Purchasing ancient artifacts is one of the most complicated and difficult things to do in the art world. There are so many forgeries and so many legal pieces in the marketplace that even a skill Authenticator will be hard-pressed 2 verify a piece.
If you are interested in purchasing ancient artifacts, there is a methodology that if strictly adhered to will greatly diminish the chances of your purchasing an illegal war forged piece. Here are some guidelines for you to use:
Never Purchase Ancient Artifacts Online
Unfortunately most ancient artifacts listed for sale on the internet are forgeries or do not exist. Knowing this fact, you can understand that avoiding purchasing artifacts on the Internet is a smart thing to do. Additionally, it is impossible to tell the validity and authenticity of an ancient artifact online. Pictures and even video cannot accurately display all of the things that you will need to understand about the piece of art. Further depending upon who is selling the ancient artifact, you will need to have an independent expert verify the piece when sure that it is neither counterfeit, nor stolen. If you see a piece online and you are very interested in purchasing it, you should make the purchase in person after you have had an independent expert completely review, authenticate and check the provenance of the Peace
Always Purchase from a Reputable Dealer
Reputable ancient artifact dealers like Sadigh Gallery go through international certifications in order to have made available to them the Antiquities they sell. These galleries will employ archaeologists, authenticators, and other experts who can both track the history of the artifact and verify is change of ownership. If there is any discrepancy or missing piece of important information regarding the ancient artifact, a reputable dealer will reject that artifact rather than sell it. They also appreciate and understand that many artifacts are stolen causing not just lost money from the owners, but in some cases loss of a national treasure. There are many countries throughout Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia who struggle to locate and have returned ancient artifacts that are legally owned by them. By working with a reputable ancient artifacts dealer you’re guaranteed to only view authentic and legal ancient artifacts for purchase.
Check the Provenance of the Piece before You Purchase
It is imperative that you check the Providence of any ancient artifact you intend to purchase. If the piece is more than a few hundred dollars you might need to bring in your own expert. Although determining the maker of the antiquity may or may not always be possible, an expert will always need to determine an artifact’s authenticity via the chain of ownership: who owned it first, and then through the chain of ownership, and how did that piece make its way to the present owner? If there’s a gap in that chain creating time periods where there is no record meaning they don’t know who owned a particular artifact for a decade or century, there is a possibility that the object was forged.
