[meteorite-list] Bonhams and provenance

From: Yinan Wang <veomega_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:37:14 -0500
Message-ID: <BANLkTikuZ+nLM9xC2_7KaHisVLpOrBTopA_at_mail.gmail.com>

Hi List,

Thought I'd chime in on this subject since I'm in the auction industry.

Privacy (and anonymity) is one of the principles of the auction
industry. The consignor or direct previous owner is kept private
unless they wish to be recognized, at which point it is up to a
department's director whether or not to include them in the
description of an item. Well recognized provenance, such as from The
British Museum, or Nininger, would normally be shown in the
description while the direct previous owner or consignor will not be
unless it is agreed upon.

Of course a potential buyer can certainly ask to be put in contact
with the previous owner, but it's up to the consignor whether or not
they want to respond.

Also, a bill of sale from an auction house is usually really good for
authenticity and provenance since auction houses are supposed to
guarentee the titles of items.

-Yinan



On Wed, Apr 13, 2011 at 11:19 AM, <valparint at aol.com> wrote:
> That is a heckuva good question, John.
>
> I've contacted Bonhams about provenance on lots I've won and was told by the head guy that they do not release information about the consignor, but they would send an email on my behalf. So far, no consignor has responded.
>
> Sometimes Bonhams will state the name of the collection from which an item came and I've tried direct contact based on that info, to no avail.
>
> I am currently negotating the sale of a piece and the potential buyer is insistant on documentation, which I have been unable to get. Very frustrating, especially from an auction house. One would think they would live or die on provenance, especially for items that cost a bunch.
>
> Paul Swartz
>
>> I have a question about the exceedingly rare meteorites in question.
>> Why does Bonhams devalue these meteorites by stripping them of their provenance
>> and chain of ownership history? Why are they being sold without the supporting
>> information of where they originated from? It does not seem to be in the best
>> interest of the buyer....
>>
>> Best Regards,
>> John Higgins
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Received on Wed 13 Apr 2011 11:37:14 PM PDT