showed the item to director of the local museum. She was vague and
asked to keep the item for her specialist to have a look at. When I
later met him he told me it looked fake but that I should take it to
Athens where they have a central office that keeps tabs on all private
collections and antiquities shops in Greece. By law all Greek
antiquities (defined as any item pre 1453 CE that came from modern
Greece proper) must be declared. Ownership is recognized only if one
can prove that the item was not obtained illegally and that it has
left Greece before the past 80 years; otherwise the item is consigned
to you but is considered property of the state.
So I visited this office (they are a stone throw away from the
Acropolis). The archeologists who work there see stuff every day and
are very knowledgeable. When I showed the piece to the archeologist
who attended me she smiled broadly and said that it was such a nice
piece but obviously a fake.
I have shipped the item to the Italian gentleman who wanted to buy the
statuette even after I told him that it was a fake. I had asked him
whether he was a specialist or dealer in antiquities and he told me
that no and that he was just interested in collecting things he found
beautiful, a sentiment I can well relate to. He actually paid me more
than I had paid for the thing. I just got an email from him where he
informs me that he received the statuette and that he agrees that it
is fake as is an Apollo he had directly bought from the same seller,
draconarius_1. Maybe this forum's "to avoid" list should have a
section for those sellers who only sell fakes.
--- In Ancientartifacts@yahoogroups.com, "Ramon Jr" <rsdeheredia@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi Dianelos
> What did the archeologist say ?
> Ramon Saenz de Heredia
> Ancientartifacts@yahoogroups.com, "dianelos" <dianelos@> wrote:
> Hello everybody, and thanks for the feedback. The situation certainly
> > doesn't look very good. Tomorrow I am meeting an archaeologist who
> > directs a museum here in Greece and it will be interesting to listen
> > to what she will have to say.
> >
> > As for the guy who offered to buy this item at over twice the price
> I
> > paid, he was quite insistent but once I told him that the seller
> had a
> > dubious reputation he did not contact me anymore.
> >
> > Dianelos
> >
> > --- In Ancientartifacts@yahoogroups.com, "dianelos" <dianelos@>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi everybody; this is my first post here.
> > >
> > > A few weeks ago I bought on ebay a "Greco Roman bronze Leda
> statuette
> > > figurine" (item 330205928363) from Draconarius_1. That was before
> > > finding out that this seller is on the "to avoid" list of this
> group.
> > > Now the seller offers a 30 day money back guarantee. What
> complicates
> > > the situation is that I received a message from somebody offering
> to
> > > buy this statue at double the price I paid.
> > >
> > > I bought this on a whim and I am not really a collector or
> > > particularly knowledgeable in this area. The statuette does look
> real
> > > enough to me though. I have posted some higher resolution photos
> in
> > > the photo section of this group, but I am not sure if they are
> public
> > > (anyway try this link:
> > >
> >
> http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/Ancientartifacts/photos/browse/6a0e?
> c= )
> > >
> > > Any ideas? Any help would be welcome.
> > >
> > > Dianelos
> > >
> >
>
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