IT is not the sort of thing most people would give house-space to - but museum staff were yesterday delighted to be reunited with what to them is an old friend.

After weeks of frantic appeals, the genuine human skull once again has pride of place among the gruesome exhibits at the York Dungeon. And, rather appropriately for such a grisly article, it was Halloween when it was returned.

The skull went missing earlier this month when retail supervisor Natalie Edwards sold it for £30 after she mistook it for a fake.

However, the skull was real and had been a prop at the dungeon since it opened in 1986, one of a pair owned by the attraction.

It had been temporarily left on a bookshelf and was spotted by Corrinne Lane, who was searching for a Christmas present for her son while visiting the city.

She was finally tracked down, and yesterday her son, Darren, travelled to York from Leicester to return the skull.

Bizarrely, Darren, who is 27, has been collecting skulls for five years and has 46 in his collection. However, he was up on the deal in the end as he was given £50 as well as his travel costs.

Dungeon display supervisor Eddie Saul said: "We were speechless when we heard that Natalie had sold it, but at the same time we had to admire her salesmanship.

"If it's not nailed down, she will try and sell anything."