1) To provide informed opinions on the authenticity of objects being represented as ancient in origin. This service is FREE. Just email photos and descriptions to us at any time.
2) To provide a sample "Certificate of Guarantee" which is free to anyone who is considering the purchase of an item with a claim to being ancient. This certificate can be downloaded and sent to the potential seller for them to print, fill in, Sign and return to you. If a seller won't back up their item with this contract, they aren't worth dealing with.
Certificates of Authenticity are WORTHLESS!!!
When a dealer issues a "Certificate of Authenticity" it is really just part of their ploy to convince a purchaser that the object is real. There is no legal recourse for the purchaser in the event that an accredited expert says that the object is fake or inaccurately described. A "CERTIFICATE OF GUARANTEE" is the ONLY acceptable document a dealer must provide. Anybody can print a piece of paper that says an object is authentic. However, a guarantee on paper, signed by the Seller of the item is a CONTRACT. This leaves the purchaser a path of recourse in the event that the object is deemed fake or inaccurately described by an ACCREDITED APPRAISER OR MUSEUM AUTHORITY.
Your "Certificate of Guarantee" must state that the object may be returned for a FULL REFUND for ANY reason within the stipulated time frame. Be sure to avoid sellers who require a signed document from the person declaring the object a fake. Museums are not allowed to get involved in private business transactions and will not issue documents as to authenticity as there is nothing in it for them to do so. Museums cannot afford to get into a legal battle with someone about an object that belongs to someone else. Dishonest sellers will insist that in order to return an object you must provide such expert "testimony". Good Luck.
If you are considering the purchase of an object with a claim to being ancient in origin, or, if you have already purchased an object and are questioning it's authenticity, please feel free to send photos and a detailed description including dimensions and the history of the object's ownership. We will provide you with an informed opinion of the object's potential authenticity. The Antiquities Marketplace is suffering from a vast quantity of fakes being misrepresented as genuine. This depletes buyer trust and hence, the price of genuine objects drops drastically. One good rule of thumb is that ANTIQUITIES ARE NOT CHEAP.
The document shown below is free for you to download and send to any seller with whom you wish to do business. It will provide you with some protection in the event that you wish to get your money back for ANY REASON. That is the policy of Galleria Delvecchio and will eventually become the benchmark of the antiquities market. To download the document, just click on it. When you get to the larger version, right-click on the document and then left click on "print target". You can then mail the contract to the seller for them to fill in and return to you, or you can send the document to them as an email attachment and have them print it, fill it in and send it along with the object. Only send payment to the seller if they agree to do this.
It is our sincere hope that we can reduce the amount of fraud being comitted by dishonest sellers who take advantage of unsuspecting buyers. Please let us know if this helps you and we urge you to spread the word. The antiquities market has a new concept attached to it - ACCOUNTABILITY
