A Roman helmet found in a field in Cumbria has been sold at auction for £2m.
The helmet was unearthed by a metal detector enthusiast in Crosby Garrett, near Kirkby Stephen, in May.
It had been expected to fetch up to £300,000 when it went under the hammer at Christie’s in London.
The buyer has not been revealed so it is not yet known if Carlisle’s Tullie House Museum’s campaign to keep it in Cumbria was successful.
An announcement is due later.
The museum’s appeal attracted public donations of more than £100,000.
This includes £50,000 from an anonymous businessman who pledged that amount if the public matched it.
Tourism chiefs have said they believe keeping the helmet in the county would result in a £3m boost to the local economy.
They said they thought the helmet would have a “Mona Lisa” effect in drawing visitors to the region.
The helmet is believed to be one of only three of its kind to be found in Britain.
It would have been worn, possibly with colourful streamers attached, as a mark of excellence by Roman soldiers at sport parades.
Christie’s described the find as an “extraordinary example of Roman metalwork at its zenith” and “the discovery of a lifetime” for a metal detectorist.
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