Society of AntiquartistsMembership · Founding Class of MMXXVI
Every learned society begins with the members who believed in it first.
The Society is taking shape, and the first step is simple: add your name to the founding list. As programs open, the list hears first, and founding membership will be free until July 1, 2027. Founding members are recorded permanently on the Society's founding roll, carry the designation for life, and shape the institution's first bylaws, curriculum, and traditions.
Step One · The Founding List
Founding List
Free · email signup
- Receive Tabulae, the Society's quarterly newsletter, from its first issue
- First invitation to enroll as a Founding Member, free until July 1, 2027
- A voice in the Society's first bylaws, curriculum, and traditions
- No dues, no obligation, just the beginning of the Society
Formal enrollment opens as the Society grows. Membership will be free until July 1, 2027; thereafter it continues by annual dues set by the founding class and its board. Members enrolled during the founding period keep the founding designation for life.
What Joining Means
Membership is an affirmation.
Every member subscribes to the Antiquartist Code upon admission: five articles covering documentation, lawful acquisition, preservation, shared knowledge, and succession, and renews that subscription with each year of membership. The Code is what makes the word mean something.
Common Questions
My collection has no provenance. Can I still join?
Yes, and you are precisely who the Society is for. Most ancient objects in private hands carry no paperwork at all, and that reflects the record-keeping habits of earlier generations rather than anything about you. The Code governs what members acquire from now on, not what they inherited. Start each object's record today, and its documented history begins with you.
Is membership really free?
Until July 1, 2027, yes. Completely. The founding phase is about building the community and the standard, not the treasury. After that date, membership continues by annual dues, which the founding class and its board will set. Founding members keep their designation for life either way.
What am I signing up for right now?
An email list, nothing more. As the Society's programs open (the curriculum, Tabulae, formal enrollment), the founding list hears first. You can step back at any time.
What is Tabulae?
The Society's quarterly newsletter, named for the wooden tablets on which Romans kept their records. Each issue carries one article from the curriculum (provenance, law, care, or acquisition), one object from a member's collection, and one term worth learning. Founding list members receive it from Issue No. I.
Do I need to own antiquities to join?
No. Students of the ancient world, future collectors, and those who simply support the mission are welcome. Many members join to learn before they ever acquire an object, which is exactly the order we'd recommend.
Is the Society a dealer or trade organization?
No. The Society does not buy, sell, appraise, or broker antiquities, and takes no commission from any transaction. We are an educational institution; our only product is a more knowledgeable, more ethical collector.
What if an object in my collection has problematic provenance?
The Society exists for exactly this situation. Our curriculum helps members research honestly, understand their options, and act responsibly. We treat members who confront hard questions about their collections as exemplars of the Code, not violators of it.
How do I join?
Right now, by adding your name to the founding list with the form above. When formal enrollment opens, you'll be invited to affirm the Antiquartist Code and be recorded as a Founding Member, free until July 1, 2027.
Questions?
Write to the Society.
For membership questions, the curriculum, or press inquiries: info@antiquartists.org