diff --git a/apps/openmw/CMakeLists.txt b/apps/openmw/CMakeLists.txt
index a4883b77d4..7e3532f418 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/apps/openmw/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -83,6 +83,7 @@ set(GAMEWORLD
     mwworld/globals.cpp
     mwworld/class.cpp
     mwworld/actionteleport.cpp
+    mwworld/containerutil.cpp
     )
 set(GAMEWORLD_HEADER
     mwworld/refdata.hpp
@@ -96,6 +97,7 @@ set(GAMEWORLD_HEADER
     mwworld/actionteleport.hpp
     mwworld/containerstore.hpp
     mwworld/manualref.hpp
+    mwworld/containerutil.hpp
     )
 source_group(apps\\openmw\\mwworld FILES ${GAMEWORLD} ${GAMEWORLD_HEADER})
 
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwscript/containerextensions.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwscript/containerextensions.cpp
index 73111145bb..dad88a7e17 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwscript/containerextensions.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwscript/containerextensions.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 
 #include "../mwworld/manualref.hpp"
 #include "../mwworld/class.hpp"
+#include "../mwworld/containerutil.hpp"
 
 #include "interpretercontext.hpp"
 
@@ -71,18 +72,91 @@ namespace MWScript
                 }
         };
 
+        class OpGetItemCount : public Interpreter::Opcode0
+        {
+            public:
+
+                virtual void execute (Interpreter::Runtime& runtime)
+                {
+                    MWScript::InterpreterContext& context
+                        = static_cast<MWScript::InterpreterContext&> (runtime.getContext());
+
+                    std::string item = runtime.getStringLiteral (runtime[0].mInteger);
+                    runtime.pop();
+
+                    MWWorld::Ptr ptr = context.getReference();
+
+                    std::vector<MWWorld::Ptr> list;
+
+                    MWWorld::listItemsInContainer (item,
+                        MWWorld::Class::get (ptr).getContainerStore (ptr),
+                        context.getWorld().getStore(), list);
+
+                    Interpreter::Type_Integer sum = 0;
+
+                    for (std::vector<MWWorld::Ptr>::iterator iter (list.begin()); iter!=list.end();
+                        ++iter)
+                    {
+                        sum += iter->getRefData().getCount();
+                    }
+
+                    runtime.push (sum);
+                }
+        };
+
+        class OpGetItemCountExplicit : public Interpreter::Opcode0
+        {
+            public:
+
+                virtual void execute (Interpreter::Runtime& runtime)
+                {
+                    MWScript::InterpreterContext& context
+                        = static_cast<MWScript::InterpreterContext&> (runtime.getContext());
+
+                    std::string id = runtime.getStringLiteral (runtime[0].mInteger);
+                    runtime.pop();
+
+                    std::string item = runtime.getStringLiteral (runtime[0].mInteger);
+                    runtime.pop();
+
+                    MWWorld::Ptr ptr = context.getWorld().getPtr (id, false);
+
+                    std::vector<MWWorld::Ptr> list;
+
+                    MWWorld::listItemsInContainer (item,
+                        MWWorld::Class::get (ptr).getContainerStore (ptr),
+                        context.getWorld().getStore(), list);
+
+                    Interpreter::Type_Integer sum = 0;
+
+                    for (std::vector<MWWorld::Ptr>::iterator iter (list.begin()); iter!=list.end();
+                        ++iter)
+                    {
+                        sum += iter->getRefData().getCount();
+                    }
+
+                    runtime.push (sum);
+                }
+        };
+
         const int opcodeAddItem = 0x2000076;
         const int opcodeAddItemExplicit = 0x2000077;
+        const int opcodeGetItemCount = 0x2000078;
+        const int opcodeGetItemCountExplicit = 0x2000079;
 
         void registerExtensions (Compiler::Extensions& extensions)
         {
             extensions.registerInstruction ("additem", "cl", opcodeAddItem, opcodeAddItemExplicit);
+            extensions.registerFunction ("getitemcount", 'l', "c", opcodeGetItemCount,
+                opcodeGetItemCountExplicit);
         }
 
         void installOpcodes (Interpreter::Interpreter& interpreter)
         {
              interpreter.installSegment5 (opcodeAddItem, new OpAddItem);
              interpreter.installSegment5 (opcodeAddItemExplicit, new OpAddItemExplicit);
+             interpreter.installSegment5 (opcodeGetItemCount, new OpGetItemCount);
+             interpreter.installSegment5 (opcodeGetItemCountExplicit, new OpGetItemCountExplicit);
         }
     }
 }
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwscript/docs/vmformat.txt b/apps/openmw/mwscript/docs/vmformat.txt
index e2de2cbc1d..0b91bb8d52 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwscript/docs/vmformat.txt
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwscript/docs/vmformat.txt
@@ -79,4 +79,6 @@ op 0x2000072-0x2000074: GetDynamic (health, magicka, fatigue), explicit referenc
 op 0x2000075: Activate
 op 0x2000076: AddItem
 op 0x2000077: AddItem, explicit reference
-opcodes 0x2000078-0x3ffffff unused
+op 0x2000078: GetItemCount
+op 0x2000079: GetItemCount, explicit reference
+opcodes 0x200007a-0x3ffffff unused
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwworld/containerutil.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwworld/containerutil.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7c7e5e5e87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwworld/containerutil.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+
+#include "containerutil.hpp"
+
+namespace
+{
+    template<typename T>
+    void listItemsInContainerImp (const std::string& id,
+        ESMS::CellRefList<T, MWWorld::RefData>& containerStore,
+        const ESMS::RecListT<T>& store, std::vector<MWWorld::Ptr>& list)
+    {
+        if (const T *record = store.search (id))
+        {
+            for (typename ESMS::CellRefList<T, MWWorld::RefData>::List::iterator iter
+                (containerStore.list.begin());
+                iter!=containerStore.list.end(); ++iter)
+            {
+                if (iter->base==record)
+                    list.push_back (MWWorld::Ptr (&*iter, 0));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+namespace MWWorld
+{
+    void listItemsInContainer (const std::string& id,
+        ContainerStore<MWWorld::RefData>& containerStore,
+        const ESMS::ESMStore& store, std::vector<Ptr>& list)
+    {
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.potions, store.potions, list);
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.appas, store.appas, list);
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.armors, store.armors, list);
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.books, store.books, list);
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.clothes, store.clothes, list);
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.ingreds, store.ingreds, list);
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.lights, store.lights, list);
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.lockpicks, store.lockpicks, list);
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.miscItems, store.miscItems, list);
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.probes, store.probes, list);
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.repairs, store.repairs, list);
+        listItemsInContainerImp (id, containerStore.weapons, store.weapons, list);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwworld/containerutil.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwworld/containerutil.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..21e770404b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwworld/containerutil.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+#ifndef GAME_MWWORLD_CONTAINERUTIL_H
+#define GAME_MWWORLD_CONTAINERUTIL_H
+
+#include <string>
+#include <vector>
+
+#include <components/esm_store/store.hpp>
+
+#include "containerstore.hpp"
+#include "ptr.hpp"
+#include "refdata.hpp"
+
+namespace MWWorld
+{
+    void listItemsInContainer (const std::string& id, ContainerStore<MWWorld::RefData>& containerStore,
+        const ESMS::ESMStore& store, std::vector<Ptr>& list);
+    ///< append all references with the given id to list.
+}
+
+#endif