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There is actually a VERY practical benefit to holding stolen art and artifacts in certain circles. For Criminal Organizations, drug dealers, terrorists, etc...

There is actually a VERY practical benefit to holding stolen art and artifacts in certain circles. For Criminal Organizations, drug dealers, terrorists, etc... these items can be used as collateral to secure loans or drugs on consignment, or exchanged for hostages. They are a vital part of the black market currency exchange. This is a big part of the plot of the book "Gold Finch" if you find it interesting. Another very easy way to look at it, if you are a drug dealer wanting to move 10 Million dollars, that's not very easy in cash even if its $100 bills. A single painting could hold the same value and take up much less physical space.

Pick-A-Hill2019 6y ago
Indeed. From [1] "The two stolen works were eventually recovered in 2016, when they were used by an Italian mafia boss as collateral to get a more lenient jail sentence." And from [2] "Artworks tend to surface either very quickly after they are stolen or else disappear into the underworld where they are traded between criminals at a fraction of their value for drugs and other illicit materials, Marinello said." [1] https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/worldnews/11904865/van-gogh-painting-stolen-criminal/ https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/worldnews/11904865/van-gogh-pa... [2] https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/aug/16/rembrandt-stolen-california https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/aug/16/rembran...