The black market for pilfered goods is incredibly large for historic things. There are people who make entire careers out of pillaging burial sites, historic locations and archaeological digs. It is a shame that things like American Indian artifacts and other things that should be left well enough alone or displayed in the proper museum collections are often up for sale to the highest bidder.
One of the challenging aspects to collecting these types of things is making sure that you are purchasing from a reputable seller. There are many reproductions that aren't verifiable as an actual, historically significant item. Buying fakes can be a very discouraging thing for lots of people. Knowing the signs of fakes is integral to avoiding this.
South America has had a problem with this historically. Because they had cultures that were in place for thousands of years before Europeans showed up, they are rich with history and historical sites. The problem is that there are folks who will pay top dollar for items that are smuggled out of those areas, despite their cultural and historical significance.
The people who get these things are no better than grave robbers who would exhume corpses for their jewelry and personal possessions. They are disturbing the graves of people who were respectfully laid to rest many generations ago and the implications for those with a shared heritage are appalling and shocking. There are lots of people who are still sensitive to those remains and hope for their protection.
Figuring out who the dealer is or where the object came from is difficult occasionally. Most times, you can find out from customers that the dealer has done business with in the past. Often, former customers will be able to share their experience and whether or not it was a good one or a bad one. This kind of insight can be invaluable.
The internet is another great way to stay involved with your hobby. There are sites that exist only to show collections and how they are displayed. These websites offer the novice collector the opportunity to learn how more serious collectors choose to display their own collections and gives them something to aspire to.
Tromping around without concern for the things that aren't valuable in a fiscal sense can be so destructive as to negate the information that could have been gleaned from the historical things. This ignorance and destructiveness is costing us our history and our understanding of ourselves. The battle to understand our own lives and history is being lost.
Finding the American Indian artifacts that best suit your collection is a rewarding way to enjoy your hobby or heritage. Making sure that you are purchasing from a reputable dealer and not contributing to the vast criminal enterprise that deals in black market or faked articles of historical significance is an important aspect and educating yourself is paramount to making the right decisions. Give yourself an advantage by researching and being educated on what you want and how to get it.
One of the challenging aspects to collecting these types of things is making sure that you are purchasing from a reputable seller. There are many reproductions that aren't verifiable as an actual, historically significant item. Buying fakes can be a very discouraging thing for lots of people. Knowing the signs of fakes is integral to avoiding this.
South America has had a problem with this historically. Because they had cultures that were in place for thousands of years before Europeans showed up, they are rich with history and historical sites. The problem is that there are folks who will pay top dollar for items that are smuggled out of those areas, despite their cultural and historical significance.
The people who get these things are no better than grave robbers who would exhume corpses for their jewelry and personal possessions. They are disturbing the graves of people who were respectfully laid to rest many generations ago and the implications for those with a shared heritage are appalling and shocking. There are lots of people who are still sensitive to those remains and hope for their protection.
Figuring out who the dealer is or where the object came from is difficult occasionally. Most times, you can find out from customers that the dealer has done business with in the past. Often, former customers will be able to share their experience and whether or not it was a good one or a bad one. This kind of insight can be invaluable.
The internet is another great way to stay involved with your hobby. There are sites that exist only to show collections and how they are displayed. These websites offer the novice collector the opportunity to learn how more serious collectors choose to display their own collections and gives them something to aspire to.
Tromping around without concern for the things that aren't valuable in a fiscal sense can be so destructive as to negate the information that could have been gleaned from the historical things. This ignorance and destructiveness is costing us our history and our understanding of ourselves. The battle to understand our own lives and history is being lost.
Finding the American Indian artifacts that best suit your collection is a rewarding way to enjoy your hobby or heritage. Making sure that you are purchasing from a reputable dealer and not contributing to the vast criminal enterprise that deals in black market or faked articles of historical significance is an important aspect and educating yourself is paramount to making the right decisions. Give yourself an advantage by researching and being educated on what you want and how to get it.
No comments:
Post a Comment