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Private property? If you were to implement such a measure, it further encourages black markets, since the demand will still be there. A bad consequence can even

by iwwr 10y ago

Private property? If you were to implement such a measure, it further encourages black markets, since the demand will still be there. A bad consequence can even be the destruction of art from either: hiding a crime or harder access to legitimate researchers and restorers. Besides, not everything old is necessarily worth preserving. You don't always need a physical object, you can take high-res scans or pictures. Many pieces of privately-owned art are actually on long-term loans to museums. Public museums usually have far larger stockpiles of objects than can reasonably be displayed. Many languish in storage for decades at a time. In private ownership they can at least be displayed and taken care of.

jonknee 10y ago
Private ownership of antiquity is definitely murky. If you can prove legitimate ownership for an object that is one thing, all of a sudden owning an ancient treasure is another. I think they should belong to the state in question (e.g. the people from that area).
- chris_va 10y ago
  Where do you draw the line? In the US we always side with personal freedom in the courts (e.g. if you want to own something, you can do so, pursuit of happiness and all that). Antiquities don't have a lot of intrinsic value beyond display, so eventually (maybe 50 years, maybe 200 years) they will all end up in a museum. Generally they have higher value to people in the area from which they originated, so they will eventually migrate home. I'd prefer to be patient and let it happen naturally instead of implementing new laws.
  - return0 10y ago
    Why would they migrate home? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_Marbles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_Marbles
    - chris_va 10y ago
      40% in favour of returning the marbles to Greece 15% in favour of keeping them at the British Museum 18% would not vote 27% had no opinion ... I feel like this is a good example of where they will eventually migrate home. It hasn't been very long, on an antiquities scale.

by iwwr 10y ago

jonknee 10y ago

Private ownership of antiquity is definitely murky. If you can prove legitimate ownership for an object that is one thing, all of a sudden owning an ancient treasure is another. I think they should belong to the state in question (e.g. the people from that area).

chris_va 10y ago
Where do you draw the line? In the US we always side with personal freedom in the courts (e.g. if you want to own something, you can do so, pursuit of happiness and all that). Antiquities don't have a lot of intrinsic value beyond display, so eventually (maybe 50 years, maybe 200 years) they will all end up in a museum. Generally they have higher value to people in the area from which they originated, so they will eventually migrate home. I'd prefer to be patient and let it happen naturally instead of implementing new laws.
- return0 10y ago
  Why would they migrate home? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_Marbles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elgin_Marbles
  - chris_va 10y ago
    40% in favour of returning the marbles to Greece 15% in favour of keeping them at the British Museum 18% would not vote 27% had no opinion ... I feel like this is a good example of where they will eventually migrate home. It hasn't been very long, on an antiquities scale.