There is nothing worse than dropping a big amount of money on a an ancient Egyptian artifact only to find out that it is in fact a fake. Sadly however the world of ancient art is rife with with fakes and fraud artists who make a living from selling you recreated pieces of ancient art, and they are surprisingly easy to create. Whether you are interested in Byzantine artifacts, Luristan bones or Egyptian coins, you have to be careful and be sure to know what you are buying. To give you some tips on how you can avoid picking up fakes, we caught up with the curator of the Sadigh Gallery in New York for some help.
Know What You Are Looking For
One of the biggest reasons why so many people get scammed with fake items is that they simply just don’t know enough about what they should be looking for. When someone with nefarious intentions sees a customer like this, they instantly know that they can sell them just about anything, and tell them anything about said item, and that they will not ask any questions. It is for this reason that it is absolutely critical that you know the piece that you are looking for, and that you know it inside out. You should have check your sources and references to find out each nook and cranny of the piece, how it should look, what it should feel like, what it should weigh and every other detail you can think of. When it comes to spotting fakes, knowledge is power.
It is likely that this is not your first rodeo in the art world and you have to trust that you will have already have some experience in this field. For that reason you should trust your instincts when you are looking for pieces that you want. If the deal doesn’t feel right or if the piece itself just doesn’t completely convince you then don’t buy it. It is far better to walk away from a real piece than to invest big bucks in something which is not the genuine item.
Buying Online
If you have found a piece online which is low cost then there is no issue buying this, as if it does turn out to be a fake then you have only lost a small amount of money, and the site you bought it from may be able to help you get some of that back. If however you see a high value item online then your best course of action is to either go and see the piece in person, or get some kind of guarantee which will protect you if the piece turns out to be a fake. Most people who get scammed are those who are shopping online, which is why you should never drop a large chunk of change via a website purchase.
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