So you've come into an antiquity.

Step One

First, do no harm.

Before you research it, photograph it, or show it to anyone, protect the object and its story. The most common damage to antiquities is done in the first week of new ownership, with the best intentions.

Step Two

Find out what you have.

Two honest possibilities exist, and both are fine. Many "ancient" objects in family collections are souvenirs and reproductions: tourist pieces bought in good faith on trips abroad, replicas sold at museum shops decades ago. Others are genuinely ancient; antiquities like Roman coins and oil lamps were made in the millions and survive in the millions, so authentic pieces in ordinary households are more common than people expect.

To find out which you have: photograph the object well (natural light, several angles, a ruler or coin for scale, any markings underneath). Then seek an opinion from someone with no stake in the answer. The specialist departments of established auction houses will typically look at photographs at no charge, since finding consignments is their business. Museums with relevant collections sometimes offer identification help or public identification days, and university classics or archaeology departments occasionally assist with interesting pieces. Comparing your object against published museum collections online costs nothing and teaches you a great deal.

Two cautions. Be wary of anyone who offers, unsolicited, to buy the object or to "authenticate" it for a significant fee. The person identifying and the person buying should never be the same person. And get more than one opinion before believing anything dramatic, in either direction.

Step Three

Ask the legality question.

If the object is genuinely ancient, one question matters before any decision to sell: when and how did it leave its country of origin? An object that has been in your family since the 1950s, or that came with old purchase documents, generally stands on solid ground. This is why the paperwork you gathered in Step One matters so much. An object with no history at all, or one that seems to have entered the country recently, deserves more care before it enters the market.

This is not a reason for panic. Inheriting an undocumented object is not a crime, and the overwhelming majority of family pieces have innocent histories that simply went unrecorded. But the responsible path, and the one that protects your own interests, is to resolve serious doubts before selling, not after. For an object of real value or real uncertainty, an hour with an attorney experienced in cultural property is money well spent. And in the rare case where research shows an object truly should not be in private hands, voluntary return to the country of origin or placement with an institution is an honorable path that owners take more often than you might think.

This page is general education, not legal advice. For questions about a specific object, consult a qualified professional.

A Word of Reassurance

What if there's no history at all?

Let's say it plainly, because it is true of most ancient objects in most homes: there may be no paperwork, no story, no history at all. This does not mean the object was looted, and it does not mean you have done anything wrong. For most of history, modest antiquities changed hands the way old books and furniture did: casually, legally, and without a scrap of paper. The absence of records reflects the habits of earlier generations, not a crime. Owning such an object makes you its inheritor, not its accomplice.

What the absence does mean is that the object's documented life has not started yet, and you are the one who gets to start it. Photograph it, describe it, and record honestly what is known and what is not. An entry that reads "history unknown; in the family since at least the 1990s" is a legitimate and honorable record. Date it and keep it with the object. From this day forward, the object has a provenance, and it begins with you. Fifty years from now, someone will be grateful that you did.

The Code's demands are about the future, not the past. What the Society asks of its members is care in what they acquire from now on, never shame for what they already hold.

Whether Buying or Selling

How to find a reputable dealer.

The antiquities trade has its own professional associations, and their codes of ethics do real work. Members of the leading dealer organizations bind themselves to standards that go beyond the law: they must exercise due diligence to establish that objects were not stolen or looted, check higher-value pieces against stolen-art databases such as the Art Loss Register, guarantee in writing the authenticity of what they sell, document provenance and pass it to the buyer, and disclose repairs and restoration. A dealer who has accepted those obligations, and whose membership can be revoked for violating them, has put their reputation where their inventory is.

For ancient art generally, look for members of the International Association of Dealers in Ancient Art (IADAA) or the UK's Antiquities Dealers' Association (ADA). For ancient coins, the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) and the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) hold their members to comparable codes, including guarantees of authenticity and good title. Each association publishes a member directory on its website.

Two honest caveats. Association membership is a strong signal, not a substitute for your own judgment: ask your questions and expect documentation regardless of whose logo is on the door. And the reverse is also true. Many knowledgeable, honorable dealers belong to no association at all, so absence of membership is not an accusation. It simply means the burden of demonstrating standards rests on the individual dealer instead of an institution. The Society is not affiliated with these organizations and does not endorse individual dealers.

Are you a dealer? The Society has an invitation for you too: see For Dealers.

Step Four

Choose your path.