Visitors slam prices of King Tut souvenirs

People who paid up to £20 each to see the collection of ancient Egyptian treasures on show at the O2 said they were shocked and disgusted by the price of the items in the gift shop, most of which were mass-produced in China.

The souvenirs are aimed mainly at children and include a novelty "Tut Twist" propelling pen and plastic key rings, both £8.95, a King Tut rag doll for £14.95 and a novelty headdress for £34.

The cheapest item available is a postcard for 60p. The most expensive items include a 24-carat gold scarab necklace embedded with precious stones for £5,000.

The exhibition catalogue retails at £35 and an official DVD costs £25.

Teacher Lynda Pierce, who was taking a group of year eight pupils from Mill Vale Primary School in Dunstable to see the show, said: "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"The children want to spend their pocket money on something to remember it by but most things are £5 or over.

"It means that all they can really buy is a pencil. It's too expensive for them.

"Some of them have spent £5 on a chocolate lollipop and my colleague has just spotted a scarf for £75. It's ridiculous."

Sophie Ambrose, 41, an illustrator from Fulham, was visiting the exhibition with her husband, John, 50, and their two children, Millie, four, and Henry, seven.

She said: "I picked up the rag doll, saw how much it cost and put it straight down again.

"My son was desperate to have most of the rubbish in there. He wanted a pyramid that you could excavate your own mummy out of but it cost £12.95 and we just had to say no.

"I said I would buy him a book or nothing. In the end, we bought him a bookmark for £2.95 and Millie some art tattoos for £1.50. These looked quite good value after searching around for 10 minutes."

Lee Molyneux, 38, a plasterer, had travelled to the exhibition from Stockport with his son, Joe.

He said: "I got him a book for £35, which we had to explain he must look after very carefully, and a pencil for 95p that he can take into school.

"The exhibition itself was excellent but as soon as we got into the gift shop we thought they were milking things a bit.

"There is a lot of pap in there. It's overpriced and most of it is tasteless. It's a rather disappointing end to the experience."

Radha Walker, 33, from Bushey Heath, who was visiting with her son, Ash, seven, said: "Most of the stuff Ash picked up I said no to straight away. You would expect them to cash in but not this much. It's over the top."

Curt Bechdel, vice-president of operations in the exhibition's merchandising department, insisted the prices were competitive with those at other top shows. He said: "In developing the pricing and selection of the gift shop items, we carefully reviewed the shops at many of London's most important cultural institutions, including The British Museum and The Victoria and Albert Museum."

He said record numbers of customers were buying show souvenirs, adding: "Customer response is always the best indicator. As with any gift shop or retail establishment, there will always be some customers who do not like some of the items on offer."

He said 10 per cent of proceeds from the merchandising was being donated to the restoration and protection of Egyptian antiquities.