[SteveH]

Think of it as stuff that could easily be dug up by tomb robbers, sold to victorian era tourists in cairo as keepsakes, put in suitcases, smuggled out of egypt by steamer, and then eventually sold or donated to local museums before trading in such objects was deemed illegal. mummies, particularly ptolemaic era mummies of less significant historical value, were sold in bulk to traveling circuses for curiosity draws.

I have never been in the Houston museum so I could be wrong.

[Spirochete]

mummies, particularly ptolemaic era mummies of less significant historical value, were sold in bulk to traveling circuses for curiosity draws.

This article on Ankh-Hap certainly gives weight to that.