I read the article about the mask a couple days ago.
Articles usually leave a lot out, especially these days when they apparently save money by not having editors.
Anyway,
The guy who bought it took it to two other auction places that estimated it at well under 1000 euros. Then he took it to the specialist auction.
I suspect the gardener was one of those "hey, this isn't trash, I know a guy who would probably buy it. "
I just got electronics from a house clear out that was the same deal, handyman recommended a pushy real estate guy.
I suspect the specialized auction place was the one pushing the age/originality testing.
To me when I was going to yard sales and flea markets a lot there was a big difference between me asking a price which I usually paid if it was a deal, and me offering a price for something.
If someone underprices something, I'm ok with paying what they ask. (and even big dealers underprice things. )
Making an offer is easy if it's a well known thing, but much more complex if it's a bunch of stuff. What it might sell for, how much time the sorting and pricing will take. If I actually need some of it for my collection or if it's just extras....
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