OT: antiquities

[drcy]

Also, those items are 100% modern reproductions. Deduced from just a quick glance at what is being offered.

The "set of three canopic jars' at min bid of $125 jumped out immediately. Caponic jars are what they put the put the innards (heart, etc) of the Pharaohs, king, princes, princesses into and buried with the mummies in the tombs. Even if they were legal to sell, those would be worth like tens of millions of dollars if not more.

There's nothing wrong with selling or buying reproductions-- I might like a reproduced caponic jar for my bookshelf--, but that the seller doesn't clearly state they are modern reproduction makes him, to put it politely, a deceptive dealer. There's no question he knows they are modern reproductions.

If you do want to get something old or ancient, look into American Indian Artifacts. There are a lot of fakes and reproductions there, but also a lot of legit stuff if you know what to look for. I can give you one quick tip on ancient American Indian arrowheads, stone knives and such. If it's broken, it's more than probably authentic. They forge wholes ones not broken ones. Also, there are legitimate experts in the area that give COAs.

[kkkkandp]

As David noted, the sale and purchase of Egyptian antiquities is still legal as long as it can be incontrovertibly proven that the items were held in private collections before the establishment of the 1983 law. (https://www.cemml.colostate.edu/cult...0egyptenl.html)

The price of legitimate items, however, can be astronomical. Even the "cheap stuff" isn't cheap, though, so buying ushabtis, wedjat eyes, faience amulets and scarabs on Ebay is probably not a great idea. I am acquainted with Allan Anawati (having bought a couple of very small things for my daughter) and his firm is top notch with a long-established pedigree. You might want to check out his company. https://medusa-art.com/

[chlankf]

I dabbled in Egyptian antiquities before and after college for archaeology. UNESCO has passed many laws as mentioned above to curb nation's from having their cultural heritage disappear. It is a pretty hot debate between collectors and historians. The antiquities being sold need to have documentation showing import information or have ability to see in a collection or traded, sticky.

You have to go to a reputable dealer/auction. Try checking out http://http://www.sadighgallery.com I have done business with them several times.

Craig

[bobbvc]

These seem more likely to be legit, though I'm not familiar enough to be positive. Fun to look at in any case.
https://www.vcoins.com/en/Search.asp...assigned=False