Open Forum

Hello - 

We recently received a letter from a auction house/art acquisition company informing us that they had been hired by a client to try and obtain items made within a certain country.  As our collections are listed on our website I am assuming that they found such an item and then sent us a letter asking if we would be willing to return it to its country of origin either for free or at a cost.  

I was taken aback by this letter and do not know how to respond and hoped that someone has received similar communications and could give me some advice.  Maybe its because I always associate the return of items to home countries as being taken during a war or other period of strife or it could be that we are such a small house and garden museum that I am shocked we have something that would be sought after in such a way.

My honest fear is that if anything was ever deaccessioned, for any reason, that certain staff/board members would see it as an open invitation to sell the entire collection piece by piece.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

thank you, Lenora

------------------------------
Lenora Costa
Curator
Longue Vue House & Gardens
New Orleans LA
------------------------------

If your museum has clear title to the objects in question (Deeds of Gift, etc.), then you are under no obligation to return any objects to anyone unless they have documented proof that they were stolen or in some other way illegally obtained by the donor.  This, of course, could just be a phishing scam.

------------------------------
David Beard
Director
Museum of the Gulf Coast
Port Arthur TX
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 08-31-2015 10:25 AM
From: Lenora Costa
Subject: Request to purchase accessioned item

Hello - 

We recently received a letter from a auction house/art acquisition company informing us that they had been hired by a client to try and obtain items made within a certain country.  As our collections are listed on our website I am assuming that they found such an item and then sent us a letter asking if we would be willing to return it to its country of origin either for free or at a cost.  

I was taken aback by this letter and do not know how to respond and hoped that someone has received similar communications and could give me some advice.  Maybe its because I always associate the return of items to home countries as being taken during a war or other period of strife or it could be that we are such a small house and garden museum that I am shocked we have something that would be sought after in such a way.

My honest fear is that if anything was ever deaccessioned, for any reason, that certain staff/board members would see it as an open invitation to sell the entire collection piece by piece.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

thank you, Lenora

------------------------------
Lenora Costa
Curator
Longue Vue House & Gardens
New Orleans LA
------------------------------

Thanks for replying.  We do have a clear title for the item so I'm not worried there.  I guess it could just be a scam - should I just ignore it or do you think I should respond that we are not interested?

------------------------------
Lenora Costa
Curator
Longue Vue House & Gardens
New Orleans LA
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 08-31-2015 10:53 AM
From: David Beard
Subject: Request to purchase accessioned item

If your museum has clear title to the objects in question (Deeds of Gift, etc.), then you are under no obligation to return any objects to anyone unless they have documented proof that they were stolen or in some other way illegally obtained by the donor.  This, of course, could just be a phishing scam.

------------------------------
David Beard
Director
Museum of the Gulf Coast
Port Arthur TX
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 08-31-2015 10:25 AM
From: Lenora Costa
Subject: Request to purchase accessioned item

Hello - 

We recently received a letter from a auction house/art acquisition company informing us that they had been hired by a client to try and obtain items made within a certain country.  As our collections are listed on our website I am assuming that they found such an item and then sent us a letter asking if we would be willing to return it to its country of origin either for free or at a cost.  

I was taken aback by this letter and do not know how to respond and hoped that someone has received similar communications and could give me some advice.  Maybe its because I always associate the return of items to home countries as being taken during a war or other period of strife or it could be that we are such a small house and garden museum that I am shocked we have something that would be sought after in such a way.

My honest fear is that if anything was ever deaccessioned, for any reason, that certain staff/board members would see it as an open invitation to sell the entire collection piece by piece.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

thank you, Lenora

------------------------------
Lenora Costa
Curator
Longue Vue House & Gardens
New Orleans LA
------------------------------

Thanks for replying.  We do have a clear title for the item so I'm not worried there.  I guess it could just be a scam - should I just ignore it or do you think I should respond that we are not interested?

------------------------------
Lenora Costa
Curator
Longue Vue House & Gardens
New Orleans LA
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 08-31-2015 10:53 AM
From: David Beard
Subject: Request to purchase accessioned item

If your museum has clear title to the objects in question (Deeds of Gift, etc.), then you are under no obligation to return any objects to anyone unless they have documented proof that they were stolen or in some other way illegally obtained by the donor.  This, of course, could just be a phishing scam.

------------------------------
David Beard
Director
Museum of the Gulf Coast
Port Arthur TX
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 08-31-2015 10:25 AM
From: Lenora Costa
Subject: Request to purchase accessioned item

Hello - 

We recently received a letter from a auction house/art acquisition company informing us that they had been hired by a client to try and obtain items made within a certain country.  As our collections are listed on our website I am assuming that they found such an item and then sent us a letter asking if we would be willing to return it to its country of origin either for free or at a cost.  

I was taken aback by this letter and do not know how to respond and hoped that someone has received similar communications and could give me some advice.  Maybe its because I always associate the return of items to home countries as being taken during a war or other period of strife or it could be that we are such a small house and garden museum that I am shocked we have something that would be sought after in such a way.

My honest fear is that if anything was ever deaccessioned, for any reason, that certain staff/board members would see it as an open invitation to sell the entire collection piece by piece.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

thank you, Lenora

------------------------------
Lenora Costa
Curator
Longue Vue House & Gardens
New Orleans LA
------------------------------

I have been approached by people requesting the same thing.  In particular, a family member that didn't like that his cousin donated something formerly belonging to his grandfather.  I think as educators, it is important to explain why we can't sell accessioned items.  Let them know that the object is in the public trust and as long as it meets your mission, is not redundant or damaged beyond repair, you have no reason to deaccession it.  Also, if you do deaccession it, because it IS in the public trust, you have an ethical responsibility to try to transfer it to another educational repository. (at least this is the spiel I give...)   

------------------------------
Dana Neitzel
Curator
San Mateo County Historical Association
Redwood City CA
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 09-01-2015 09:07 AM
From: Lenora Costa
Subject: Request to purchase accessioned item

Thanks for replying.  We do have a clear title for the item so I'm not worried there.  I guess it could just be a scam - should I just ignore it or do you think I should respond that we are not interested?

------------------------------
Lenora Costa
Curator
Longue Vue House & Gardens
New Orleans LA
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 08-31-2015 10:53 AM
From: David Beard
Subject: Request to purchase accessioned item

If your museum has clear title to the objects in question (Deeds of Gift, etc.), then you are under no obligation to return any objects to anyone unless they have documented proof that they were stolen or in some other way illegally obtained by the donor.  This, of course, could just be a phishing scam.

------------------------------
David Beard
Director
Museum of the Gulf Coast
Port Arthur TX
------------------------------


Original Message:
Sent: 08-31-2015 10:25 AM
From: Lenora Costa
Subject: Request to purchase accessioned item

Hello - 

We recently received a letter from a auction house/art acquisition company informing us that they had been hired by a client to try and obtain items made within a certain country.  As our collections are listed on our website I am assuming that they found such an item and then sent us a letter asking if we would be willing to return it to its country of origin either for free or at a cost.  

I was taken aback by this letter and do not know how to respond and hoped that someone has received similar communications and could give me some advice.  Maybe its because I always associate the return of items to home countries as being taken during a war or other period of strife or it could be that we are such a small house and garden museum that I am shocked we have something that would be sought after in such a way.

My honest fear is that if anything was ever deaccessioned, for any reason, that certain staff/board members would see it as an open invitation to sell the entire collection piece by piece.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

thank you, Lenora

------------------------------
Lenora Costa
Curator
Longue Vue House & Gardens
New Orleans LA
------------------------------