Generally speaking items made from pottery, weapons and ornaments and beads are the most important classes represented in both Pitt-Rivers' collections (see here for more information). The following table explores some of the more important objects within these classes both in each collection and within the UK parts of each collection.

Note that the table makes it clear that sherds (that is broken vessels) are the most important part of Pitt-Rivers founding collection but that pottery vessels are more important in the second collection. The founding collection sherds are dominated by archaeological items (99 per cent, all but 5 sherds are archaeological) whilst more than half of the second collection of pottery vessels is deemed to be ethnographic (52 per cent is definitely ethnographic, 58 per cent is definitely or might be ethnographic). Both are dominated by items from the UK.

The weapons or weapons/ tools are dominated by arrows and axes in both collections. The top 5 weapons in the founding collection were arrows, axes, spears, knives and clubs. In the UK part of that collection it was axes, arrows, firearms, knives and armour. In the second collection it was arrows, axes, knives, spears and clubs, in the UK part of the second collection it was axes, arrows, knives, daggers, firearms and armour (tying for final place) (all in descending order). In general the UK weapons are a much less important part of the second collection than of the first (numerically).

AP, 1 June 2010