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Collector due diligence

Using ICOM Red Lists

ICOM Red Lists identify categories of cultural objects at risk, not a database of individual stolen objects.

ICOM Red Lists identify categories of cultural objects at risk, not a database of individual stolen objects.

Evidence-first sequence
  1. Photograph the whole object, front, back, base, interior, edges, breaks, marks, mounts, labels, and associated documents.
  2. Record dimensions, weight, material, construction, surface, condition, repairs, seller, location, and every provenance statement exactly.
  3. Separate observed facts from attribution, family history, dealer language, translation, and collector labels.
  4. Compare museum objects, excavation reports, typologies, scientific evidence, old catalogs, and lawful collection records.
  5. State identity, date, origin, authenticity, and legal status only as strongly as the evidence supports.

Historical frame

ICOM Red Lists identify categories of cultural objects at risk, not a database of individual stolen objects. This guide is a research framework, not legal advice or a substitute for a qualified specialist in the relevant country and object class.

Identification evidence

Keep dated screenshots, emails, invoices, photographs, reports, database-search results, permit copies, customs entries, return terms, and the exact listing description. Preservation of the decision record is part of due diligence.

Physical recordMeasurements, weight, material, manufacture, marks, surface, breaks, joins, fills, coatings, mounts, and active deterioration.
Documentary recordInvoices, collection names, dates, addresses, export papers, customs records, publications, photographs, labels, and archive references.
Comparative recordMuseum objects, excavation reports, typologies, scholarly catalogs, conservation studies, scientific testing, and matched completed sales.

Authenticity traps

Do not rely on verbal assurances, undated photocopies, generic certificates, cropped documents, seller-created biographies, or a single database search. Rules and databases change, and absence from a list does not prove lawful title.

Provenance is not optional: Ask for the ownership chain, invoices, export basis, import history, prior publications, restoration record, and exact seller representations. “Old collection,” “estate find,” and “from Europe” are not independently testable provenance.

Condition and preservation

Avoid aggressive cleaning, oil, acid, wire brushing, household polish, soaking, and adhesive repair. Isolate unstable corrosion, flaking surfaces, salts, active mold, and fragile organic materials until a qualified conservator can advise.

Value and market research

Responsible value research begins only after lawful title, attribution, authenticity, completeness, restoration, condition, provenance, publication history, and comparable sales are understood. A legally risky object may be unsalable regardless of appearance.

Responsible language: Prefer “attributed to,” “possibly,” “reported as,” “collection history states,” “replica,” “composite,” or “export status unverified” when certainty is incomplete.

Search clearly labeled replicas and reference books

For high-risk cultural material, use the marketplace for clearly labeled replicas, casts, museum-shop objects, and reference books rather than undocumented archaeological pieces.

Search clearly labeled replicas and reference books

What an ICOM Red List can and cannot tell you

A Red List illustrates categories particularly vulnerable to illicit trafficking. It is not a database of every stolen object, nor proof a pictured similar object is illicit.

  1. Identify the object category: Compare material, date, region and object type with the relevant risk category.
  2. Check legal context: Use official government import/export resources and qualified advice for the countries and periods involved.
  3. Corroborate object-specific history: Record individual ownership and movement documentation rather than substituting category resemblance for evidence.

Document the evidence before a transaction

Do not treat absence from a Red List as evidence of authenticity or lawful title.

This is an evidence-gathering checklist, not legal clearance, authentication, or an appraisal. Laws and import restrictions depend on object, origin, destination, and documented history.