When I first got started in searching for antiquities, I was a little worried about the legality of it. After all, these are real life ancient artifacts we are talking about here. Shouldn’t they be in a museum or something? How am I able to buy these things so cheaply?
It didn’t help that when I searched for “antiquities dealer” in Yahoo! I kept getting stories about antiquities dealers going to jail for illegal dealing practices. So I did a little more research into the subject.
There are, of course, those who deal illegally with ancient artifacts. There is quite a black market out there for artifacts. Those villains we see in those bad movies and TV shows, while a bit overdone, do exist in real life.
However, there is a perfectly legal antiquities trade. It’s important to note that the antiquities that you are buying from these dealers are not major artifacts. They are small pieces, the kind that if they were in a museum would get shoved in a box down in the basement, never to see the light of day. There are way more of these types of artifacts out there than you might think, and this has spawned a perfectly legal trade in antiquities.
How to Make Sure You Are Dealing With a Reputable Antiquities Dealer
When you first get started collecting antiquities, it is important to make sure that you are working with reputable dealers. The best way to do this is to make sure that the dealer you are shopping from is a member of the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA). This organization has been around since 1993, and it is the official international body of the antiquities dealing trade.
In order to be a member of the organization, the dealership must adhere to their code of ethics, and must follow all the laws regarding antiquities dealing. By making sure that your dealer is a member of the IADAA, you know that you are dealing with reputable people.