[meteorite-list] Bonhams and provenance

[Shawn Alan]

Yinan

I would have to agree the bill of sale from a world renowned auction house says it all.

Shawn Alan 
IMCA 1633 
eBaystore 
http://shop.ebay.com/photophlow/m.html 




Bonhams and provenance
Yinan Wang veomega at gmail.com 
Wed Apr 13 23:37:14 EDT 2011 

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Hi List, 

Thought I'd chime in on this subject since I'm in the auction industry. 

Privacy (and anonymity) is one of the principles of the auction 
industry. The consignor or direct previous owner is kept private 
unless they wish to be recognized, at which point it is up to a 
department's director whether or not to include them in the 
description of an item. Well recognized provenance, such as from The 
British Museum, or Nininger, would normally be shown in the 
description while the direct previous owner or consignor will not be 
unless it is agreed upon. 

Of course a potential buyer can certainly ask to be put in contact 
with the previous owner, but it's up to the consignor whether or not 
they want to respond. 

Also, a bill of sale from an auction house is usually really good for 
authenticity and provenance since auction houses are supposed to 
guarentee the titles of items. 

-Yinan 



On Wed, Apr 13, 2011 at 11:19 AM, <valparint at aol.com> wrote: 

> That is a heckuva good question, John. 

> 

> I've contacted Bonhams about provenance on lots I've won and was told by the head guy that they do not release information about the consignor, but they would send an email on my behalf. So far, no consignor has responded. 

> 

> Sometimes Bonhams will state the name of the collection from which an item came and I've tried direct contact based on that info, to no avail. 

> 

> I am currently negotating the sale of a piece and the potential buyer is insistant on documentation, which I have been unable to get. Very frustrating, especially from an auction house. One would think they would live or die on provenance, especially for items that cost a bunch. 

> 

> Paul Swartz 

> 

>> I have a question about the exceedingly rare meteorites in question. 

>> Why does Bonhams devalue these meteorites by stripping them of their provenance 

>> and chain of ownership history? Why are they being sold without the supporting 

>> information of where they originated from? It does not seem to be in the best 

>> interest of the buyer.... 

>> 

>> Best Regards, 

>> John Higgins 

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