Personally, i think this is buyer beware on all cases... the auction house is as guilty for buying it from her as she is from the charity auction. I am sure the charity didnt know it was a forgery and neither did she.
I think what is happening is the auction house is trying to strong arm her! and she is merely looking for help because she doesn't no what to do. She is in panic mode. The auction house is trying to convince her she is liable. I guess it would depend on what paperwork she signed and what it said.
The only advice i would give her is to take her paperwork to a laywer, tell them what happened and see what they say.... do not cave to the auction house unless you signed something saying it was authentic. She came to you because you are an expert in the field and might know better then she what to do, she is very very scared. Out yourself in her shoes, imagine losing the chance at owning your dream home because a charity had a bogus item.
About her needing the money to buy a house.... no one knows her situation. She may have bought the ball 2-3 years ago and now has decided she wants a house with prices being a little lower and more favorable. She has a ball and figures why not sell the ball to obtain a house.. makes sense to me. Peoples finances can change drastically from year to year.
my two cents, just sayin'
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