enjoy a bespoke podcast as well as read from a one-off commemorative magazine.

The Tutankhamun sarcophagus was seen by thousands of people in the Church Street phone box which was purchased by Barnsley Museums and converted into a mini museum, to showcase heritage on the high street.

Pictures of it were seen across the world when it was featured on TV and in the press.

Over five feet long and meticulously created with an astonishing level of detail, it is a unique work of art and described as a must-have for any fan of Egypt.

The piece can be displayed laid down or vertically – with the use of support – and is perfect for education settings, exhibitions, shows, performances, or a real show stopper for any venue of home.

All money from the auction will go to Barnsley Museums and Heritage Trust, a charitable organisation who support the important work of the Museums.

Coun Robert Frost, cabinet spokesperson for Culture and Regeneration, said: “There's lots happening at Experience Barnsley on Tuesday, June 27, as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations.

"Come along for a party and enjoy a cuppa and a slice of cake, there will be extraordinary things to see and special memories to share. The museum was made for the people and by the people, and it’s only fitting that they are a central part of the day marking such an important occasion.

"The auction will be a real highlight of the day, and the model is an extraordinary object for someone to own. It took hundreds of hours to create, and we’re sure there isn’t anything like this out there, it is a magical piece of art.”

For more information about Experience Barnsley’s birthday celebrations visit www.experience-barnsley.com/whats-on/experience-barnsley-is-10 and on social use the hashtag #TakeHomeTut

MAKE A DONATION: Experience Barnsley is run by Barnsley Museums, part of Barnsley Council, and relies on funding from Barnsley Museums & Heritage Trust to continue to provide a source of learning, curiosity, inspiration and enjoyment. Make a donation – visit bmht.org.