A final (?) thought on the trade association, as the subject seems to continue to crop up on the Board. I'm obviously "odd man out" in assuming there exists sufficient integrity among the majority of auction houses (and dealers) to make such an association beneficial to collectors.
I will confess to being biased as, given the right circumstances, I wouldn't mind being considered for a position in the hobby. [As this has not developed, I have instead turned to teaching, and now a group of unfortunate students in Alexandria, Va, must suffer through my course in legal writing.]
Having said that, I fail to see the downside to such an association, although I recognize that others might argue that it would offer a patina of legitimacy to a corrupt enterprise. "Everyone" agrees that law enforcement, at both the federal and state level, has insufficient resources to police the hobby effectively. Just look at how long it's taking the FBI to conduct the Mastro investigation. And, civil litigation is too costly and cumbersome except to resolve high-dollar disputes.
While a system of self-policing would no doubt be imperfect, it seems to me that if it comprises honest people invested with sufficient authority, and if the costs are borne by the industry and not passed on to collectors, then collectors stand nothing to lose by offering their support.
|