Archaeological digs, behind-the-scenes tours, and messing about with trains, planes and automobiles have proved popular on eBay's heritage auction site, TopLots.
Among the 150 heritage lots auctioned last month were the chance to learn sword fighting at the Royal Armouries Museum (sold for £500) and the opportunity to become a miner for the day at the National Coal Mining Museum for England (£107). Ironbridge Gorge Museum offered an amateur archaeologist the chance to spend a day on a dig (final bid of £77).
Paul Gossage, head of marketing at the museum, said that it had been well worth organising. "It has greatly increased people's awareness of the diversity of what our museum offers, and has created a lot of local media interest in what we do."
The auction was run as a partnership between eBay, the Association for Independent Museums, fundraising specialist Development Partners, VisitBritain and Enjoy England. The participating museums kept 80 per cent of the winning bid.
Sharon Heal
Among the 150 heritage lots auctioned last month were the chance to learn sword fighting at the Royal Armouries Museum (sold for £500) and the opportunity to become a miner for the day at the National Coal Mining Museum for England (£107). Ironbridge Gorge Museum offered an amateur archaeologist the chance to spend a day on a dig (final bid of £77).
Paul Gossage, head of marketing at the museum, said that it had been well worth organising. "It has greatly increased people's awareness of the diversity of what our museum offers, and has created a lot of local media interest in what we do."
The auction was run as a partnership between eBay, the Association for Independent Museums, fundraising specialist Development Partners, VisitBritain and Enjoy England. The participating museums kept 80 per cent of the winning bid.
Sharon Heal
