Art appraisals/valuations?
in Classifieds ·
Hi there 🙂
Does anyone here have any experience or insight regarding moving antiquities across international borders when you don't have formal documentation? Specifically, I’m talking about items received as family gifts—things discovered on private property by relatives years ago.
It’s a small statue from a region where we just don't have any local experts. A few years back, I actually ended up in conversation with some folks at the British Museum, and they suggested I bring it in for an evaluation. When I explained that I didn't have the piece physically with me, they told me to just email over some photos. I never followed through on that, though. Honestly, I was too worried about the potential legal headache and what kind of scrutiny it might trigger. This piece was brought into the country way back during the old American era, likely slipping through the cracks simply because customs officials missed it or were looking the other way.
I'm genuinely curious about its origin, but I can't find anything remotely similar online. My guess is that it came from a site that was never officially reported to the relevant authorities in its home country, or perhaps it's just from a minor site that never made it into the academic record.
Does anyone here have any experience or insight regarding moving antiquities across international borders when you don't have formal documentation? Specifically, I’m talking about items received as family gifts—things discovered on private property by relatives years ago.
It’s a small statue from a region where we just don't have any local experts. A few years back, I actually ended up in conversation with some folks at the British Museum, and they suggested I bring it in for an evaluation. When I explained that I didn't have the piece physically with me, they told me to just email over some photos. I never followed through on that, though. Honestly, I was too worried about the potential legal headache and what kind of scrutiny it might trigger. This piece was brought into the country way back during the old American era, likely slipping through the cracks simply because customs officials missed it or were looking the other way.
I'm genuinely curious about its origin, but I can't find anything remotely similar online. My guess is that it came from a site that was never officially reported to the relevant authorities in its home country, or perhaps it's just from a minor site that never made it into the academic record.